In Bad Blood, John Carreyrou charts the rise and fall of Theranos, a Silicon Valley start-up that achieved rock star status, and billions in valuation due, in no small part, to its founder, the young, charismatic and photogenic Elizabeth Holmes. The uncritical, deeply unserious press turned her into a feminist superstar because, well, she fit a preferred narrative.
John Carrerou, an actual journalist with the Wall Street Journal, smelled a rat and exposed a giant con. This book reads like a thriller. It’s tempting to try and psychoanalyze Holmes but in the end she’s just another amoral grifter. I have a feeling that Holmes will make a comeback. Sociopaths have a way of becoming recurring characters in postmodern culture.
What is left to say about Winston Churchill? It turns out, British historian Andrew Roberts has plenty to add to the Churchill legend. The indispensable man of the 20th century had some serious faults. He was thirsty for fame, (unlike Elizabeth Holmes, Churchill achieved fame through a lifetime of accomplishments) he was a a narcissist, and he believed in the now unfashionable benefits of Empire.
All good screenwriters know that the best characters are flawed. Overcoming those flaws is why we these characters fascinate us. Churchill was brilliantly multifaceted. But he understood the nature of evil and acted to rescue Western Civilization from its death grip.
He also had another huge fault:
“When [Martin] Gilberts, who was Jewish, interviewed Churchill’s colleague General Sir Louis Spears, he was intrigued by his statement ‘Even Winston had a fault.’ He leaned forward, eager to discover his hero’s Achilles heel, only to hear: ‘He was too fond of Jews.’ ”
When Carreyou’s story came out in the WSJ, I read it, recalling the first article I had seen about Elizabeth Homes — and knew she was full of c**p. And so many people bought into it. Except Carreyou. It made no sense — someone that young with little to no background in what was needed to produce the magic she was talking about.
Some idiots are so enthralled with the young, that the attribute almost superhuman powers to them. When I’m told how absolutely brilliant these young people are, I’ll remind the person telling me that my parents’ generation put man in the Moon using slide rules. They invented the things that Steve Jobs stole.
Huh…surprising. I’ve read just about everything that General Spears has written, and don’t remember seeing any signs of anti-Semitism.
People who are supremely confident of their own abilities, as Churchill was, are not intimidated by high achievers like Jews. Resentment is behind most anti-Semitism. In Medieval times it may have been religion but that is long ago. Now, it is resentment and Churchill was too confident of his own ability to resent anyone.
Indeed. One of the best managers I ever worked for was known to comment that he always aimed to hire people smarter than himself. And this from someone who was both an excellent manager and a skilled engineer/scientist, quite an unusual combination.