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Theranos exec Sunny Balwani sentenced to 13 years in prison

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Re: Theranos exec Sunny Balwani sentenced to 13 years in prison

#111
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, technically early on it was a real business and a genuine attempt to create the blood meter. It was when it became apparent it wasn't going to work but they still maintained that fiction was when it turned into a fraud. A legitimate startup morphed into a fraud, coincidentally not long after Sunny joined and started secretly dating her.

You are trying way too hard to shift the blame here. I wonder why that is?

When the black natives tell us America is still a very racist country where privilege and punishment is concerned, we should listen. Some Asians stay in denial until blindsided by reality.

Re: Theranos exec Sunny Balwani sentenced to 13 years in prison

#112
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, technically early on it was a real business and a genuine attempt to create the blood meter. It was when it became apparent it wasn't going to work but they still maintained that fiction was when it turned into a fraud. A legitimate startup morphed into a fraud, coincidentally not long after Sunny joined and started secretly dating her.

You are trying way too hard to shift the blame here. I wonder why that is?

Apparently he brainwashed her.

I kid you not. This was an actual defense for Holmes.

Re: Theranos exec Sunny Balwani sentenced to 13 years in prison

#113
post #48
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Theranos started in 2003 and had raised $200m+ before sunny joined in 2009. Fraud started before him.

Well, technically early on it was a real business and a genuine attempt to create the blood meter. It was when it became apparent it wasn't going to work but they still maintained that fiction was when it turned into a fraud. A legitimate startup morphed into a fraud, coincidentally not long after Sunny joined and started secretly dating her.

Wasn't it always a fiction? Her premise for Theranos was to perform blood tests with minimal amount of blood even though the science wasn't there. I would love see a pitch decks for the raises prior to Sunny. How do you raise $200m when VC money was hard to come by during the recession?

Re: Theranos exec Sunny Balwani sentenced to 13 years in prison

#114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I'm ever a multi- billionaire, I will invest in a stand-by exfiltratiom team that is ready to get me out of whatever I get into and take me to a friendly place. If guys like Musk and Gates don't have this, their priorities are all wrong. I assume Peter Thiel does.

I'll gladly take your money to be on standby to exfiltrate you, good sir, and happily say "Sorry boss, can't be done" if you ever ask me to actually risk jail time for your privileged, billionnaire ass.

Hopefully your attitude would come to light during the interview or reference check

Re: Theranos exec Sunny Balwani sentenced to 13 years in prison

#115
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thousands walking across the boarder don't have the problems someone like Sunny has though, including LEO's out looking for them, facial recognition systems, flagged bank accounts and credit cards, etc. Someone like Sunny can't realistically just drive to and walk across the border.

You may be right. I don't have anywhere near Sunny's problems but I do have a flagged passport after I fought in the militia YPG in Syria (legal, but I seem to have been put on a list which has caused me endless issues with CBP). Alarm bells ring to the Nth degree when I enter, but as far as I can tell they don't have much mechanism to investigate pedestrians leaving. I'm guessing if they do have something it only fo…

How did all that work? How did you hear about it and decide to help? Are you Kurdish? Were you a soldier already? Did you focus on journalism or medicine or sniping or anything?

How does the USA treat that in general? Do the people accept it, or praise it? Do they try to trick you into admitting legal problems with it? You can get back into the USA so I assume you must be a citizen?

What's your opinion on the general legality of fighting in a foreign war by choice?

Did you accomplish enough that you'd do it again?

Re: Theranos exec Sunny Balwani sentenced to 13 years in prison

#116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll gladly take your money to be on standby to exfiltrate you, good sir, and happily say "Sorry boss, can't be done" if you ever ask me to actually risk jail time for your privileged, billionnaire ass.

Hopefully your attitude would come to light during the interview or reference check

Good luck screening for someone dishonest enough to break the law, honest enough to go to jail for you like he promised, stupid enough to put your interests before his own, yet smart enough to rescue you from a foreign government.

Re: Theranos exec Sunny Balwani sentenced to 13 years in prison

#117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hopefully your attitude would come to light during the interview or reference check

Good luck screening for someone dishonest enough to break the law, honest enough to go to jail for you like he promised, stupid enough to put your interests before his own, yet smart enough to rescue you from a foreign government.

Breaking the law does not make you dishonest.

Being paid to do something illegal gets you most of the way to the jail sentence to actually doing it, most of the time. So after the boss narcs you out for not doing the deed you'd be looking at jail either way.

