Female Privilege or Femme Fatale?

[TomC]

Holmes was Balwani's titular boss but was she his boss in any meaningful way? More importantly, how much does it matter?

At best, Holmes was an over praised over achiever whose ego and youth got the best of her when she attempted to sell a product that did not yet exist.

To me, this seems more important than her gender. At the time, she nearly qualified as a "barely legal teen". If I understand correctly, Balwani would have been heavily censured(probably fired) for his relationship with her, had she not dropped out.
Tom

 

[Toni]

Holmes was Balwani's titular boss but was she his boss in any meaningful way? More importantly, how much does it matter?

At best, Holmes was an over praised over achiever whose ego and youth got the best of her when she attempted to sell a product that did not yet exist.

To me, this seems more important than her gender. At the time, she nearly qualified as a "barely legal teen". If I understand correctly, Balwani would have been heavily censured(probably fired) for his relationship with her, had she not dropped out.
Tom

Yes, that’s been my entire point: she was so young and would have been extremely vulnerable to control/manipulation by a much older, wiser businessman she admired and respected.

If she had been 28 or 29 to his 20 years older? Her youth and inexperience would not have been mitigating factors. It doesn’t mean that he (or she) might not have had outsized influence or control if she had been 10 years older but it would have not had that same kind of inequality. And look: they broke up.

 

[blastula]

No verdict till next year.

Elizabeth Holmes jury to take New Year's break after 6 days of deliberation

The eight men and four women on the jury had been expected to continue deliberations on Thursday morning, but a court filing after they left disclosed they...

www.marketwatch.com

From what I know of the case, she is ridiculously guilty. It will be disappointing if she is not convicted. She's an excellent con artist, and perhaps she has conned enough jurors, but I wouldn't take the length of deliberations as indicating acquittal or mistrial. Maxwell's jury took about 40 hours to convict her.

 

[blastula]

"And she focused on Ramesh Balwani, her ex-boyfriend and business partner, who she said was responsible for overstated financial projections and problems in Theranos’s lab.
Mr. Balwani, who is known as Sunny and is roughly two decades older than she is, was also controlling and abusive, Ms. Holmes testified. He had prescribed her schedule, diet, self-presentation and whom she could see, she said. He also forced her to have sex with him, she said.

When asked how that had affected her work at Theranos, Ms. Holmes said it was difficult to separate where his influence began and ended. In legal filings before the trial, Mr. Balwani strongly denied allegations of abuse."

We will soon see what the verdict is. But after the passage of 2 more years we can now clearly see how utterly clairvoyant Truasti and the OP were with the anticipation of female privilege.

Obviously Holmes will get off on grounds that she was not really running anything and that the boyfriend was the evil mastermind fraudster behind all of this. Hell, the boyfriend was even controlling and abusive! How will anyone possibly put Holmes in jail now?!! She was just a beautiful face for the marketing of the venture capital. The boyfriend was an assistant in name only....he was the one running everything after all. Let us see what his sentence is compared to Holmes.

Female privilege in its finest hour.

Your conclusion is a bit premature - the jury verdict is not in.

The verdict isn't in, that's true. But whether the jury is convinced by the defence's 'battered woman syndrome' play is beside the point. Holmes' lawyers thought that presenting Holmes as a defenseless plaything of the big bad man Balwani had (has) a chance.

Is there trial footage? If I were Holmes' lawyers, I'd tell her to drop her affected baritone. Yes, she is still trying to scam people (the jury this time), but her female victim of the patriarchy act would be better conveyed to the punters if she sounded more feminine.

The defense didn't even mention any of the abuse allegations in their closing, so may have decided it would not work so well.

 

[blastula]

I’m not entirely certain that she knew it was a fraud. She dropped out of college at 19 to pursue this start up. Her background was entirely insufficient for her to know it understand the science behind her idea.

