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Trying to imagine myself willfully misleading her investors and the public for as long as she did, and at that scale extends beyond my capacity for empathy. I s

by Fricken 10y ago

Trying to imagine myself willfully misleading her investors and the public for as long as she did, and at that scale extends beyond my capacity for empathy. I suspect she's genuinely delusional. I don't know how else someone could do something like that.

ben_jones 10y ago
I honestly think most entrepreneurs are capable of it. The hype level of Theranos is present at MOST start-ups. I.E. A Large software company that allowed user data to be stolen because of known security issues. Software company does not inform the public of the breach until forced to. A large medical company that allowed a very large failure rate of testing devices from known issues. Medical company does not inform the public of the breach until forced to.
- schwarrrtz 10y ago
  Agreed. This should be a case study for the importance of following best practices and adhering to appropriate safety protocols. Such protocols should exist in any organization that designs products for other people to use.
- wiz21c 10y ago
  What scares me most is that the failure are always seen as morally acceptable loss to the founders : "it's that or we have to fire half the company", "it's that or we can't pay salaries", "it's that or closing the company", "it's that or we're in even bigger legal troubles". It basically boils down to "I know I'm doing something wrong but I have no choice". I've personally met one these people. Very smart guy, but unable to say "I'm doing something wrong, so it's better to stop now". Ethics should be hammered in some people's head...
  - solidsnack9000 10y ago
    "I know it's wrong but those are my orders..."
Bakary 10y ago
There's a lot of precedent for it, whether historical or in out curgent world. Some people are just cynical and devoid of much empathy. If they happen to have charisma and a lot of cunning, it creates really dangerous individuals that can cause a lot of suffering. Once people like that understand that they can bend others to their will there's almost no stopping them. In Theranos' case, I don't believe the founder was necessarily this type of person, and she was probably delusional, but I don't find it surprising that they would be capable of lying to people's faces over a large period of time.

by Fricken 10y ago

ben_jones 10y ago

I honestly think most entrepreneurs are capable of it. The hype level of Theranos is present at MOST start-ups. I.E. A Large software company that allowed user data to be stolen because of known security issues. Software company does not inform the public of the breach until forced to. A large medical company that allowed a very large failure rate of testing devices from known issues. Medical company does not inform the public of the breach until forced to.

schwarrrtz 10y ago
Agreed. This should be a case study for the importance of following best practices and adhering to appropriate safety protocols. Such protocols should exist in any organization that designs products for other people to use.
wiz21c 10y ago
What scares me most is that the failure are always seen as morally acceptable loss to the founders : "it's that or we have to fire half the company", "it's that or we can't pay salaries", "it's that or closing the company", "it's that or we're in even bigger legal troubles". It basically boils down to "I know I'm doing something wrong but I have no choice". I've personally met one these people. Very smart guy, but unable to say "I'm doing something wrong, so it's better to stop now". Ethics should be hammered in some people's head...
- solidsnack9000 10y ago
  "I know it's wrong but those are my orders..."

Bakary 10y ago

There's a lot of precedent for it, whether historical or in out curgent world. Some people are just cynical and devoid of much empathy. If they happen to have charisma and a lot of cunning, it creates really dangerous individuals that can cause a lot of suffering. Once people like that understand that they can bend others to their will there's almost no stopping them. In Theranos' case, I don't believe the founder was necessarily this type of person, and she was probably delusional, but I don't find it surprising that they would be capable of lying to people's faces over a large period of time.