Elizabeth Holmes could not be under fire today if she was…

Who hasn’t heard about Bill gates? Popular, billionaire, inspiring etc...Who hasn’t heard about Steve Jobs? Popular, billionaire, inspiring etc…Well, who hasn’t heard about Elizabeth Holmes? She also is compared with Bill Gates & Steve Jobs for popularity. She is a billionaire, inspiring, & self-made entrepreneur.

“Elizabeth Holmes’ is a story that could happen only in America”, Henry A. Kissinger.

Elizabeth Holmes left Stanford University not for money, not for marriage, not for culture, not for a prince**, not for being lazy, not for cooking but for a solid vision of utilizing her skills for the betterment of others. She knew that what she was pursuing could lead her to dead-end, but if she is lucky she could become an inspiring billionaire and guess what? She is the world’s youngest female billionaire. She is founder-CEO of biotech giant Theranos, again a Silicon Valley startup….where else on earth could the biggest startups start!

Theranos
Theranos promised to transform health care by offering cheap, fast, & accurate blood tests by collecting few drops of blood, rather than filled syringes & tubes. Theranos is under fire today, as there are questions against its technology & deficient lab practices. Some are saying that Theranos is not upto promise of delivering blood tests results taking few drops and also patients’ health is at stake after these tests. Companies are reported to pullback from Theranos. Health regulators propose to ban Elizabeth Holmes from lab testing for at least two years as Theranos is unable to fix blood-testing problem. Elizabeth Holmes is putting her efforts to save Theranos and Theranos has submitted a plan of correction to the authorities.

Biotech giant Theranos

Something wishy-washy & nano-tainers
“Any test can be run from a tiny sample for less cost….Any one will get actionable, accessible health information at the time it matters…..We see a world where comprehensive lab test, cheap, from few drops of blood…..”, Elizabeth Holmes at TED MED.

When you introduce something new that challenges decades long practices, there are obviously hands that rise against that innovation. But there definitely is something wishy-washy as Theranos is not offering what was claimed. Some tests do use ‘nano-tainers’ but majority are traditionally done. Let’s see to which position the camel sits. Will Elizabeth Holmes get banned?

If Elizabeth Holmes was Pakistani

The idea here is that, Elizabeth Holmes could not be under fire today if she was a Pakistani dwelling in Pakistan. How? Because she might have other ‘Pakistani’ troubles to take care of. At the age of 19 when Elizabeth Holmes got the idea of blood testing revolution, she could be either married or not. If married, she might have 1000 chores to finish 24/7 so she wouldn’t have time to think anything beyond her home. She could be productive*** in kitchen or whatever you can think of. If not married, she could constantly be mentally abused by family, aunties, neighbors, any person on the road etc. that she looks like a mommy & that she should get married, haww you are not married yet? What you will do in life? You are not productive*** so far???? Or she might be struggling in the Pakistan’s educational system’s rat-race of getting “high grades” in order to get admitted to a university that offers a degree. It’s a war of ‘survival of the fittest’. So the chance of being youngest entrepreneur & a billionaire is lost. After getting a degree she could become billionaire? Well, her parents & aunties*** might be pouring into her head to ‘GET MARRIED, YOU CAN BECOME A BILLIONAIRE ANY TIME.’ Ladies with their |dumb| sons could keep eye on her so she could become their |house-maid|. And live happily ever after trying to make the in-laws ***happy who could never become happy of course. While making the best round roti, as her circle of life would revolve around rotis, she wouldn’t know what is it like to be a billionaire.

Her perseverance style
Due to these situations in Pakistan, her confidence level & perseverance style as she is presenting today despite all the fingers that are pointing towards her since last year, all that could be zero. She might end up wetting the pillow with tears at nights as most of Pakistani girls do, even at the petty problems like getting 2 marks lesser than she expected in exams or being told that her roti is not round. But because Elizabeth Holmes is a tech-savvy & she is able to live her dreams at the tech hub, Silicon Valley, look at how confidently she talks to opposition & defends Theranos.

It’s never a question of being banned or not,

It’s a question of being brave or not!

Also see: When will she become an entrepreneur?

In the Neighborhood

Actual background presented & story melodramatized by,

Engr. Ayesha Alam Khurram