The Trial of Theranos’s Elizabeth Holmes Opens

“The scheme brought her fame, it brought her honor, and it brought her adoration,” Mr. Leach said.

The defense responded by arguing that Ms. Holmes — who had encouraged comparisons of herself to Steve Jobs, including adopting a uniform of black mock turtlenecks — was a hardworking, if naïve, entrepreneur who did not succeed but did not commit any crimes.

“The villain the government just presented is actually a living, breathing human being who did her very best each and every day,” said Lance Wade, a lawyer with Williams Connolly who represents Ms. Holmes. “Trying your hardest and coming up short is not a crime.”

Mr. Wade argued that the reality of Theranos’s failure was more complicated than the government’s presentation and that the company had built some valuable blood testing technology.

The reality of Theranos, he said, was “far more human, real and often times far more, I hate to say it, but technical and complicated and boring” than what the government presented.

The media coverage made it a challenge for prosecutors and the defense to find a jury of 12 people who had not heard about Ms. Holmes, Theranos or the trial. Many potential jurors had read “Bad Blood,” a book about Theranos written by the former Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou; had listened to “The Dropout,” a podcast about Theranos; or had seen “The Inventor,” a documentary about Theranos.

Mr. Balwani was frequently mentioned by both sides, but Ms. Holmes’s lawyers pointedly dwelled on the relationship.

“Trusting and relying on Mr. Balwani as her primary adviser was one of her mistakes,” Mr. Wade said.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/08/technology/theranos-opening-statements.html