--- title: "Startup Secretly Working to Gene-Hack Human Baby" description: "In today's installment of \"hey please don't do that,\" the [*Wall Street Journal* reports]() that a clandestine startup named Preventive is trying to usher in the first known birth of a genetically-modified baby outside China." date: "2025-11-11" modified: "2025-11-11" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/health-medicine/startup-altman-gene-hacking" categories: - "Biology" - "Gene Editing" - "Genetics" - "Health & Medicine" - "Science & Energy" --- # Startup Secretly Working to Gene-Hack Human Baby ![A clandestine startup privately funded by tech billionaires is looking into germline gene editing a human embryo.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Getty* In today's installment of "hey please don't do that," the [*Wall Street Journal* reports]() that a clandestine startup named Preventive is trying to usher in the first known birth of a genetically-modified baby outside China. First, a little background on human gene-hacking, also known as germline gene editing. On top of being wildly unethical — and we're talking [Frankenstein levels]() here — human gene-editing has also been strictly prohibited in the US by an [act of Congress](). However, and this is a huge caveat, the congressional ban only affects research done with federal funds, meaning privately-funded germline gene editing is technically allowed, though anyone caught doing it runs the risk of [becoming a pariah]() in the scientific community. In genetics circles, anxiety over germline gene editing is so palpable that leading scientists and trade organizations have called for a [10-year global moratorium]() on the practice. The Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui — one of the few to ever risk a career on the practice that we know of — was sentenced to three years in prison and a lifetime of scientific exile after he admitted to producing [genetically modified twins]() back in 2018. With that said, it's probably no surprise that Preventive is a strictly private commercial venture underwritten by a lineup of some of the tech industry's wealthiest figures, including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, per the *WSJ*. For the last six months, Preventive has been working to create a child born from a hacked embryo, which has been tinkered with to erase a hereditary disease. As the paper tells it, the company's executives have recently identified an anonymous couple worried about that very issue, and who are interested in Preventive's services. The company's CEO, Lucas Harrington, denies any such talks are taking place. He adds that Preventive is "compelled" to do its research outside the US, as the congressional act prohibits the Food and Drug Administration from even considering commercial applications to run human trials involving gene-hacking. Preventive is just one of a "growing number of startups" in the area of germline gene editing funded by wealthy tech billionaires, *WSJ* reports. Similar ventures are already well under way, like Herasight, a genetics company which claims it can [predict an embryo's IQ](), and Nucleus, a venture-capitalist backed startup offering [polygenic screening]() at the price of just $9,999. While post-birth gene-therapy is a [budding medical practice]() in the US, the use of germline gene editing to alter sperm, embryos, or eggs before birth is much more taboo; our best understanding of genetics is still shaky, the health risks associated with germline edits are poorly understood, and it would be easy to accidentally introduce a change that could affect multiple generations. Philosophical objections also abound. In our profit-driven world of haves and have nots, the ethics of the practice are too dubious for words. For starters, there's the nagging issue of racial eugenics, a [significant blemish]() on the foundation of wealthy Western democracies like the United States, where some eugenicist polices and attitudes [remain unaddressed]() to this day. There's also the very real threat of eugenics as a [tool for the wealthy]() to wield against the poor, another problem with a nauseating amount of [historical precedent]() in the States. As [*Forbes* contributor Erik Sherman put it]() after scientists used CRISPR to [successfully alter the genes of a human embryo]() for the first time in 2017: "undoubtedly someone will make the claim that the technology will free everyone. That will not happen anymore than early automation and the replacement of human workers led to more leisure time to learn and be creative." **More on gene-hacking**: *[Elon Musk Using Eugenics Startup to Inspect DNA of Potential Babies for Intelligence]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()