In the latest column, read about a recent New York Times profile on Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and an award for East Palo Alto City Council member Ruben Abrica.
A NEW LENS … The past few years have been a whirlwind of headlines surrounding Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos founder and former CEO who was convicted last year of defrauding investors.
Holmes, 39, is giving the public a fresh look into her world in a New York Times profile published this week. Reporter Amy Chozick, who interviewed her in San Diego, notes in the May 7 article that Holmes "speaks in a soft, slightly low, but totally unremarkable voice, no hint of the throaty contralto she used while running her defunct blood-testing start-up Theranos."
Holmes and her partner, Billy Evans, have two children: William, a toddler, and Invicta, who was born in February.
Chozick also captures scenes with Holmes before she was scheduled to report to prison on April 27 before a last-ditch effort by her lawyers allowed her to stay free while a higher court reviews her appeal. One afternoon, they had Mexican food at Holmes' rental home, and on another day, they walked the couple's dog, Teddy (a Great Dane-mastiff mix) on the beach.
"I realized that I was essentially writing a story about two different people," Chozick wrote. "There was Elizabeth, celebrated in the media as a rock star inventor whose brilliance dazzled illustrious rich men. … Then there is 'Liz,' the mom of two who, for the past year, has been volunteering for a rape crisis hotline."
A COMMENDABLE HONOR … Longtime East Palo Alto City Council member Ruben Abrica was recently honored by Chavez Family Vision Inc., a nonprofit started by the family of the late labor rights activist Cesar Chavez, the organization announced.
Abrica was given the Si Se Puede Legacy Award on March 31 during the nonprofit's 25th anniversary celebration. Chavez Family Vision promotes and provides community outreach programs to enhance community life, espousing nonviolence, volunteerism and encouraging public action for positive social change, according to its website. Abrica is also a Chavez Family Vision board member.
Fellow board member Barbara Medina-Aranda said Abrica was honored for his dedication to helping others and his years of organizing through Comite Latino, a community group he founded, and for other activities. "They do a lot for seniors and the community. He is also very into helping people on our board and those who are less fortunate," she said.
A former mayor and an educator, Abrica founded Comite Latino in 1981, which holds forums on education, housing, immigration and other issues. The group supported the city of East Palo Alto in its incorporation efforts in 1983. It also organized the city's first public Cinco de Mayo celebration in 1985 with the Migrant/Bilingual Parents Committee of the Ravenswood City School District and the Committee of Salvadorean Refugees, which has continued annually to this day.
Abrica was also a founding member of the East Palo Alto Council of Tenants.
Comments
Registered user
Crescent Park
on May 13, 2023 at 9:47 am
Registered user
on May 13, 2023 at 9:47 am
I read the article referred to. What puffball nonsense.
Now that Elizabeth Holmes having a trial baby, then having a sentencing baby wasn’t enough to “humanize her”, she’s now resorted to riding a bike and living in more modest housing than the ultra expensive Woodside estate she enjoyed during the time of her trial.
News flash - Theranos was a fraud and Holmes is too. Her latest shameless charades only underlines reality.
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on May 13, 2023 at 10:16 am
Registered user
on May 13, 2023 at 10:16 am
The NYT has unleashed a whole raft of criticism for this puffball piece.
I wonder how much she's paying her PR firm(s) for the constant drumbeat of nonsense that she's a mother who just can't be separated from her anchor babies -- as if she's the only mother who's even been in jail.
Registered user
Los Altos
on May 13, 2023 at 10:40 am
Registered user
on May 13, 2023 at 10:40 am
Elizabeth Holmes is repackaging herself for an eventual life outside of the Theranos case.
As a blonde mother of two young children and a designer dog-owner who enjoys Mexican cuisine, she blends right in with the San Diego culture.
Registered user
another community
on May 13, 2023 at 11:30 am
Registered user
on May 13, 2023 at 11:30 am
The rape hotline is a pre-emtpive attempt to get her an early out. Her probation officer (I didn't know a prisoner got one of those before leaving prison, but she has one) suggested a lighter sentence and community service. She's a manipulative con artist, and still working it even in courtroom settings. Web Link She has been blowing under the robe since last November. Chozick will end up being laughed out of a job.
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on May 13, 2023 at 11:45 am
Registered user
on May 13, 2023 at 11:45 am
It's also a calculated move playing off her "abused woman" defense that she only acted as she did because she was being abused and controlled by Sunny emotionally and physically and professionally.
Registered user
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 13, 2023 at 12:11 pm
Registered user
on May 13, 2023 at 12:11 pm
Interesting that all the believe the woman comments don't exist in this case!
Registered user
East Palo Alto
on May 13, 2023 at 1:21 pm
Registered user
on May 13, 2023 at 1:21 pm
What happened to Lizzie’s other dog? Wasn’t it eaten by a mountain lion?
It’s pretty weird to see Holmes and Abrica in the same column. She’s a reviled con artist and criminal. Abrica is a beloved humanitarian and community treasure.