It likely didn't start out as a fraud. She probably believed in it at first, but after she got so many millions in support along the way, she decided to fake it when it became clear it wasn't working, presumably to keep the money and fame flowing in. She fooled a lot of people, but there were plenty who didn't buy into it too. When anyone who worked for her brought up problems with the device, she would fire them, and they wouldn't talk to anyone about it because of NDAs.

She reminds me of Keith Raniere and his mlm cult Nxivm. There was no sex slavery but it was like a mlm scam. What got her success going was a few early big names signing on to the project, and she would use those names to lure in later investors, and so on. These people would be going by the famous names involved and not any proven technology underneath. The big names on her board would be paid nice salaries, but the investors would ultimately get nothing.

She also employed "fair game" tactics like Raniere did, using lawsuits and threats against anyone who would go against them, having people followed, etc. Like Raniere, the people who worked closest with her were treated the worst.

I do hope both she and Balwani are convicted. It's easy to not feel sorry for her millionaire investors, but she also conned a lot of patients into paying for blood test results when she knew the device was unreliable and when she was also using third party devices not designed to be used with smaller volumes of blood.

 

[Toni]

If I remember correctly, they actually used legitimate FDA approved platforms to rest patient samples so presumably, those patients got legitimate results….. Its hard to believe that those working for her were unaware of the fraud…

 

[blastula]

If I remember correctly, they actually used legitimate FDA approved platforms to rest patient samples so presumably, those patients got legitimate results….. Its hard to believe that those working for her were unaware of the fraud…

The devices weren't approved for the small volumes of blood that they were using.

 

[bilby]

No verdict till next year.

The day after tomorrow is 'next year'.

 

[Toni]

If I remember correctly, they actually used legitimate FDA approved platforms to rest patient samples so presumably, those patients got legitimate results….. Its hard to believe that those working for her were unaware of the fraud…

The devices weren't approved for the small volumes of blood that they were using.

I honestly cannot find the article I read ( some years ago) where I was under the impression they were using the legitimate platforms correctly, i.e. I’m with the correct volume of blood (or serum). Or perhaps I made that assumption.

 

[ZiprHead]

When I was working in the lab, we had to deal with very small amounts of serum from babies in the NICU. Sometimes we would pipet an amount then mix with the same amount of distilled water then double the value from the instrument reading. We did the same for patients with values so high the machine couldn't read it.

 

[Toni]

When I was working in the lab, we had to deal with very small amounts of serum from babies in the NICU. Sometimes we would pipet an amount then mix with the same amount of distilled water then double the value from the instrument reading. We did the same for patients with values so high the machine couldn't read it.

We would not have been allowed to dilute samples for neonates. We were not performing chemistries but antibody/antigen testing.

 

[ZiprHead]

When I was working in the lab, we had to deal with very small amounts of serum from babies in the NICU. Sometimes we would pipet an amount then mix with the same amount of distilled water then double the value from the instrument reading. We did the same for patients with values so high the machine couldn't read it.

We would not have been allowed to dilute samples for neonates. We were not performing chemistries but antibody/antigen testing.

Understandable in that situation. Looking for minute particles in an already minute sample.

 

[blastula]

Presumably, they've reached verdicts on the other counts.

 

[Gun Nut]

Holmes, who is now 34, dropped out of Stanford to found Theranos at 19, and for a few years, her childhood and adult dreams meshed. Theranos’s blood-testing system, which the company said only required a finger prick, made it a “unicorn” — Silicon Valley parlance for a billion-dollar start-up — on paper at least. Blue-chip investors included Rupert Murdoch, Larry Ellison, Carlos Slim, Walmart heirs, President Trump’s secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, and her family, and companies like Safeway and Walgreens, which hoped to set up wellness centers in their stores where customers could have their blood tested without involving a doctor. Theranos’s board was filled with names like former Defense secretary William Perry, former secretaries of State George Shultz and Henry Kissinger, former senator Sam Nunn, former Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich, super-lawyer David Boies, and President Trump’s secretary of Defense James Mattis, who joined in 2013 after retiring as head of U.S. Central Command.

