"What an odd cast for a startup board. I wonder what connects all these people, other than all being high-profile." Government relations. Influence with policy

"What an odd cast for a startup board. I wonder what connects all these people, other than all being high-profile." Government relations. Influence with policymakers and thought leaders. Makes total sense for a med-tech company. This is an industry where "non-market factors" (government regulation, threat of competitive lobbying or lawsuits by incumbents, etc.) play an enormous role. If I were starting a med-tech company that threatens a $60B+ industry with hundreds of millions of dollars in lobbying efforts every year, I'd love to have a board featuring policy elites, ex-government officials, and a legendary trial lawyer who's argued successfully in front of the Supreme Court on multiple occasions. The only person she's missing here is Bill Gates. (And it would be quite interesting to see him and Boies on the same side after all these years.)