silicon valley’s plan to make the “perfect baby”

silicon valley’s plan to make the “perfect baby”

From kill switch by Kaleidoscope

February 25, 2026 · 34 min

About this episode

The episode discusses Silicon Valley's investment in genetic technology aimed at creating designer babies, featuring an interview with Amanda Gerut.

The 1997 science fiction film Gattaca depicts a dystopian future where genetic technology creates a two-tier society: people who were born with the “best” genes selected vs. people who were conceived naturally. This was a cautionary tale, showing us a future we don’t want. But now, Silicon Valley is heavily investing in making this technology real. Dexter talks to Amanda Gerut, West Coast editor at Fortune, about the rise of polygenic screening companies, the investment in gene editing of embryos, and how close we are to creating designer babies. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc , or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Read + Watch:  Amanda’s article, “Silicon Valley sets its sights on building the perfect baby” - https://fortune.com/2025/11/29/ivf-silicon-valley-billionaire-baby/ WSJ's reporting, “Genetically Engineered Babies Are Banned. Tech Titans Are Trying to Make One Anyway.” - https://www.wsj.com/tech/biotech/genetically-engineered-babies-tech-billionaires-6779efc8 kill switch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@killswitch_pod See omnystudio.com/listener for…

People in this episode

Host: Dexter

Guest: Amanda Gerut

Topics covered

  • genetic technology
  • designer babies
  • polygenic screening
  • gene editing
  • Silicon Valley investment

Keywords

  • genetic technology
  • designer babies
  • polygenic screening
  • gene editing
  • Silicon Valley

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Fortune, Silicon Valley, WSJ

Books & works: Gattaca

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