The Information’s 411 - Blood Feuds

The controversy over blood testing biotech firm Theranos has extended into its second week, as founder Elizabeth Holmes continues to push back forcefully against the allegations made in a tough Wall Street Journal story. Jessica joins the podcast this week to give her take on the mystique surrounding Ms. Holmes and whether her techy rhetoric about "community" is an odd fit for a company that does blood tests. Jessica and Tom also discuss whether it’s a good idea for a CEO to comment on the record within a highly critical story, which Ms. Holmes elected not to do.

Earlier this week, Reed looked at SolarCity and its aggressive chief revenue officer Hayes Barnard. He’s pushed up SolarCity’s sales and marketing costs as the company continues to pitch people on a free solar panel installation in exchange for a long-term contract with the company. Reed talks more about the Barnard way and whether entering into these decades-long deals with SolarCity will continue to be an appealing offer for homeowners looking to get off the dirty power grid.

Also, at the top of the show Tom gives his strong opinion about the latest Steve Jobs biopic, which he hasn’t seen yet.

You can find our RSS feed here or subscribe via iTunes.