Riaan 
UBalwani uthole isigwebo esithe ukudlula umlingani wakhe wangaphambili. UHolmes, owayeyisikhulu esiphezulu seTheranos, wayekhona ugwetshwe iminyaka engaphezu kuka-11 ejele ngenyanga edlule ngemuva kokutholwa enamacala amane okudukisa abatshalizimali ngobuchwepheshe nebhizinisi lale nkampani.
“Kuthumela ngokusobala isignali eSilicon Valley ukuthi ukukhukhumeza nokukhwabanisa nokuhlanekezela kuzoshushiswa, kuzoba nemiphumela futhi umphumela ungaba amashumi eminyaka ejele,” kusho uMichael Weinstein, usihlalo weqembu elivikela ubugebengu e-white collar enkampanini yabameli iCole. Schotz, obelokhu elandela leli cala.
I-Theranos yake yaba nenani lamaRandi ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-9, ngenhloso yokufisa ukwenza ukunakekelwa kwezempilo kufinyeleleke futhi kufinyeleleke kubantu abaningi. Lenza umshini omncane wokucubungula amasampula egazi, okwakuthi lingakwazi ukuhlola amakhulukhulu amaconsi ambalwa nje egazi lesiguli.
Kodwa ngesikhathi sokuqulwa kwecala likaHolmes isikhathi eside, ubufakazi babonisa ukuthi ubuchwepheshe bungakwazi ukuhlola igazi elicishe libe yishumi nambili, futhi imiphumela yalo yayiguquguquka. I-Theranos yayivame ukuthembela emishinini yokuhlola yendabuko eyenziwe izinkampani zangaphandle. Uphenyo lwe-Wall Street Journal ngo-2015 kanye nophenyo lokulawula lwadalula izimangalo ezidukisayo, okuholele ekuweni kwedumela elimangalisayo likaHolmes, uBalwani kanye nenkampani.
ITheranos yavalwa ngo-2018, ngemuva kokuthi uHolmes noBalwani beshiye ukuqala.
Amajaji ezivivinyweni ze UHolmes noBalwani baphethe ngokuthi bobabili badukisa abatshalizimali. Theranos wayenayo ihehe osomabhizinisi abaqavile nosopolitiki njengabatshalizimali noma abaqondisi bebhodi, okuhlanganisa uGeorge Shultz, uHenry Kissinger, uRupert Murdoch noLarry Ellison.
Balwani waphinde walahlwa yicala lokuqola iziguli ezisebenzisa lobu buchwepheshe obutholakala isikhashana kwezinye izitolo zemithi.
“Sidumele ngomphumela,” kusho ummeli kaBalwani uJeffrey Coopersmith esitatimendeni ngemuva kokukhishwa kwesigwebo. “Ngenhlonipho asivumelani futhi sihlela ukukhalaza.”
Ngemuva kokuwa kwabo emuseni, uTheranos, uHolmes noBalwani baba yizikhonzi zokuvezwa kwezindaba eziphezulu zeSilicon Valley. ukuhaha nokukhwabanisa, okuhlanganisa uchungechunge lwe-Hulu, idokhumentari ye-HBO, incwadi ethengiswa kakhulu namaphodikasti amaningi.
U-Holmes wayengumsunguli kanye ne-CEO yenkampani, kanti uBalwani ubambe isikhundla sesibili iminyaka, kodwa ijaji alizange linqume ukuthi uHolmes noma uBalwani wayengumholi oqondile kulolu zungu.
Ongoti bezomthetho bathi isigwebo sikaBalwani sisezingeni eliphezulu ezigebengwini zamaphoyisa. Kuphinde kube yinto engajwayelekile ukuthi umuntu “othobeke esigungwini sezinkampani ngozungu lobugebengu” athole isigwebo esinzima, kusho owayengumshushisi wenhlangano uJason Linder, osenguzakwethu enkampanini yabameli iMayer Brown futhi ubelokhu elilandela leli cala.
Abameli bakaBalwani wamcelela ukuhlolwa noma ukuvalelwa ekhaya, ethi akazuzisi kwaTheranos futhi wayekholelwa enkampanini ayesiza ukuyakha. Baphinde baphakamisa ukuthi uHolmes wayengumuntu ophakathi eTheranos, hhayi eBalwani.
“Ukuqala, uMnu. Balwani akazange ayiqale iTheranos,” kubhala abameli ngesikhathi ethula isigwebo. “Akakaze abe umnikazi wamasheya obaluleke kakhulu kaTheranos. Akazange acabange ubuchwepheshe bokuhlola igazi obaqhuba isithembiso senkampani. Futhi akazange abe nezwi lokugcina ngesu likaTheranos.”
UBalwani noHolmes babekwe amacala ndawonye, kodwa amacala abo ahoxiswa ngemuva kukaHolmes usole uBalwani ngokumhlukumeza ngenkathi besebudlelwaneni bothando. Uziphikile lezi zinsolo.
U-Balwani wayenezibopho ezibalulekile ngaphakathi kwe-Theranos, okuhlanganisa nokuphatha i-biotech ekugcineni yashabalala ubudlelwano nama-Walgreenseqondisa amalebhu enkampani nokwengamela ezinye zezezimali zayo nobudlelwano nabatshalizimali, ukuqulwa kwecala kwembula.
Wayesevele engusomabhizinisi onolwazi lwesoftware lapho ehlangana okokuqala Holmes ohambweni lwaseChina ehlobo ngaphambi kokuthi aqale ekolishi. Laba bobabili baqala ukuthandana futhi baqhubeka nokuthandana ngenkathi esebenza ekuqaleni.
UHolmes wasidlulisela phambili isinqumo sakhe ekuqaleni kwale nyanga. Ithimba lakhe lezomthetho libhale efayilini ukuthi “irekhodi ligcwele izinkinga okufanele zidluliselwe.”
U-Holmes uveze izizathu ezimbalwa okungenzeka ukuthi zifake isicelo sokudlulisa icala, amafomu afakiwe akhombisayo, okuhlanganisa nesinqumo sejaji sokungabandakanyi ubufakazi obuthile obuvela eBalwani kanye nokuvumela imininingwane mayelana nemiphumela yokuhlolwa kokuqala kwecala ngo-2016, ngemuva kokwenzeka kwezigameko eziningi zecala. Isikhalazo sakhe cishe sizobhekana “nempi ekhuphukayo” enkantolo, kusho uLinder.
Abameli bakhe baphinde bacela inkantolo ukuthi ivumele uHolmes ukuthi angahlali ejele ngesikhathi kusaxazululwa udaba lwesikhalo, bethi akayona ingozi yokundiza noma ingozi ekuphepheni kwanoma ngubani. Ijaji belingakasikhiphi isinqumo ngalesi sicelo.
