Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos, comes off as a pure sociopath who was aided in evil by her second in command and boyfriend Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani. But it wasn't just those two - company counsel and Board of Directors member David Boies also comes off like a cartoon villain. Boies was knee-deep in crushing anyone who was unfavorable in their word or deed when it came to the company - no matter how correct that person was - that you can only assume he had to know the company was an out-and-out fraud. He had to know.
Boies you may recall was the lead attorney for Al Gore in his lawsuit over the 2000 Presidential election.
Perhaps it was reading this book at the same time the 2020 Presidential election is being contested that added to my anger. If you wanted proof that some in Silicon Valley would do absolutely anything to get what they wanted - this book is Exhibit A.
Another character in this tale that really took a beating, in my estimation, was General James Mattis who was also on the Theranos Board of Directors. "She [Elizabeth Holmes] has probably one of the most mature and well-honed sense of ethics - personal ethics, managerial ethics, business ethics, medical ethics that I ever heard articulated." Really General? You are either a fool or a fraud if you actually believed what you said.
Elizabeth Holmes' trial in federal court is set for March 2021. She faces up to 20-years in prison. I hope she serves every single day.
Of the times I've been embarrassed at being a Marine... starting with Lee Harvey, then Charles Whitman of Dallas Towers infamy... I've not been more embarrassed than by Mattis's latest remarks about 'America First'. You are correct, the man is a fraud, a bought and paid for fraud.
ReplyDeleteIn the book Mattis fell for the idea that these Theranos machines could be deployed in war zones on the back of Humvees to help save soldiers lives. That proved to be complete vaporware yet years later he agrees to be on the board of Theranos. NO FUCKING PRINCIPLES WHATSOEVER.
ReplyDeleteLike I said -the book made me angry.