maybe you needed to meet her in person


Almost everybody who met her talked about how impressive she was. I don't believe that it came across in her interviews or speeches. But, she could have been very impressive in person or perhaps my view is clouded with 20-20 hindsight.

reply

I agree. She seemed like a geek with poor social skills dreaming to be a cross between Jobs and a Bond villain.

I got the feeling she may have started with this crazy vision. And say; hey if it works it works. Fair enough, but as it became higher and higher stakes, she got caught in her own bullshit... but not for one moment do I buy she is a genius. She is at best someone with great fantasy and a dream of being someone else.

reply

I don’t get the draw either, but I’m not an irrelevant old rich white guy. The Steve Jobs Halloween costume would have made me suspicious; it just screams phony wannabe.

reply


That's the thing, you're NOT an irrelevant old rich white guy.

I've met the kinds of people that were on the Theranos board. They're know-it-alls who know surprisingly little and make their way through life entirely on their connections with one another. They appoint each other to boards and CEO positions, run companies into the ground, and move on.

In short, they operate on an entirely different value system - one based all on who you are and who you know, and not at all on what you've actually accomplished. Accomplishments are for the peasants they hire, to put it bluntly.

reply

like politicians?

reply

Worse than politicians.

Politicians at least have to run for re-election once in a while, so they'll at least make a show of caring for the common folk.

Not so with these Board Member types. In a way, Holmes could be thought of as fate's vengeance against them all.

reply

^ Well that post is dated.

reply

How so?

reply

She was a moderately attractive young blonde woman, she was actually very smart to use rich old white straight guys as her chief marks. Other sorts of people would be much more likely to see through her, but rich old white guys with huge egos are prone to letting attractive young blonde make total fools of them.

If she could get them thinking with the little head, they'd believe any amount of science-y sounding bullshit.

reply

lol true

reply

Yeah this is exactly what I was trying to say, only Otter got the heart of it way faster and more clearly

reply

The same with the Keith guru weirdo in The Vow. They were all so bedazzled by his supposed genius and insight but he is just this pudgy unkempt troll who utters that banal crap you read on office motivational posters under photos of sunsets and waterfalls.

reply

Sociopaths tend to be very persuasive.

reply