Question
Steve Jobs' influence on Theranos was significant, particularly on its founder, Elizabeth Holmes. Holmes admired Jobs and sought to emulate his success with Apple in the healthcare industry, referring to Theranos as the "iPod of healthcare". She even recruited former Apple employees, including Ana Arriola who had worked on the iPhone's design, to bring Apple's design elements to Theranos' products. However, Holmes' emulation of Jobs extended beyond product design to company culture. She created a culture of secrecy and demanded unconditional loyalty from her employees, leading to a high turnover rate. This culture, while it may have been inspired by Jobs' leadership at Apple, ultimately contributed to Theranos' downfall.
This question was asked on:
Steve Jobs was a huge inspiration for Elizabeth who called Theranos "the iPod of healthcare". In 2007, she recruited some Apple employees including Ana Arriola, who had worked on the iPhone's design. Elizabeth wanted the Edison to have Apple design elements including a touchscreen similar to the iPhone and an outer case resembling the iMac. Ana soon began to have problems with the suffocating culture at Theranos. Elizabeth's paranoia about information secrecy made Theranos block online communication across teams leading to huge productivity losses. Employees suspected that Theranos spied on their conversations and social media posts. Arrival and departure timings were strictly monitored. When board meetings were convened, employees were told to avoid eye contact with Board members. Elizabeth demanded unconditional loyalty from her employees and fired those she felt were not loyal enough. Within two years, over thirty people were fired not counting the twenty odd members of Ed Ku's engi...
Receive new free presentations every Monday to your inbox.
Full content, complete versions — No credit card required.