Registered user
College Terrace
on May 13, 2023 at 6:46 pm
Registered user
on May 13, 2023 at 6:46 pm
Sam Bankman Fried should have his people call Elizabeth "One Drop" Holmes' people for advice about how to remake a public persona. Ms. One Drop is relentless in her conning. As I recall, she once said that people like her do not go to jail. She has used two children, two pets, and a bicycle as props in this sorry saga. Her claims and actions are audacious, but they appear to be working on people like Ms. Chozick. What's next?
Registered user
University South
on May 13, 2023 at 7:01 pm
Registered user
on May 13, 2023 at 7:01 pm
For thoughtful readers, Choizick’s article is not a puff piece.
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on May 13, 2023 at 7:16 pm
Registered user
on May 13, 2023 at 7:16 pm
"For thoughtful readers, Choizick’s article is not a puff piece."
I'm curious why you say that.
Even her editor told her she'd "been rolled" aka conned and the complaints and comments have been so voluminous the NYT has gone totally silent on the column rather than responding as they usually do and as they specifically said they would re this piece.
Registered user
College Terrace
on May 13, 2023 at 7:16 pm
Registered user
on May 13, 2023 at 7:16 pm
The story is not about a lethal charm offense by this convicted woman who names her second child Invicta. The real story is why did the New York Times do this oddly favorable reporting in the first place? Two full pages devoted to a con artist. The naive ‘journalist’ did not do her homework and was indifferent to the true story. Instead she fell for the suburban breezy setting, dog, children and husband to paint a positive portrait of Elizabeth Holmes posturing as a ‘normal’ mother and wife.
The Times deserves blowback as this piece is insulting to their readership.
Registered user
Menlo Park
on May 14, 2023 at 7:22 am
Registered user
on May 14, 2023 at 7:22 am
Ms. Holmes is not a victim of anything except greed and self-importance.
The writer is most likely a myopic Millennial or GenZer with minimal life experiences and/or practical insights...no different than the youthful creator of the Bud Light controversy.
Registered user
Los Altos Hills
on May 14, 2023 at 9:10 am
Registered user
on May 14, 2023 at 9:10 am
Re-inventing oneself can have a positive outcome.
Remember George Foreman and Mike Tyson, two of the most ferocious and violent prize fighters? Today they are viewed as 'nice guys' because they were successful in crafting a new public persona.
The same could be said when comparing CA Governor Ronald Reagan to POTUS Ronald Reagan. From a once surly governor he created a warm and charismatic grandfatherly persona that connected with many American voters.
Over time, people tend to forget or overlook certain character flaws and it appears that Ms. Holmes is moving on with her life by being a caring mother and devoted housewife in an upscale SD community.
It is not for us to judge.
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on May 14, 2023 at 10:49 am
Registered user
on May 14, 2023 at 10:49 am
"Ms. Holmes is not a victim of anything except greed and self-importance."
Her "investigators" terrorized Tyler Schultz for reporting problems with the tests as his father testified at the hearing. Hiring security for him cost the family hundreds of thousands of dollars.
She and her investigators also drove the chief scientist to suicide.
"Re-inventing oneself can have a positive outcome."
She and partner Billy admitted that her fake deep voice and her appearance were all an act which she's now ditched for her new look. They laughed at the old persona and the people fooled by that act just as they probably laughed at the reporter for buying her latest one.
She even said that the actress portraying her wasn't portraying her "but a character she'd created."
Registered user
Menlo Park
on May 14, 2023 at 12:14 pm
Registered user
on May 14, 2023 at 12:14 pm
The NYT writer got hoodwinked due to her lack of real world experience.
Registered user
Old Palo Alto
on May 14, 2023 at 6:00 pm
Registered user
on May 14, 2023 at 6:00 pm
I don't feel sorry for the wealthy and avaricious investors who got scammed but Ms. Holmes should not have fabricated the capabilities of her product.
Registered user
University South
on May 14, 2023 at 7:25 pm
Registered user
on May 14, 2023 at 7:25 pm
Martin, who would become a sympathizer of Elizabeth after reading the NYT article? It clearly did not have that effect on you or me. Why are you so sure that other readers of the NYT would be be "tricked" into becoming sympathizers?
Registered user
Menlo Park
on May 15, 2023 at 7:45 am
Registered user
on May 15, 2023 at 7:45 am
Money has always been the root of all evil.
When will humanity finally learn that while money can offer enjoyment, it will never provide true happiness?
The Buddha established this key insight thousands of years ago when he left his palace in search of enlightenment and became a wandering beggar.
This is one of the reasons why we always give a few dollars to panhandlers as one never truly knows who they are encountering at the moment.
Registered user
Atherton
on May 15, 2023 at 9:54 am
Registered user
on May 15, 2023 at 9:54 am
Ms. Holmes is apparently embarking on a new chapter in her life and hoping that her ongoing efforts will result in minimal probation time with self-confinement in a nice San Diego neighborhood.
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on May 16, 2023 at 10:10 am
Registered user
on May 16, 2023 at 10:10 am
Her pr efforts focusing on the "women's angle" -- motherhood and relationships -- instead of all the patients whose lives and treatments her fraudulent testing impacted continue with yesterday's articles giving detailed timelines of her relationship to Sunny -- as if anyone cares and as if it had bearing on her guilt or innocence.
