It's crazy to me that in this world of electronic medical records

Hear the words of Anne Wojcicki, pioneer in the realm of personal genomics, who speaks with astonishment at the imbalance of knowledge in our age: “It's crazy to me that in this world of electronic medical records Walmart has so much information about how we shop, but no one has that information about our health. Why can't my doctor say, 'Wow, Anne, based on your lifestyle and behavior, you're five years from being diabetic.' But I can go to Target, and they know exactly what I'm going to buy.” In these words lies both lament and challenge: lament at the failure of medicine to use knowledge for prevention, and challenge to reimagine the future of healthcare.

The origin of this statement lies in the modern paradox. Corporations such as Walmart and Target use data with extraordinary precision. They know the rhythm of our purchases, the brands we prefer, even the stages of our lives based on what we place in our carts. Yet, in contrast, the realm of medicine, where data could save lives, too often remains fragmented, opaque, and reactive. Wojcicki marvels at this absurdity: that consumerism has mastered prediction, while healthcare still stumbles in hindsight.

The ancients would have found wisdom here. They, too, sought to predict illness before it struck. Hippocrates taught that by observing lifestyle, diet, and behavior, one could foresee disease and alter its course. But in our time, though the tools of observation are infinitely greater—electronic medical records, genomic data, wearable devices—we lack the unity and vision to use them for the healing of the people. Commerce has surpassed medicine in its understanding of human patterns, not because it is wiser, but because it is more relentless in pursuit of its goals.

Consider the story of how Target once predicted a young woman’s pregnancy based solely on her shopping behavior—before her family even knew. With statistical insight, the store discerned what medicine should have: the signs of a body in transformation, revealed not by blood tests but by patterns of living. If a retailer can achieve this with soap, lotion, and vitamins, why cannot a physician foresee diabetes, heart disease, or cancer using far richer data? Wojcicki’s astonishment is righteous indignation, for she sees clearly the vast, untapped potential of medicine.

The meaning of her words is not simply criticism but a call to awaken. She challenges us to imagine a world where doctors can intervene before illness takes root, where knowledge of daily habits, combined with medical science, predicts and prevents suffering. This is the higher purpose of data—not to sell products, but to extend life, preserve health, and honor human dignity. The absurdity she names is not destiny; it is a failure of will, a gap waiting to be bridged.

The lesson is clear: we must demand that the power of information serve humanity first, not commerce. Let us not accept a world where retailers know us better than our healers. Let us build systems where our choices, our movements, and our biology are understood not to manipulate us, but to protect us. In this lies the true promise of technology—not the fullness of a shopping cart, but the fullness of years in health.

Practical action follows. Support efforts to modernize electronic medical records and integrate them with real-world data. Encourage collaboration between medicine and technology to shift from treatment to prevention. As individuals, share accurate information with your physicians, track your health, and demand predictive care. And as citizens, advocate for policies that protect privacy while enabling innovation, ensuring that health data is used ethically for healing rather than profit.

Thus Wojcicki’s words become a mirror, showing us what is and what could be. They remind us that we live in an age of immense possibility, yet we have not aligned our priorities with wisdom. Let us carry her vision into the future: that the same foresight which tells us what we will buy tomorrow may one day tell us how to live longer, healthier lives. For in that alignment, knowledge will finally serve its highest calling—not commerce, but the care of the human soul.