[codezero]

What does this have to do with the photogenicness of the founder? What exactly did Theranos do wrong here as a company? How does she dress? It didn't even seem like a favor. Does she wear black turtlenecks and jeans? I'm really confused about your comment. Does it address what I asked at all? Can you elaborate?

[danso]

Yes, she wore black turtlenecks...according to reports, every day since the company was started. Why does being photogenic matter? Because you're more likely to have a massive photo spread/cover devoted to you. Steve Jobs himself was very photogenic. But Theranos is much more affected by Holmes as the face of the company. Because the company never talked about its tech in detail, there wasn't much else to focus on except the youth and passion of its founder.

[Nutmog]

Those were reasons why the media and public are interested in it. Yes she does wear black turtlenecks. I'm sure the way she dresses is part of why people are so interested in the stories. It's probably largely schadenfreude, the kind the celebrities are usually subject to when they put on weight or get arrested.

[joezydeco]

I don't agree that this is schadenfreude.

Here was a company that popped up, literally out of nowhere, claiming to have a handle on microfluidic diagnostic assays...something that the major players in the industry haven't been able to get off the ground since ELISA came along in the 1960s.

The skeptics were quiet at first. I mean shit, they landed Walgreen's and Kroeger! It must work, right?

Now we discover a little more of the truth and it's a lot safer to say "put up or shut up".

[kzhahou]

It's absolutely schadenfreude! Company appears to have led VCs, investors, and the public, and is actually getting called out for it. Lots of people (myself included) thought the whole thing smelled funny a while back.