Tim Draper, One of Theranos' First Investors, Says He Would Back Elizabeth Holmes Again as Chief Science Officer (theoutline.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: Despite all her alleged crimes, Elizabeth Holmes, the former CEO of the biotech company Theranos, can rest assured she still has someone who'll go to bat for her. At a panel discussion on growing startup ecosystems at the Montgomery Summit yesterday, Bloomberg reporter Sarah McBride asked Tim Draper -- a venture capitalist, enthusiastic Bitcoin supporter, and one of Theranos' first investors -- whether he would back Holmes again. Draper responded to the question by saying, "I'd back her as chief science officer, not CEO. Good question."

Comments

The ruling class stick together

[rsilvergun]

wish I could say the same about my class.

Re:The ruling class stick together

[rudy_wayne]

Chief Science Officer? She dropped out of college at 19 and has no science background. What a moron.

That was all part of the Theranos scam. Nobody on their board of directors or in top management had any science or medical background.

Re: The ruling class stick together

[anegg]

Howie Carr: 2020 Democratic candidates share non-working-class background https://www.bostonherald.com/2... (Via Boston Herald)

Ethics (or lack thereof)

[tomhath]

In other words, he only cares about making money. Putting people in danger isn't a concern.

Re:Ethics (or lack thereof)

[ceoyoyo]

From all reports Holmes was a fairly brilliant CEO (she could convince people to give her lots of money) and completely hopeless at the actual science. If you actually wanted to make money you'd think you'd want to switch the roles: make her CEO and appoint a CSO that reported independently directly to the board.

Re:Ethics (or lack thereof)

[AntronArgaiv]

The woman spent two or three semesters at Stanford, then decided she knew all she needed to know.

I wouldn't trust her to science her way out of a paper bag.
When I graduated I knew just enough engineering to know what I didn't know. And that's after getting a Masters. I learned a lot more on the job, by watching more experienced people and asking questions. Something I doubt Miss Know-it-all has ever done.

Re:Ethics (or lack thereof)

[gravewax]

A brilliant CEO doesn't commit blatant fraud that leads to the destruction of their company. She was a brilliant conman.

Re:Ethics (or lack thereof)

[ceoyoyo]

While reading your post I got to "when I graduated I knew just enough engineering to know what I didn't know" and was just about to tell you that you must have been an unusually gifted undergraduate.

When you come out of undergrad you think you know everything. Grad school teaches you that you really don't know anything. A postdoc teaches you that nobody else does either.

Re:Ethics (or lack thereof)

[93 Escort Wagon]

I work with engineering faculty, grad students, and post docs every day. The majority of them seem to think they’re experts in every field - including stuff like graphic design, sales, and interpersonal relationships.

The ones who don’t think that way, though, are what occasionally makes academia the greatest work environment in the world.

Re:Ethics (or lack thereof)

[gravewax]

No they are much more careful about it, usually keeping it in the grey areas of the law to keep themselves out of the shit. She completely failed at doing that, publicity plus poor management and blatant lies that can't be brushed away made her a fucking awful CEO.

Re:Ethics (or lack thereof) - @ TRUMP ADMIN?

[Anonymous Coward]

No no, I'm sure he's just expecting to run the corporation like Republican leadership has shown : The Chief Science Officer is an entirely HONORARY position, predictably to fudge the numbers in favor of business. GOP Capitalism, baby.

No rules.

Her lying about science was the problem

[SmaryJerry]

How could you ever trust her to tell the truth on her research again?

There's a family connection

[real gumby]

Holmes is a childhood friend of his daughter's, or daughter of his childhood friend or something like that, so he has known her all her life. I can't see how she could have been funded any other way.

Though this is america where people don't give jobs or security clearences or such to their relatives and friends.

Re:There's a family connection

[_merlin]

I think you missed the sarcasm. The US likes to pretend to be a meritocracy, while still having these "old boys networks", political families like the Bushes, and every other kind of nepotism and cronyism.

Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

[jcr]

This dude needs rehab, pronto.

-jcr