8 ms·

Theranos most valuable service to me was that they've shown me what a small man I really am, considering that I enjoy reading about their failure much more than

Theranos most valuable service to me was that they've shown me what a small man I really am, considering that I enjoy reading about their failure much more than reading about someone else's successes.

aaronbrethorst 11y ago
If they'd operated with even the slightest veneer of humility, and if the whole thing had not turned out to be such a house of cards, then you probably would not have such intense feelings of schadenfreude. I think it's pretty normal to feel some pleasure at the misery of others when those others have made themselves out to be such Paragons of Virtue, Captains of Industry, Movers and Shakers of 21st Century Health, and whatnot, and turn out to completely full of it. And, just to make sure it's clear that I'm not exaggerating, we're talking about a company whose founder literally received something called the Horatio Alger Award last year: She was the youngest person ever to be awarded the Horatio Alger Award in recognition of “remarkable achievements accomplished through honesty, hard work, self-reliance and perseverance over adversity.” http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/30/business/the-narrative-frays-for-theranos-and-elizabeth-holmes.html http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/30/business/the-narrative-fra...
- LordHumungous 11y ago
  She wore black turtlenecks ffs. If that's not hubris then I don't know what is.
  - raymondh 11y ago
    I almost downvoted this comment. What a person wears is a personal decision and irrelevant to this discussion.
    - Aaronontheweb 11y ago
      Wooooosh. It's a reference to comparing oneself to Steve Jobs. They make fun of it in Silicon Valley and elsewhere in tech culture.
      - aarpmcgee 11y ago
        doesn't matter
      - raymondh 11y ago
        The Steve Jobs reference wasn't lost on me, but it is a distractor from the central topics of non-accountability, integrity, and management. Especially when women are involved, discussing what outfit is being worn is a red herring and tends to degrade the quality of the thread.
        EliRivers 11y ago
        It does when the comment on someone's clothing is whether or not it compliments her figure and if she's wearing this season's colours. Dressing like a clown should be commented upon. Somewhere between these two extremes is deliberately dressing like Steve Jobs.
        DavidHm 11y ago
        Maybe. But the Jobs attire is not so special that people wouldn't wear it unless they were trying to emulate him. If I had to pick on dress to wear every single day of my life, it would probably be a grey turtleneck - pretty close.
        daemin 11y ago
        Although in this case if any male business leader would wear a black turtleneck, they too would be compared to Steve Jobs as well.
        forgetsusername 11y ago
        >Especially when women are involved, discussing what outfit is being worn Uh, why is this "especially" so, just because a woman is involved? Why are people so desperate to make everything a gender issue?
    - bryanrasmussen 11y ago
      No one can wear black turtlenecks anymore without the assumption that they are comparing themselves to Steve Jobs - got it.
      - EliRivers 11y ago
        You sound like you're being a passive aggressive tosser, but what you say is true. If you are presenting yourself as an innovative leader in disruptive technology, and you choose to dress like the world's most famous innovative leader in disruptive technology, you're choosing to invite the comparison.
      - smacktoward 11y ago
        You can wear a black turtleneck now and then without appearing to ape Steve Jobs. You can't wear only black turtlenecks without appearing to ape Steve Jobs.
      - braythwayt 11y ago
        And Jobs, in turn, selected them to associate himself with the image of artists, jazz musicians, and designers. Clothes are signals, even when you’re trying to signal that you don’t care about signals :-)
      - LordHumungous 11y ago
        If you are the CEO of a startup? I mean, come on.
- marinabercea 11y ago
  When you think about it though, it's unlikely she nominated herself for the award or asked for it. Can we really hold someone accountable for another group of persons' actions? With that in mind, I briefly researched the 'Horatio Alger Award', it's being offered by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, a nonprofit organization. I checked their site and merit of any kind is only part of the story. As I understood things, when you're awarded the title, you automatically become a member and it's not possible to gain membership otherwise. This prize ensures growth and continuity for the organization, along with potential funding. I read the 'Become a Member' pdf document from their site and while it appears anyone can be nominated, as long as the nominee is 'on brand' with the organization's ideals of remarkable achievements, the new member/awardee will, in turn, have to support the association in as many ways as possible, either by contributing to the program (activities with an administrative or promotional purpose), AND/OR financially. The form states that it 'must be completed and signed by the nominee and the nominator. If the nomination is confidential, the form may be completed and signed by the nominator only. By signing this form, the nominator and nominee acknowledge their understanding and acceptance of the responsibilities associated with membership in the Association.' I think the more questionable thing here is possibly exploitation of the desirability of status and prestige.
  - toyg 11y ago
    Most little-known prizes are basically scams, offering gloss and publicity to companies in exchange for cash at one point or another (in Alger's case, after the award). Everyone with half a clue knows it, so you end up picking the awards that fit your particular agenda and the image you want to project. In this case, Theranos' management wanted to look saintly; hence inevitable schadenfreude.
return0 11y ago
It wasn't so much that she failed, but that she faked her success.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
Kurtz79 11y ago
You are not a small man, just human.
pragmaticalien8 11y ago
This is a good trait to have - Reading and following "failures" is a sure sign of attaining success! (IMHO)

