Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Jury Finds Blood Testing Firm Founder Elizabeth Holmes Guilty
A federal jury convicted Elizabeth Holmes, the startup founder who claimed to revolutionize blood testing, on four of 11 charges that she conducted a yearslong fraud scheme against investors while running Theranos Inc., which ended up as one of Silicon Valley鈥檚 most notorious implosions. The verdict caps a steep fall for the former Silicon Valley star who once graced magazine covers with headlines such as 鈥淭his CEO is Out for Blood鈥 and emulated Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs by wearing black turtlenecks. (Randazzo and Somerville and Weaver, 1/3)
After the verdict was read, defense and prosecution lawyers discussed plans for Ms. Holmes鈥檚 sentencing, the status of her release and the fate of the three hung charges. Judge Edward J. Davila of the Northern District of California, who oversaw the case, said he planned to declare a mistrial on those charges, which the government could choose to retry. The parties agreed that Ms. Holmes would not be taken into custody on Monday. A sentencing date is expected to be set at a hearing on the three hung charges next week. (Woo, 1/3)
The fraud conviction of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes could offer Silicon Valley鈥檚 culture of hubris and hype some valuable lessons. Will anyone in the tech industry actually take this moment to heart? Don鈥檛 count on it. (Liedtke, 1/4)