I still don't see how so many people "invested" so much money in an idea that was unlikely to work. It's not a "great idea" to imagine the technology Theranos promised. It's only a great idea if there is a strong indication that it will actually work.
Reminds me of an episode from The Big Bang Theory in which a guy who used to bully Leonard in high school got in contact with Leonard because he had a great idea and needed Leonard's help to realize it. His great idea was 3D TV that does not need glasses. However, he had no idea as to how to make such a thing possible so he was hoping a smart guy like Leonard could help him. The bully did not have a great idea. He had a dream or a fantasy, but with no way to make it a reality his idea was worthless. The only way it would be a great idea is if he knew enough to say "hmm.., if we can make x happen, then we can possibly make y happen and the result could be 3D TV without the need for glasses".
Theranos strikes me as similar to the loser bully, except they somehow convinced a lot of people that they could do something that was impossible.
The more fantastic the pitch, the more easily the marks are fooled.......................
The thing that is so striking about this is how I, and my colleagues in medicine, heard this story once and didn’t hear about it again until Theranos collapsed.
“Who would ever believe this nonsense” was my reaction to the story.
People believe in so many fairy tales, having lost faith in God, they have faith in “science”, except unlike God, science can’t actually do miracles, and miracles was what Theranos was all about.
Every time I see this thread, it makes me think of the amazing vaccines that combat cold viruses and how they do not work.