Channing Robertson

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Channing Robertson
Channing Rex Robertson
Born1943 or 1944 (age 79–80)[1]
NationalityAmerican
EducationHerbert Hoover High School
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
Stanford University
Years active1961-present
Board member ofTheranos
SpouseDonna Reineke Robertson
Scientific career
FieldsChemical engineering
InstitutionsStanford University
Theranos
Academic advisorsAndreas Acrivos
Doctoral studentsSeth Darst
Other notable studentsElizabeth Holmes
Websiteengineering.stanford.edu/people/channing-r-robertson

Channing Rex Robertson is emeritus professor of chemical engineering at Stanford University. He joined the startup Theranos founded by his former student Elizabeth Holmes. Robertson took on major responsibilities at Theranos prior to its collapse, including: becoming its first board member, engaging with venture capitalists, and recruiting biochemist Ian Gibbons to the firm. He retired from Stanford in 2012, becoming an emeritus professor. Theranos named him the co-leader of their technology advisory board in 2017. He was called as a witness in the federal case, United States v. Elizabeth A. Holmes, et al., which convicted Holmes and partner Sunny Balwani of criminal fraud. During his time working for Holmes, Robertson took in an income of US$500,000 per year from Theranos. Since his active role in the Theranos scandal, he went back to teach one course at Stanford.

Early life and education[edit]

Robertson spent the early part of his life in Los Angeles, California.[2] He went to Herbert Hoover High School in Glendale, California, where he met his wife Donna Reineke.[3][4] Donna graduated from Hoover in 1960, with Robertson following in 1961.[4] He received a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.[5] This was followed by a master of science in chemical engineering at Stanford University, where his focus included transport phenomena and fluid mechanics.[5] Robertson received his Ph.D. from Stanford under the supervision of Andreas Acrivos.[6][7] After graduating from Stanford with his PhD, Robertson left academia to do research at an oil company, later returning back to the same educational institution to work in the field of bioengineering.[2] His wife became director of donor relations at Stanford University in 1990, and she retired from the institution in 2020.[3]

Academic career[edit]

Robertson joined the faculty of Stanford University in 1970.[7] He served as the Ruth G. and William K. Bowes Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty & Academic Affairs in the School of Engineering.[5] While at Stanford, he was an advisor to doctoral student, Seth Darst.[8] Robertson testified in 1998 as a witness for the state about the cigarette brand Marlboro related to a lawsuit against tobacco company Philip Morris USA.[9] In 2000, he was featured in a special issue of Upside, entitled "100 People Who Have Changed the World".[5] He was a founding fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.[5] After the collapse of Theranos, Robertson went back to teaching at Stanford University and was listed as a professor emeritus in charge of the course, "Busting Energy Myths".[7][10]

Theranos[edit]

Further information: Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes at Stanford University, April 17, 2013

Robertson taught Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes when she was a student at Stanford.[11][12] He became acquainted with her after allowing her request to work in her research laboratory at Stanford amidst PhD graduate students.[13] Robertson was initially swayed by his student's ideas on what she felt her burgeoning technology could accomplish.[14][15] After Holmes dropped out of Stanford University, Robertson helped her start her company Theranos in 2003.[16] He went on to become the company's first board member.[17][18][19] Robertson gave up his academic tenure teaching role at Stanford University in order to work at Theranos.[20] Along with Robertson, his associate from his lab Shaunak Roy also joined Holmes at Theranos and became its co-founder.[16][21][22] Shaunak and Holmes had previously worked together in Robertson's lab at Stanford.[23] Robertson brought venture capitalists to meet with Holmes about her early business venture.[24][25] He convinced Ian Gibbons to work for Theranos in 2005.[7][26][27] Robertson and Gibbons had previously worked together in the 1980s and authored a patent together at a different company, Biotrack Laboratories.[28][29] Gibbons brought his concerns about Theranos to Robertson in confidence.[26] Robertson betrayed that confidence and shared Gibson's concerns with Theranos founder Holmes, who fired Gibbons.[30][26]

Holmes highlighted positive praise from Robertson in her workplace at Theranos; she kept a quote from him featured on her desk: "You start to realize you are looking in the eyes of another Bill Gates, or Steve Jobs."[31] After receiving this assessment from Robertson, Holmes later began to dress like Steve Jobs.[32] Robertson was included in activities related to Holmes's personal life, and was a featured guest at her 30th birthday party at the home of fellow Theranos board member and former United States Secretary of State George Shultz.[33]