aaronbrethorst 11y ago

If they'd operated with even the slightest veneer of humility, and if the whole thing had not turned out to be such a house of cards, then you probably would not have such intense feelings of schadenfreude. I think it's pretty normal to feel some pleasure at the misery of others when those others have made themselves out to be such Paragons of Virtue, Captains of Industry, Movers and Shakers of 21st Century Health, and whatnot, and turn out to completely full of it. And, just to make sure it's clear that I'm not exaggerating, we're talking about a company whose founder literally received something called the Horatio Alger Award last year: She was the youngest person ever to be awarded the Horatio Alger Award in recognition of “remarkable achievements accomplished through honesty, hard work, self-reliance and perseverance over adversity.” http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/30/business/the-narrative-frays-for-theranos-and-elizabeth-holmes.html http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/30/business/the-narrative-fra...

LordHumungous 11y ago
She wore black turtlenecks ffs. If that's not hubris then I don't know what is.
- raymondh 11y ago
  I almost downvoted this comment. What a person wears is a personal decision and irrelevant to this discussion.
  - Aaronontheweb 11y ago
    Wooooosh. It's a reference to comparing oneself to Steve Jobs. They make fun of it in Silicon Valley and elsewhere in tech culture.
    - aarpmcgee 11y ago
      doesn't matter
    - raymondh 11y ago
      The Steve Jobs reference wasn't lost on me, but it is a distractor from the central topics of non-accountability, integrity, and management. Especially when women are involved, discussing what outfit is being worn is a red herring and tends to degrade the quality of the thread.
      - EliRivers 11y ago
        It does when the comment on someone's clothing is whether or not it compliments her figure and if she's wearing this season's colours. Dressing like a clown should be commented upon. Somewhere between these two extremes is deliberately dressing like Steve Jobs.
        DavidHm 11y ago
        Maybe. But the Jobs attire is not so special that people wouldn't wear it unless they were trying to emulate him. If I had to pick on dress to wear every single day of my life, it would probably be a grey turtleneck - pretty close.
        daemin 11y ago
        Although in this case if any male business leader would wear a black turtleneck, they too would be compared to Steve Jobs as well.
      - forgetsusername 11y ago
        >Especially when women are involved, discussing what outfit is being worn Uh, why is this "especially" so, just because a woman is involved? Why are people so desperate to make everything a gender issue?
  - bryanrasmussen 11y ago
    No one can wear black turtlenecks anymore without the assumption that they are comparing themselves to Steve Jobs - got it.
    - EliRivers 11y ago
      You sound like you're being a passive aggressive tosser, but what you say is true. If you are presenting yourself as an innovative leader in disruptive technology, and you choose to dress like the world's most famous innovative leader in disruptive technology, you're choosing to invite the comparison.
    - smacktoward 11y ago
      You can wear a black turtleneck now and then without appearing to ape Steve Jobs. You can't wear only black turtlenecks without appearing to ape Steve Jobs.
    - braythwayt 11y ago
      And Jobs, in turn, selected them to associate himself with the image of artists, jazz musicians, and designers. Clothes are signals, even when you’re trying to signal that you don’t care about signals :-)
    - LordHumungous 11y ago
      If you are the CEO of a startup? I mean, come on.
marinabercea 11y ago
When you think about it though, it's unlikely she nominated herself for the award or asked for it. Can we really hold someone accountable for another group of persons' actions? With that in mind, I briefly researched the 'Horatio Alger Award', it's being offered by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, a nonprofit organization. I checked their site and merit of any kind is only part of the story. As I understood things, when you're awarded the title, you automatically become a member and it's not possible to gain membership otherwise. This prize ensures growth and continuity for the organization, along with potential funding. I read the 'Become a Member' pdf document from their site and while it appears anyone can be nominated, as long as the nominee is 'on brand' with the organization's ideals of remarkable achievements, the new member/awardee will, in turn, have to support the association in as many ways as possible, either by contributing to the program (activities with an administrative or promotional purpose), AND/OR financially. The form states that it 'must be completed and signed by the nominee and the nominator. If the nomination is confidential, the form may be completed and signed by the nominator only. By signing this form, the nominator and nominee acknowledge their understanding and acceptance of the responsibilities associated with membership in the Association.' I think the more questionable thing here is possibly exploitation of the desirability of status and prestige.
- toyg 11y ago
  Most little-known prizes are basically scams, offering gloss and publicity to companies in exchange for cash at one point or another (in Alger's case, after the award). Everyone with half a clue knows it, so you end up picking the awards that fit your particular agenda and the image you want to project. In this case, Theranos' management wanted to look saintly; hence inevitable schadenfreude.

return0 11y ago

It wasn't so much that she failed, but that she faked her success.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

Kurtz79 11y ago

You are not a small man, just human.

pragmaticalien8 11y ago

This is a good trait to have - Reading and following "failures" is a sure sign of attaining success! (IMHO)