The upcoming Hulu series will chronicle the rise and fall of the blood testing company founded by Holmes, who is currently on trial for fraud.
Data shows that boosters are effective in preventing serious illness from the new variant. But effectiveness drops for those who haven’t received an extra shot.
As with many wild and dramatic stories, the tale of Theranos and its former CEO Elizabeth Holmes is getting multiple adaptations. The Jennifer Lawrence-led Bad Blood, which was just snapped up by Apple, will likely get the most attention. (Expect it to get plenty of Oscar love, like Adam McKay’s recent films, Vice and The Big Short.) But don’t count out Hulu’s miniseries, The Dropout. First announced in 2019 with Kate McKinnon as the infamous serial fibber, Elizabeth Holmes, the series will now star Amanda Seyfried when it premieres on March 3rd, 2022.
Judging from the first round of pictures, Seyfried certainly captures the wide-eyed magnetism of Holmes. It’s also surprising to see the great Naveen Andrews (Lost, Sense8) as Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, Theranos’ former COO and Holmes’ former boyfriend. According to Hulu, the series will follow “an unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong. How did the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire lose it all in the blink of an eye?”
Theranos managed to raise over $700 million from investors due to its seemingly miraculous device, the Edison. It was a blood testing machine that was supposed to test for a wide range of illnesses. But of course, it was all a lie. Reporting from the Wall Street Journal and others revealed that the company’s technology never actually worked. Ultimately, the SEC charged Theranos, Holmes and Balwani with “massive fraud.”
Alex Gibney’s HBO documentary, The Inventor, did a serviceable job of covering the drama around Theranos, and Holmes’ unusual mystique. But there’s also plenty of ground to cover in a dramatic adaptation.
You’ll have to say goodbye to Via’s personal on-demand rides. Bloombergreports Via is shutting down its ride-hailing operations, currently in New York and Washington, DC, after December 20th. After that, the company will shift its attention to mass transit systems like buses, shuttles and vans. You might still use Via to arrange pickups (including for paratransit) or check schedules, but you won’t have much more control and will likely share the vehicle.
The company isn’t shy about its reasoning: its public transportation business is more successful. Via chief Daniel Ramot told Bloomberg his firm’s transit business is “growing quickly,” and it’s a more reliable revenue stream thanks to long-term contracts. Via would have needed a “major investment” to return its ride-hailing business to pre-pandemic levels, and the company didn’t want to incur those costs when transit was thriving.
Via’s challenges contrast sharply with its ridesharing rivals. Lyft and Uber have been scrambling to find drivers as demand picks back up. They have far larger slices of personal ride hailing than Via, however. Even if Via were to remain committed to personal rides, it would be competing for a small slice of a market with two clear incumbents. The ride-hailing shutdown lets it sidestep that battle entirely and corner a segment Lyft and Uber have largely left untouched.
The Witcher’s much anticipated second season finally debuts on Netflix this Friday, but there’s so much more Witcher-iness to come. Beyond the prequel TV series, the second anime movie, and already announced third season of the flagship show, there’s also a kids’ TV series on the way. It was a surprising announcement…
Less than a week after a freak tornado outbreak, meteorologists are again gawking in awe and horror at the scenes unfolding on their radar screens and across the Midwest and Plains.
Earlier this year after the internet summarily denounced one NFT minter’s Oscar-season attempt at capitalizing on Chadwick Boseman’s death, it seemed for a brief moment that perhaps people might think better of engaging such transparently opportunistic and morally bankrupt routes. Unfortunately, that’s turned out to…
The “19 Kids and Counting” father drew roughly 15% of the vote just days after his son, Josh, was convicted of receiving and possessing child pornography.
Responses such as “Be grateful for the time you had” and “It’s just a pet” can leave lasting harm.
Apple is closing more stores in response to COVID-19’s resurgence. Bloombergreports the iPhone maker has temporarily shuttered three stores in the US and Canada following increases in exposures and outbreaks among employees. Shops in Annapolis (Annapolis Mall), Miami (Brickell City Centre) and the Canadian capital Ottawa (Rideau Centre) will remain closed until either December 18th or December 19th.
It’s not clear how many employees developed COVID-19 at the affected stores. In a statement to Bloomberg, Apple reiterated a prior statement indicating that it “regularly monitor[s]” pandemic conditions and has a “comprehensive” store safety initiative that includes daily health checks, masks, extra cleaning and paid sick leave. All workers will have to take COVID-19 tests before they return.
There’s no certainty closures like this will continue in the near future. With rising infection rates and uncertainty around the new coronavirus’ Omicron variant, however, it won’t be surprising if there are more until this latest wave dies down.
The move also underscores the persistent risks for retail staff at many stores, not just Apple’s. While many retail employees have to wear masks and share their health statuses, they can’t necessarily avoid sick customers —and there are concerns Apple store managers may have pressured subordinates to come in despite showing COVID-19 symptoms. Stores can minimize risks, but they can’t completely avoid them so long as the disease persists.
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