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Story Arc

Reading this reminded me of the time when I first heard about Theranos. Holmes was a rising star and being touted as a role model for female startup founders. I had J listen to one of her interviews - she came across as remarkably self-assured. For those who know nothing about the subject matter her technology was supposedly based on, her demeanor was such they could come away convinced she was onto something novel and remarkable that others before her simply had not stumbled upon. The benefit of genius combined with naivete of youth can in theory make that happen. I remember asking J what she thought and she said it was a strong presentation. 

J is one of those people from a very early age that are not easily swayed by anything good, bad or ugly. Knowing that about her, the reaction was not surprising. I kept up with the news of Theranos and hoped the founder would succeed - it would be a big win for women who had similar aspirations. Then the WSJ story broke. Like everyone else dazzled by her "brilliance", I wondered how this was possible. Maybe we all want a story like this to be true - no different than wanting to believe in fairytales as children. When the arc of founder's origin story follows the classic pattern our brains are wired to love and want, chances are if that story is told with as much conviction and finesse as it was in the case of Theranos, people will believe. 

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