Ancestry.com’s Genealogical Juggernaut

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description:  In July, Ancestry.com (ACOM) announced that it had uncovered evidence that links President Barack Obama, through his white Kansan mother, to one of the earliest known slaves in North America. Obama’s also related to Brad Pitt. The genealogical website says they’re ninth cousins. Warren Buffett is family, too. He’s Obama’s seventh cousin, three times removed. In recent years Ancestry.com has also connected Obama to Sarah Palin, George W. Bush, even Rush Limbaugh—and they’ve got the paper trail to prove it.

Source:  Businessweek.com

Date: Sep 20, 2012

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-09-20/ancestry-dot-coms-genealogical-juggernaut#r=hp-lst

Questions for Discussions:

  • Why do you think there is such great interest in knowing ancestry linkages?
  • How can Ancestry.com generate more revenues?
  • What sort of related businesses might be able to capitalize on these database search services?
  • Are there ethical issues related to this business model?

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