>>14666809 pb
At least we have the reason for why they want to get rid of space force
September 25, 2021
The Elizabeth Holmes Trial Sparks A Silicon Valley Debate: Why Not Other Tech CEOs?
Selling an idea in Silicon Valley takes not only a grand vision but also swagger and bluster, says Margaret O'Mara, a historian of the tech industry.
"Being able to tell a good story is part of being a successful founder, being able to persuade investors to put money into your company," she said.
And Elizabeth Holmes, the former CEO of Theranos, did just that. She was drumming up investment with a dream that bordered on the fantastical when she promised to transform health care. The company's portable blood-testing machine could analyze a finger-prick's worth of blood for thousands of diseases, she vowed.
In doing so, federal prosecutors allege, she and the No. 2 at Theranos, Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani, broke the law by deceiving investors about how well the business was doing and the capabilities of its testing machines, in addition to allegedly providing false or flawed test results to patients.
In Silicon Valley, the trial has launched a debate: Since Holmes was following a playbook used by dozens of tech CEOs, why is she the only one to face prosecution when a company becomes engulfed in a scandal?
To Ellen Pao, the former CEO of Reddit, who is a vocal critic of gender discrimination in tech, sexism is partially to blame.
"When you see which CEOs get to continue to wreak havoc on consumers and the market, it's people who look like the venture capitalists, who are mostly white men," Pao said.
She points to Adam Neumann, who drove WeWork into the ground; former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, who resigned after a sexual harassment scandal; and Juul's Kevin Burns, who stepped down amid questions over the company's role in stoking the youth vaping epidemic.
There were lawsuits, settlements and more fallout — but notably, Pao points out, no criminal prosecutions.
"That all these people continue to lead their lives and not be held accountable for all the harm that they've caused, it does send a message," she said.
What makes Holmes' case different?
Former prosecutors who have tried white-collar crime say there are several reasons why Holmes stands out among disgraced tech CEOs.
First, the allegedly fraudulent behavior was egregious: Holmes told the world she had a miracle machine that would upend laboratory science. Prosecutors say, compared with her claims, the technology barely did anything at all.
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/25/1040442689/elizabeth-holmes-trial-why-her-not-other-ceos
The timing of this drop has not escaped me. On the Audit results weekend.
I wonder what blackmail Israel used on the dems to get them to change their minds on the Iron Dome funding.
September 26, 2021
Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and its partner, the Christian Social Union, have 25% of the vote, placing them in a tie with the Social Democratic Party. Following behind is the Greens with 15%.
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/26/1040761902/polls-open-in-germany-to-replace-chancellor-angela-merkel
Forgot to add they just won by enough as to not raise concerns. That's how it's done.