# Embryo-Editing Ventures Seek Baby Improvement by Fyodor Urnov > “[The people behind the embryo-editing ventures] are not working on genetic diseases. They are either lying, delusional, or both. These people armed with very poorly deployed sacks of cash are working on ‘baby improvement.’” > **— Fyodor Urnov**, *The Wall Street Journal interview, November 8, 2025* ## Sources and Context - **Interview and publisher’s reproduction:** [Emily Glazer, Katherine Long, and Amy Dockser Marcus, “Genetically Engineered Babies Are Banned. Tech Titans Are Trying to Make One Anyway,” *The Wall Street Journal*, November 8, 2025](https://www.wsj.com/tech/biotech/genetically-engineered-babies-tech-billionaires-6779efc8); [the Journal’s own LinkedIn reproduction of Urnov’s three-sentence statement](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-wall-street-journal_a-growing-number-of-startups-funded-by-some-activity-7394931464368238593-D2xg). **Exact original opening:** “These people are not working on genetic diseases.” The opening brackets replace “These people” with the people behind the reported embryo-editing ventures; no other words have been changed. Urnov is criticizing their stated aims and resources, not reporting a demonstrated clinical result. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Greatest Transformation in Human History|The Greatest Transformation in Human History]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Self-Directed Evolution|Self-Directed Evolution]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “[The people behind the embryo-editing ventures] are not working on genetic diseases. They are either lying, delusional, or both. These people armed with very poorly deployed sacks of cash are working on ‘baby improvement.’” — Fyodor Urnov, The Wall Street Journal interview, November 8, 2025 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-fyodor-urnov-embryo-editing-baby-improvement ```