Bestowed with a sense of exceptionalism early on in life, she became a university dropout. Harboring boundless ambition, she set up her own company to revolutionize medicine as we know it. Worshiping celebrity culture, she formed connections with the mighty and powerful in politics and the business world. Charming and flattering, she fooled investors and the public. Ruthless and manipulative, deception was second nature to her, and so she built up her own little empire and personality cult, and all was based on deceptions, lyes and an inflated sense of self-importance.
You might be forgiven for believing that this sounds like the adaptation of a Shakespearean play for the 21st century. The truth, I fear, is much more benign. This is the story of
Founder and CEO of the now-defunct company
Theranos. Holmes herself has been indicted on various charges and may be facing many years behind bars. What started as a quest to conquer the stars ended up on the slippery slope leading right down to hell.
The Dropout
One wonders if she has been so successful in deceiving and manipulating the media, the public and investors for such a long time because American elites Projected their own values onto her. After all, she was the embodiment of what it means to be American. Yet, once the hero has fallen and even turned into the villain, the backlash can be merciless too.
The podcast
Tells the story of the rise and fall of
And her company in great detail. In a culture that praises celebrities and emphasizes individual success without qualifications, her story comes as a warning shot to all striving for premature greatness and employing questionable means to obtain it; in our time, I dare say, there are plenty of people around who would love to take a leaf out of her playbook.
Reflective contemplations 