Registered user
Charleston Meadows
on May 16, 2023 at 10:24 am
Registered user
on May 16, 2023 at 10:24 am
In 5-10 years, people will be turning to other more current newsworthy topics involving graft, exploitation, and technical misinformation.
Elizabeth Holme's past indescretions will eventually become forgotten as newer perpetrators of various crimes and misdemeanors emerge.
Registered user
College Terrace
on May 16, 2023 at 10:33 am
Registered user
on May 16, 2023 at 10:33 am
Women in the workplace strive to be treated equally to men. While this may be largely with regard to compensation, it encompasses more. Both Balwani and Holmes were found guilty of various crimes committed while at the helm of failed Theranos. If the man has to serve out his sentence in jail, shouldn't the woman have to do the same? As a society, do we think fathers are less important to their children than mothers? I have no idea if Balwani has children and I appreciate that he has not made his personal life front page news in an effort to avoid prison. If women want to be considered truly equal to men, that equality needs to apply across the board. The next chapter in Ms. Holmes' story is prison. It's lousy, to be sure, but paying one's debt to society is a necessary step in remaking one's public persona.
Registered user
Barron Park
on May 16, 2023 at 11:28 am
Registered user
on May 16, 2023 at 11:28 am
From the comments, it is evident that most readers understand that Holmes is a consummate con artist. To get a feel for her ability to manipulate, you can watch her totally cool (with low voice) insistence of innocence in 2015, after WSJ reporter John Carreyrou exposed the con
Web Link
Robert Hare, who has published books such as "Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths go to Work"
Web Link , is the world expert on Holmes's specific Antisocial Personality Disorder. It is characterized by total lack of empathy, engaging in reckless behavior, lying to manipulate the listener, and a relentless striving to deceive and screw people over. This stuff is so foreign to 98% of us that it requires some expert help to understand the psychology of these individuals. For that purpose, I encourage everyone to watch Ramani Durvasula explain concisely the difference between psychopaths, sociopaths and narcissists Web Link .
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on May 16, 2023 at 1:16 pm
Registered user
on May 16, 2023 at 1:16 pm
@Barron Parker Too, thanks for both of those fascinating links.
Re the first one of Jim Cramer interviewing her on CNBC, watching her blame the Wall Street Journal for not meeting her because they needed to rush the story into print was a masterpiece of spin and deception. I remember that She refused to bring a single scientist to the interview / meeting and instead insisted on bringing a flotilla of her lawyers to meet with reporters whose job it is to ask probing questions and follow-ups -- not to negotiate each question with her lawyers.
Had they met under her terms, they knew she would have claimed, "See? We met with the Journal, straightened out their misconceptions and all's good."
Re your second link, absolutely fascinating and shows her obsession with pr and her image rather than any damage she caused. I'll look for the book you cite because we're seeing an increasing number of "Snakes in Suits" these days.
Registered user
Duveneck/St. Francis
on May 16, 2023 at 4:28 pm
Registered user
on May 16, 2023 at 4:28 pm
Sympathy and attention should be directed to her victims. People were scammed medically, so to speak. That’s SCARY bad.
Meanwhile, celebrity investors from outside the correct realm for this type of investment were brought in to add buzz. That’s inane.
Watch out what you invest in.
Time to do your prison time, lady. I hope the system can’t be doctored for too much longer by this convicted person.
And no money is not the root of all evil.
This was an individual who chose to do crimes.
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on May 16, 2023 at 4:56 pm
Registered user
on May 16, 2023 at 4:56 pm
News today said the judge ruled today Web Link
"In a one-page order issued Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit denied a motion by convicted Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes to stay out of prison while she appeals her conviction for wire fraud.
The court ruled that Holmes had not raised a "substantial question" regarding the conduct of her trial or shown that any trial errors were likely to result in reversal or a sentence shorter than the 11-year, three-month prison term handed down by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila.
In January 2022, a jury convicted Holmes of misleading and defrauding investors about the capabilities of Theranos' blood-testing technology. Davila had ordered Holmes to surrender to federal prison authorities on April 27 of this year, but that order was automatically suspended while the higher court decided whether to grant the bail request.
It will be up to Davila to set a new surrender date for Holmes now that her request has been denied. Holmes's appeal, per the 9th Circuit's order, will continue on its original schedule and will likely take several months or a year to be resolved.
Registered user
another community
on May 16, 2023 at 5:35 pm
Registered user
on May 16, 2023 at 5:35 pm
Every time I see Holmes, I'm reminded of Mary Kay LeTourneau. Another felon who tried to portray something other than what she was -- a sex offender -- with her schoolmarm charm and homespun goody-two-shoes appearance. If you substitute Holmes with someone like Charles Ponzi, and LeTourneau with Harvey Weinstein, the facade falls away. I hate to generalize. But if we were talking about men instead of these female felons, we would be quick to say "Lock them up and throw away the key."
Since Holmes' ploy to stay out of prison didn't work, I bet at least 50 cents that she will quit the volunteer gig, and stop bicycling along the coast. And I wouldn't want to be her kids. Since they didn't produce the desired effect, I'm afraid she will throw them away too.