According to criminal filings by prosecutors in the federal case United States v. Elizabeth A. Holmes, et al. — Robertson was paid approximately US$$463,000 by Theranos in the period from March 2015 to February 2016.[34] In 2017, Theranos named him the co-leader of their technology advisory board.[35][36][37] Brian Grossman of PFM Health Sciences relied upon expertise by Robertson, prior to his firm's investment in Theranos.[38] Grossman spoke directly with Robertson, before deciding to invest $96 million in Theranos.[38][39] Robertson stated to Grossman that there was zero "technical risk" with Theranos.[38] Robertson said the only "risk" was "making sure consumers had a good experience".[38] Robertson assured Grossman that the company's technology was years ahead of their competitors. After speaking with Robertson, Grossman felt confident in his firm's investment in Theranos.[38] Grossman testified under oath as to his conversation with Robertson about Theranos, in the U.S. government's criminal trial against Holmes.[40] Robertson kept what was happening at Theranos secret, and did not tell his wife what was happening at the company.[41]

In December 2015, after reporting from investigative journalist John Carreyrou of The Wall Street Journal exposed questionable tactics at Theranos, Robertson went on the record with Bloomberg Businessweek to defend the company's medical practices.[42][43] Robertson told Bloomberg Businessweek, "We would have to be certifiable", to go live with actual medical patients with a product that impacted individuals' health, with foreknowledge the tests were not dependable.[42][43] In the same interview, Robertson classed Holmes among geniuses including Leonardo da Vinci, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Albert Einstein, and Isaac Newton.[42][43]

Even as Theranos was coming under growing scrutiny, as late as May 2018, Robertson still believed the company was successful in developing novel blood testing technology.[44] According to lawyer Reed Kathrein, who sued Theranos on behalf of some of its former investors, the company only paid Robertson to lend itself credibility.[44] Robertson maintained ties to Theranos, continuing to both work at the company and serve on its board of directors until 2018.[45] Kathrein stated Holmes, "compensated him very, very well. From 2013 through 2017 she paid him more than anyone else at the company. ... From what I can tell, she paid him $500,000 a year for those four years."[44] This income level of $500,000/year was confirmed by Robertson's own testimony in litigation between Theranos and Richard Fuisz.[46]

Kathrein gave an assessment of Robertson's knowledge to what was truly going on inside Theranos: "Of all the people in the world who would know, this is the guy [who] would have known the right questions to ask."[44] Robertson was a witness in the U.S. government federal case, United States v. Elizabeth A. Holmes, et al., where Holmes and partner Sunny Balwani were convicted of criminal fraud.[7]

In media[edit]

