23andMe must be paying out the nose for PR. There are at least 2 other well-funded companies in this space, and I don't see those folks getting features in the New York Times....
They have also presented the information in the best way I have ever seen such genetic information presented. This alone makes their product more appealing and more interesting to journalists. Take a look at the copy on this page -- https://www.23andme.com/gen101/variation/speed/ -- it's damn good copy.
True. They've got a couple of science writers on staff, and I'm impressed with their sense of style.
Still, that kind of stuff just doesn't explain a feature article in the New York Times. DeCODE is the big fish in this area, and I've heard next to nothing in the media about them. This seems like a blatant case of good PR.
(with the obvious caveat concerning Google and Sergey and Sergey's wife, of course)
