There’s a central dictum in engineering, in medicine, in life, at which Theranos, the controversial blood test company, has constantly failed. “In God we trust,” the mid-century statistician William Edward Deming quipped. “All others bring data.”
Now, once again, Theranos does not have data to bring. But researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai have done their own analysis of Theranos’ tests, which replace needle jabs with finger pricks. They have found them wanting.
…At stake is the fortune of Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos’ 32-year-old founder and the world’s youngest self-made woman billionaire. Forbes values it at $3.6 billion based on her 50% in Theranos and on private investments others have made in her company. Also at stake is her self-stated mission to transform the business of blood-testing, which she says lacks transparency and too often does not put patients first. Theranos’ tests, which replace stabbing needles with tiny finger pricks and return results more quickly, are her path to changing the world.
How much of this is due to her being a cutie? In a male dominated tech world where cuties are in short supply and the nerds aren’t all that well equipped to deal with cuties?
Yes, most un-PC question, but one worth asking perhaps?