That first Carreyrou story reported that Theranos’s blood-testing machine had significant accuracy issues and had been used for only 15 out of a claimed 240 tests. Subsequent stories revealed that the machines never really worked, would often malfunction, and could lead to inaccurate diagnoses. Today, the investors are gone; Holmes and the former president and chief operating officer of Theranos, Sunny Balwani, who was also her secret boyfriend at the time, are both facing federal criminal investigations, and they have been charged by the SEC with running an “elaborate, years-long fraud.”

Bad Blood

Why did all these old men give her so much money without scrutiny? Is it because she is a women such questions aren't proper? And why is this not a larger story?

Is this a joke?... is a Netflix mini-series about her and this whole scam not a large enough story? Dude, you put some random crap out there and ask this question a lot.. but this one is like you are asking why no one knows about that airplane that hit some building on 9/11 thing... um, they do.. lots of people know all about this very large and widely reported and dramatized story.

 

[Metaphor]

Guilty on four charges, not guilty on four charges, hung jury on three charges:

Elizabeth Holmes trial: jury finds Theranos founder guilty on four fraud counts

The jury delivered the verdict after announcing they were deadlocked on three of the 11 charges Holmes faced

www.theguardian.com

 

[Trausti]

Holmes, who is now 34, dropped out of Stanford to found Theranos at 19, and for a few years, her childhood and adult dreams meshed. Theranos’s blood-testing system, which the company said only required a finger prick, made it a “unicorn” — Silicon Valley parlance for a billion-dollar start-up — on paper at least. Blue-chip investors included Rupert Murdoch, Larry Ellison, Carlos Slim, Walmart heirs, President Trump’s secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, and her family, and companies like Safeway and Walgreens, which hoped to set up wellness centers in their stores where customers could have their blood tested without involving a doctor. Theranos’s board was filled with names like former Defense secretary William Perry, former secretaries of State George Shultz and Henry Kissinger, former senator Sam Nunn, former Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich, super-lawyer David Boies, and President Trump’s secretary of Defense James Mattis, who joined in 2013 after retiring as head of U.S. Central Command.

That first Carreyrou story reported that Theranos’s blood-testing machine had significant accuracy issues and had been used for only 15 out of a claimed 240 tests. Subsequent stories revealed that the machines never really worked, would often malfunction, and could lead to inaccurate diagnoses. Today, the investors are gone; Holmes and the former president and chief operating officer of Theranos, Sunny Balwani, who was also her secret boyfriend at the time, are both facing federal criminal investigations, and they have been charged by the SEC with running an “elaborate, years-long fraud.”

Bad Blood

Why did all these old men give her so much money without scrutiny? Is it because she is a women such questions aren't proper? And why is this not a larger story?

Is this a joke?... is a Netflix mini-series about her and this whole scam not a large enough story? Dude, you put some random crap out there and ask this question a lot.. but this one is like you are asking why no one knows about that airplane that hit some building on 9/11 thing... um, they do.. lots of people know all about this very large and widely reported and dramatized story.

Ya know this thread was started in May 2020 and recently resurrected? Lighten up, Francis.

 

[blastula]

Acquitted on defrauding patients, but convicted on defrauding specific investors, hung on other investors. They had some patients testify about erroneous results they received, but maybe they couldn't prove their results were false because of a Theranos failing rather than an error typical of other testing services which have non-zero error rates.

A bit disappointing, but much better than nothing. Each count carries up to 20 years. She is free till sentencing, which could take months. Federal cases move slowly. She'll probably go to a club fed.

Balwani should be worried more after this.