The Wall Street Journal investigative journalist John Carreyrou delved into the manner in which Elizabeth Holmes courted Robertson to involve himself in her company Theranos; he recounted this in-depth in his 2018 book, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup.[47][48][49] This relationship was investigated further in the 2019 Alex Gibney documentary, The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley.[50][51][52] Rebecca Jarvis delved into the early background between Robertson and Holmes, in her 2019 podcast about Theranos, The Dropout.[53][54][55] In the 2022 American biographical television drama miniseries The Dropout, based on the Jarvis podcast of the same name, Gibbons was portrayed by actor Bill Irwin.[56][25]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Carreyrou 2018, p. 13.
  2. ^ a b DiPaolo, Andy (2016), "Robertson, Channing R. (2016). Oral History.", Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program Interviews, Stanford University, retrieved May 6, 2024
  3. ^ a b Thomson, Jan (2023), Donna Robertson : An Oral History, Stanford Historical Society; Stanford University, retrieved May 6, 2024
  4. ^ a b "Donna Reineke (Robertson) '60, Channing Robertson '61", Hoover Reunion Picture Slide Show, 2004, retrieved May 6, 2024
  5. ^ a b c d e "Channing Robertson, PhD". WHO. Archived from the original on December 19, 2004. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
  6. ^ "Andreas Acrivos CV". The Hellenic Society of Rheology. Archived from the original on 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
  7. ^ a b c d e Handore, Pratik (March 7, 2022), "Where is Theranos' Channing Robertson Now?", TheCinemaholic, retrieved May 6, 2024
  8. ^ Padgett, John F.; Powell, Walter W. (2012), The Emergence of Organizations and Markets, Princeton University Press, p. 533, ISBN 978-0691148878
  9. ^ Karnowski, Steve (February 9, 1998), "Ammonia Revealed As 'Marlboro Secret' Experts Testify Chemical Kept Nicotine At Addictive Level", The Spokesman-Review, Associated Press, retrieved May 7, 2024
  10. ^ "Channing R. Robertson". Stanford School of Engineering. 2016-05-10. Archived from the original on 2019-05-05. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
  11. ^ Wermus, Katie (November 19, 2021), "Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes Surprisingly Takes Stand at Her Criminal Trial", Newsweek, Associated Press, retrieved May 5, 2024
  12. ^ Liedtke, Michael; Ortutay, Barbara (November 20, 2021), "Ex-head of Theranos testifies in fraud trial", Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Associated Press, retrieved May 5, 2024
  13. ^ McGinn, Robert E. (2022), "Startup Ethics: Ethically Responsible Conduct of Scientists and Engineers at Theranos", Science and Engineering Ethics, 28 (5): 39, doi:10.1007/s11948-022-00393-2, PMID 36040562, retrieved May 6, 2024
  14. ^ Griffith, Erin (November 23, 2021), "Elizabeth Holmes points fingers at others and says she was a believer", The Seattle Times, The New York Times, retrieved May 5, 2024
  15. ^ Randazzo, Sara (November 19, 2021), "Holmes Testimony Starts at the Very Beginning of Theranos", The Wall Street Journal, retrieved May 5, 2024
  16. ^ a b Dennin, Torsten (2023), "Chasing Unicorns: Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos, and the Disgrace of Silicon Valley", Games of Greed: Excess, Hubris, Fraud, and Theft on Main Street and Wall Street, River Grove Books, ISBN 978-1632996411
  17. ^ Lynn, Hannah (March 22, 2022), "The True Story Behind The Dropout and the Elizabeth Holmes Theranos Scandal", Time, retrieved May 5, 2024
  18. ^ Firth, Simon (2012-02-28). "The not-so-retiring retirement of Channing Robertson". Stanford School of Engineering. California 94305. Archived from the original on 2019-05-05. Retrieved 2019-05-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  19. ^ Foley, Matt (2018-06-14). "Will Disgraced CEO Elizabeth Holmes Woo Another Batch of Silicon Valley Investors?". OZY. Archived from the original on 2019-05-05. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
  20. ^ Gibney, Alex (2019), "Holmes' Education (04:54)", The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, HBO Documentary Films
  21. ^ Hill, Andrew (November 14, 2018), "The Theranos tale exposes the dangers lurking in Silicon Valley", Financial Times, retrieved May 6, 2024
  22. ^ Hu, Charlotte; Ramsey, Lydia (May 25, 2018), "The rise and fall of Theranos, the blood-testing startup that went from a rising star in Silicon Valley to facing fraud charges over a wild 15-year span", Business Insider, archived from the original on May 25, 2018, retrieved May 6, 2024
  23. ^ Carreyrou 2018, p. 5.
  24. ^ Dunn, Taylor; Thompson, Victoria; Jarvis, Rebecca (March 12, 2019), "Ex-Theranos employees describe culture of secrecy at Elizabeth Holmes' startup: 'The Dropout' podcast ep. 1 - Ex-Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes has pleaded not guilty to wire fraud charges.", ABC News, retrieved May 6, 2024
