Theranos’s Lab was divided into two. The upstairs one, CLIA-certified, was full of commercial diagnostic equipment. The downstairs one had Theranos’s tech.
2.5 years of the miniLab’s development. But it was still a work in progress. In medical device standards, 3 years is a short time.
Sycophants were promoted. Many employees were on H1-B, so they needed Theranos’s employment.
After LTC Shoemaker, Elizabeth scrapped the remote diagnostics. The samples were to be couriered to Palo Alto. Still, Elizabeth insisted that the 4S be a sleek small (consumer) device.
Steve Burd’s retirement endangered te Safeway partnership. Another delay risked Walgreens’s partnership. Elizabeth had to ship. The 4S wasn’t ready, so the Edison was dusted off.
The Siemens ADVIA 1800 diluted the sample in its internals. Therefore Theranos samples were diluted twice. The analytes concentration were below ADVIA’s FDA sanctioned levels. Of course, the lawyers suggested they patent how they’d tinkered with the ADVIA 1800!
Edison’s error rate was too high. Elizabeth chose to launch because she had promised Walgreens. But weren’t the customers the patients that would get tested? Who was Elizabeth loyal to?