Orchid CEO Noor Siddiqui on genetic embryo screening, controversy, and 'stacking the deck' for healthier babies
By
Alex Konrad
2d ago· 8 min readen
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Summary
Noor Siddiqui, founder of Orchid, discusses her company's mission to use genetic screening and embryo selection technology to help parents reduce the risk of genetic diseases in their children. The article explores the ethical controversies surrounding her approach, which critics argue veers into eugenics and 'designer baby' territory. Siddiqui defends the technology as a way to 'stack the deck' for healthier outcomes, while the piece examines the broader implications of reproductive genetic engineering, the backlash from bioethicists, and the startup culture that fuels such ambitious ventures.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledIf you have a baby the old-fashioned way, you're basically rolling the dice, and you get an average outcome. And if you come to us, you can stack the odds.
We're not trying to create superbabies. We're trying to give parents the information they need to make the best decisions for their families.
The technology exists. The question is whether society is ready to have the conversation about how to use it responsibly.
The category creator in reproductive health talks 'superbabies,' Thiel Fellows and startup 'holy wars' on the Upstarts Podcast.