Avie, after reviewing the Theranos documents, found glaring inconsistencies and a constant staff turnover. He also discovered that the shares were being sold at an 82 percent discount compared to the last fundraising round. These issues, along with the threat of a lawsuit from Theranos, led Avie to urge Don to share these problems with the other board members.

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Bad Blood

Learn why and how a $9 billion dollar company vanished in a few weeks. The story of Theranos is the Silicon Valley equivalent of the Enron scandal rep...

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This incident shocked Avie and he began to review the Theranos documents he had. He found glaring inconsistencies and constant staff turnover. When Avie took it up with Don, the board Chairman, Don told him to consider resigning. Shaunak Roy was planning to sell his founder's shares back to Elizabeth. Avie realized that the shares were being sold at an 82 percent discount compared to the last fundraising round. He decided to buy them. Soon, Theranos threatened Avie with a lawsuit. On second thought, Avie decided he did not want to own more of the company given what he knew about it. He wrote one last letter to Don urging him to tell the other board members about the issues with Theranos and resigned.

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Startups can learn several lessons from the downfall of Theranos. Firstly, honesty and transparency are crucial. Theranos was heavily criticized for misleading investors and the public about their product's capabilities. Secondly, corporate governance and oversight are essential to prevent unethical practices. Theranos' board was criticized for not having enough members with a medical or scientific background who could have questioned the company's claims. Lastly, startups should ensure their products meet industry standards and regulations before they go to market. Theranos' downfall was largely due to the fact that their blood testing technology was not as reliable or accurate as they claimed.

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