Post By: Adam Turteltaub

With the Theranos trial in the news, we thought we would repost this podcast with former Theranos employee and whistleblower Tyler Shultz.

Tyler Shultz, like many others, was entranced by the vision of Theranos and its charismatic founder Elizabeth Holmes. He would not remain so for long, ultimately sharing his concerns with her, his grandfather (a member of the board), and then becoming a source for a Wall Street Journal reporter, and a whistleblower, reporting to New York state’s public-health lab his concerns that the company’s proficiency tests had been manipulated.

On March 30, 2020 he will be sharing his experiences and insights at the 2020 Compliance Institute, and he was also kind enough to talk with us for the Compliance Perspectives podcast.

In a very frank discussion, he tells us how the culture of Theranos discouraged people from coming forward and raising issues. In fact, there were severe disincentives for doing so ranging from potential loss of a visa to litigation.

We also discuss what drew him to the company and why it was so hard to face the dark reality behind the enticing façade.

Finally, he addresses signs that compliance professionals should watch out for that could be symptomatic of a very dysfunctional culture, if not outright wrongdoing.

Listen in to hear what he has to say and then plan on hearing much more at the 2020 Compliance Institute.