  25. ^ a b Mackelden, Amy (March 28, 2022), "From Elizabeth Holmes' makeup to her voice — how accurate is 'The Dropout'?", Harpers Bazaar Australia, retrieved May 5, 2024
  26. ^ a b c Daniel, Hugo; Alexander, Harriet (2016-10-22). "British head scientist at US maverick's Silicon Valley start-up took own life over 'unworkable' technology". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2019-05-05. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
  27. ^ Cohan, Peter S. (2018), "Chapter 4: Deepening the Human Capital Pool", Startup Cities: Why Only a Few Cities Dominate the Global Startup Scene and What the Rest Should Do About It, Apress, ISBN 1484233921
  28. ^ Carreyrou 2018, p. 141.
  29. ^ Tisdale, Jennifer (March 3, 2022), "The Tragic Story of Ian Gibbons, the Scientist Tasked With Making the Theranos Technology Work", Distractify, retrieved May 6, 2024
  30. ^ Carreyrou 2018, p. 143.
  31. ^ Carreyrou 2018, p. 21.
  32. ^ Carreyrou 2018, p. 31.
  33. ^ Carreyrou 2018, p. 191.
  34. ^ Randazzo, Sara (September 8, 2021), "How Theranos Spent $28.6 Million on Vendors in 11 Months", The Wall Street Journal, retrieved May 5, 2024
  35. ^ Mitchell, Molli (March 2, 2022), "Meet 'The Dropout' Cast and the Real-Life Characters Behind the Hulu Show", Newsweek, retrieved May 6, 2024
  36. ^ Ramsey, Lydia; By, Provided (2017-01-17). "Theranos just made another major leadership change". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2019-05-05. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
  37. ^ Somerville, Heather (November 30, 2021), "In Testimony, Elizabeth Holmes Tries to Distance Herself from Lab Troubles", The Wall Street Journal, retrieved May 6, 2024
  38. ^ a b c d e Lopatto, Elizabeth (November 16, 2021), "Theranos drained $96 million from an experienced investor — plus some blood", The Verge, retrieved May 5, 2024
  39. ^ De Chant, Tim (November 17, 2021), "Holmes jury learns how Theranos duped a savvy health care investor", Ars Technica, retrieved May 6, 2024
  40. ^ Renda, Matthew (November 16, 2021), "Investor tells jury that Holmes bragged about device capability", Courthouse News Service, retrieved May 5, 2024
  41. ^ Palus, Shannon (July 8, 2016), "Theranos' Downfall Isn't Just Elizabeth Holmes' Fault", Slate, retrieved May 5, 2024
  42. ^ a b c Carreyrou 2018, p. 280.
  43. ^ a b c Kolhatkar, Sheelah; Chen, Caroline (December 10, 2015), "Can Elizabeth Holmes Save Her Unicorn? - Theranos wants to convince the world it's for real.", Bloomberg Businessweek, retrieved May 8, 2024
  44. ^ a b c d "When Theranos' remarkable blood-test claims began to unravel". ABC News. 2019-03-14. Archived from the original on 2021-10-13. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
  45. ^ Kirkland, Justin (September 9, 2022), "The Dropout is Full of Duped Investors. All of Them Are Real.", Esquire, retrieved May 5, 2024
  46. ^ Carreyrou 2018, p. 208.
  47. ^ Freckelton, Ian (2019), "John Carreyrou, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup", Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 26 (4): 706–708, doi:10.1080/13218719.2019.1647599, retrieved May 7, 2024
  48. ^ Sumagaysay, Levi (May 25, 2018), "'Bad Blood': The unraveling of Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes", The Mercury News, retrieved May 7, 2024
  49. ^ Laidler, John (October 3, 2018), "A cautionary tale for Silicon Valley: Reporter who broke Theranos story explains rise and fall of blood-testing firm", The Harvard Gazette, retrieved May 7, 2024
  50. ^ Machkovech, Sam (March 15, 2019), "HBO's Elizabeth Holmes documentary tells a bloody good story of a bad con job", Ars Technica, retrieved May 7, 2024
  51. ^ Hough, Quinn (March 19, 2019), "The Inventor: Biggest Reveals from HBO's Theranos Documentary", Screen Rant, retrieved May 7, 2024
  52. ^ Martin, Michel (March 17, 2019), "In Theranos Documentary 'The Inventor,' Filmmakers Capture A Stubborn Elizabeth Holmes", National Public Radio, retrieved May 7, 2024
  53. ^ McDonell-Parry, Amelia (January 23, 2019), "'The Dropout': New Podcast Dives into Elizabeth Holmes' Alleged Theranos Fraud", Rolling Stone, retrieved May 7, 2024
  54. ^ Loizos, Connie (January 23, 2019), "A new ABC documentary and podcast about Theranos features never-before-aired depositions", Tech Crunch, retrieved May 7, 2024
  55. ^ Dunn, Taylor; Thompson, Victoria; Jarvis, Rebecca (March 12, 2019), "Ex-Theranos employees describe culture of secrecy at Elizabeth Holmes' startup: 'The Dropout' podcast ep. 1", Good Morning America, retrieved May 7, 2024
  56. ^ Romano, Evan (April 6, 2022), "See The Dropout Cast Compared to Their Real-Life Counterparts", Men's Health, retrieved May 6, 2024

Works cited[edit]

External links[edit]

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