 

[Gun Nut]

Holmes, who is now 34, dropped out of Stanford to found Theranos at 19, and for a few years, her childhood and adult dreams meshed. Theranos’s blood-testing system, which the company said only required a finger prick, made it a “unicorn” — Silicon Valley parlance for a billion-dollar start-up — on paper at least. Blue-chip investors included Rupert Murdoch, Larry Ellison, Carlos Slim, Walmart heirs, President Trump’s secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, and her family, and companies like Safeway and Walgreens, which hoped to set up wellness centers in their stores where customers could have their blood tested without involving a doctor. Theranos’s board was filled with names like former Defense secretary William Perry, former secretaries of State George Shultz and Henry Kissinger, former senator Sam Nunn, former Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich, super-lawyer David Boies, and President Trump’s secretary of Defense James Mattis, who joined in 2013 after retiring as head of U.S. Central Command.

That first Carreyrou story reported that Theranos’s blood-testing machine had significant accuracy issues and had been used for only 15 out of a claimed 240 tests. Subsequent stories revealed that the machines never really worked, would often malfunction, and could lead to inaccurate diagnoses. Today, the investors are gone; Holmes and the former president and chief operating officer of Theranos, Sunny Balwani, who was also her secret boyfriend at the time, are both facing federal criminal investigations, and they have been charged by the SEC with running an “elaborate, years-long fraud.”

Bad Blood

Why did all these old men give her so much money without scrutiny? Is it because she is a women such questions aren't proper? And why is this not a larger story?

Is this a joke?... is a Netflix mini-series about her and this whole scam not a large enough story? Dude, you put some random crap out there and ask this question a lot.. but this one is like you are asking why no one knows about that airplane that hit some building on 9/11 thing... um, they do.. lots of people know all about this very large and widely reported and dramatized story.

Ya know this thread was started in May 2020 and recently resurrected? Lighten up, Francis.

First of all, it was widely known about in 2015.... by 2018 everyone knew about it... 2020? You just made the list.

 

[Trausti]

Holmes, who is now 34, dropped out of Stanford to found Theranos at 19, and for a few years, her childhood and adult dreams meshed. Theranos’s blood-testing system, which the company said only required a finger prick, made it a “unicorn” — Silicon Valley parlance for a billion-dollar start-up — on paper at least. Blue-chip investors included Rupert Murdoch, Larry Ellison, Carlos Slim, Walmart heirs, President Trump’s secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, and her family, and companies like Safeway and Walgreens, which hoped to set up wellness centers in their stores where customers could have their blood tested without involving a doctor. Theranos’s board was filled with names like former Defense secretary William Perry, former secretaries of State George Shultz and Henry Kissinger, former senator Sam Nunn, former Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich, super-lawyer David Boies, and President Trump’s secretary of Defense James Mattis, who joined in 2013 after retiring as head of U.S. Central Command.

That first Carreyrou story reported that Theranos’s blood-testing machine had significant accuracy issues and had been used for only 15 out of a claimed 240 tests. Subsequent stories revealed that the machines never really worked, would often malfunction, and could lead to inaccurate diagnoses. Today, the investors are gone; Holmes and the former president and chief operating officer of Theranos, Sunny Balwani, who was also her secret boyfriend at the time, are both facing federal criminal investigations, and they have been charged by the SEC with running an “elaborate, years-long fraud.”

Bad Blood

Why did all these old men give her so much money without scrutiny? Is it because she is a women such questions aren't proper? And why is this not a larger story?

Is this a joke?... is a Netflix mini-series about her and this whole scam not a large enough story? Dude, you put some random crap out there and ask this question a lot.. but this one is like you are asking why no one knows about that airplane that hit some building on 9/11 thing... um, they do.. lots of people know all about this very large and widely reported and dramatized story.

Ya know this thread was started in May 2020 and recently resurrected? Lighten up, Francis.

First of all, it was widely known about in 2015.... by 2018 everyone knew about it... 2020? You just made the list.

So there was a Netflix mini-series in 2018?

 

[blastula]

Trausti, the more interesting question is why you think female privilege is a thing but white privilege is not.