Re: Theranos exec Sunny Balwani sentenced to 13 years in prison

#118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good luck screening for someone dishonest enough to break the law, honest enough to go to jail for you like he promised, stupid enough to put your interests before his own, yet smart enough to rescue you from a foreign government.

Breaking the law does not make you dishonest. Being paid to do something illegal gets you most of the way to the jail sentence to actually doing it, most of the time. So after the boss narcs you out for not doing the deed you'd be looking at jail either way.

First, let's explore your claim breaking the law is not dishonest. If a billionaire like Bill Gates is stuffed in a violin case and the airport officials asks me how many people will be on my flight and I don't include Bill Gates on the flight itinerary am I not being dishonest?

Second, your claim is if Bill Gates has me on retainer to break him out of jail and I don't break him out of jail I go to jail?

This is a surprising claim. You think Bill Gates goes around putting criminal activities in writing if the goal is to avoid going to jail?

You also seem to think Bill Gates wants to admit to the prosecutor that he illegally hired me to commit a crime, a seperate crime with additional jail time for Bill Gates in the hopes the prosecutor will go after me for revenge? If his goal is to stay out of jail he's going to switch goals to spending more time in jail to get back at me?

And the prosecutor is going to with a straight face announce to the world he's pressing charges on me for promising to break Bill Gates out of jail but not breaking Bill Gates out of jail? This is something you think is likely to happen?

One might almost think if Bill Gates wants to avoid jail the better strategy is hiring honest, law abiding people, avoid breaking the law, and avoid traveling to countries where you think the justice system is corrupt.

Re: Theranos exec Sunny Balwani sentenced to 13 years in prison

#119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Breaking the law does not make you dishonest. Being paid to do something illegal gets you most of the way to the jail sentence to actually doing it, most of the time. So after the boss narcs you out for not doing the deed you'd be looking at jail either way.

First, let's explore your claim breaking the law is not dishonest. If a billionaire like Bill Gates is stuffed in a violin case and the airport officials asks me how many people will be on my flight and I don't include Bill Gates on the flight itinerary am I not being dishonest? Second, your claim is if Bill Gates has me on retainer to break him out of jail and I don't break him out of jail I go to jail? This is a su…

If breaking the law is dishonest because there are dishonest ways you can break the law, then speaking is dishonest because you can speak in ways where you tell a lie.

This breaks down because merely speaking is not sufficient to show someone is lying, just as breaking the law is not sufficient to show someone is dishonest. For instance, I can speak without dishonesty by telling the whole truth and you can break the law without dishonesty (say someone finds a pot seed on their property, and plants it -- illegal but not dishonest).

>Second, your claim is if Bill Gates has me on retainer to break him out of jail and I don't break him out of jail I go to jail?

Absolutely. It's conspiracy and this is a pretty well understood legal concept. The agreement to do the deed is the spoken part of the conspiracy and the physical taking of the money for it is the overt act needed to convict you.

note: this is for entertainment and not legal advice. I am not an attorney.

Re: Theranos exec Sunny Balwani sentenced to 13 years in prison

#120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

First, let's explore your claim breaking the law is not dishonest. If a billionaire like Bill Gates is stuffed in a violin case and the airport officials asks me how many people will be on my flight and I don't include Bill Gates on the flight itinerary am I not being dishonest? Second, your claim is if Bill Gates has me on retainer to break him out of jail and I don't break him out of jail I go to jail? This is a su…

If breaking the law is dishonest because there are dishonest ways you can break the law, then speaking is dishonest because you can speak in ways where you tell a lie. This breaks down because merely speaking is not sufficient to show someone is lying, just as breaking the law is not sufficient to show someone is dishonest. For instance, I can speak without dishonesty by telling the whole truth and you can break the…

Do you remember the topic of discussion or are you typing replies in a vacuum?

You just argued everyone who commits a crime of conspiracy goes to jail while simultaneously arguing Bill Gates can commit a crime of conspiracy and avoid going to jail through the power of conspiracy.

Apparently everyone goes to jail for conspiracy but simultaneously Bill Gates can have people on retainers for years as part of a conspiracy and stay out of jail.

It just feels like you are typing replies for the sake of typing replies?

Also, crimes of dishonesty are dishonest, and pretending otherwise because you can imagine crimes which aren't dishonest isn't particularly convincing.

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