Packing for California was, for the most part, easy. If I couldn’t wear it in 100-degree heat or to my big tech internship, it went into storage. With near mechanical precision, I divided my wardrobe into “leave” and “take” piles.
But there was one item that stumped me. Six months ago, my friend sent me a tweet with a picture of a t-shirt that read “Disgraced founder of Theranos Elizabeth Holmes” — a shirt I now hold in question. I bought it on a whim in the middle of class after realizing I had saved my credit card information to Etsy. I thought it was ironic, perhaps something to differentiate me from my peers. “I’m not like other people in tech,” the shirt would say. “I can critique Holmes and start-up culture.”
Elizabeth Holmes, with her faux deep voice, signature black turtleneck and inexplicable charisma, was an enigma even before her crimes were discovered. She’s the subject of best-selling books, award winning journalism and even a Hulu miniseries. At the age of 19, Holmes dropped out of Stanford to start what would become Theranos, a biotechnology company that claimed it could perform a suite of tests with just one drop of blood. Later, an investigation into the company revealed the blood testing technology didn’t actually work — but not before Holmes had raised over $700 billion in venture capital and defrauded countless investors including former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, future Trump Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, the DeVos family, an ex-Wells Fargo chairman and two former U.S. senators.
In a highly publicized trial, Holmes was found guilty on January 3 of three counts of wire fraud and one count of intent to commit wire fraud. As former Theranos patients expressed outrage at the jury’s failure to find Holmes guilty of defrauding patients, a squad of internet cheerleaders rooted for their favorite “femme fatale.” Some fans even took it upon themselves to wait outside the courthouse, eager to catch a glimpse of their hero.
She raised millions of dollars on lies. She built a multi-billion dollar company on impossible claims and shoddy science. She hurt innocent patients. She’s a girlboss, the embodiment of women in tech.
Continue reading: https://www.michigandaily.com/statement/elizabeth-holmes-patron-saint-of-women-in-tech/
But there was one item that stumped me. Six months ago, my friend sent me a tweet with a picture of a t-shirt that read “Disgraced founder of Theranos Elizabeth Holmes” — a shirt I now hold in question. I bought it on a whim in the middle of class after realizing I had saved my credit card information to Etsy. I thought it was ironic, perhaps something to differentiate me from my peers. “I’m not like other people in tech,” the shirt would say. “I can critique Holmes and start-up culture.”
Elizabeth Holmes, with her faux deep voice, signature black turtleneck and inexplicable charisma, was an enigma even before her crimes were discovered. She’s the subject of best-selling books, award winning journalism and even a Hulu miniseries. At the age of 19, Holmes dropped out of Stanford to start what would become Theranos, a biotechnology company that claimed it could perform a suite of tests with just one drop of blood. Later, an investigation into the company revealed the blood testing technology didn’t actually work — but not before Holmes had raised over $700 billion in venture capital and defrauded countless investors including former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, future Trump Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, the DeVos family, an ex-Wells Fargo chairman and two former U.S. senators.
In a highly publicized trial, Holmes was found guilty on January 3 of three counts of wire fraud and one count of intent to commit wire fraud. As former Theranos patients expressed outrage at the jury’s failure to find Holmes guilty of defrauding patients, a squad of internet cheerleaders rooted for their favorite “femme fatale.” Some fans even took it upon themselves to wait outside the courthouse, eager to catch a glimpse of their hero.
She raised millions of dollars on lies. She built a multi-billion dollar company on impossible claims and shoddy science. She hurt innocent patients. She’s a girlboss, the embodiment of women in tech.
Continue reading: https://www.michigandaily.com/statement/elizabeth-holmes-patron-saint-of-women-in-tech/
