Not familiar with legal issues - can someone explain why Adam Neumann is free but Holmes is in jail? Isn't both committing fraud from investor POV? And is SBF committing the same crime?
Adam Neumann had a failed business model. He explained his business model. Investors believed in the business model. They invested. But the business model, and his PR image dents caused them to lose money.
Holmes had a vision of a business model. She explained her business model and brought on a board of directors of leering old farts. Investors also believed in the vision and invested in her to achieve the vision. She tried to achieve her vision, but failed miserably. Instead of telling investors and regulators and business partners about the failure, she hid the failure, covered up by using industry standard practices for medical testing, passing them off as testing from her products. As a cherry on the top, she also used her comically in-accurate products to give actual test results to patients. As a cherry on top of the cherry, all the while this was happening, she had an affair with another investor, went on a PR blitz of fame whoring and the like.
When the chickens came to roost, she pitched up her voice, started wearing feminine colorful dresses, got pregnant for sad puppy new mom face points.
I'm not a Musk fan these days, but I have to admit that he did create things of value. Cheap transport to orbit, some pivotal electric cars. Sure, he promised more, but at least he delivered something of value.
The full self driving claim, that one could be fraudulent.
As for the vision to go to Mars? Might still be achievable, and I don't think he had customers pay for that yet.
In contrast, neither FTX nor Theranos created lasting value.
