Bizarre. Google disclosed today that it was investing a small amount, $3.9m, in a bioinformatics startup. The deal, in which the search engine is coming in alongside Mohr Davidow and other investors, should be uncontroversial. Except that the startup is 23 and Me, which was founded by Anne Wojcicki to help people explore their genetic heritage. And Wojcicki is the new wife of Sergey Brin, Google's founder. With a net worth of $14bn, Brin could afford to make a personal investment. If 23 and Me believes that the Google name would carry more credibility, Wojcicki and her partners aren't thinking clearly. Google will inevitably claim that Brin recused himself from the decision to invest in his spouse's project; but, seriously, who at Google would ever have turned down the boss' girlfriend? [PE Hub via Paul Kedrosky.]

Contact information for this author is not available.