It seems Elizabeth Holmes has had a good amount of time to think lately. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Holmes, who was convicted of four counts of fraud and conspiracy in January 2022 and progressively delayed her 11-year prison sentence, wants readers to forget about the old Elizabeth and welcome ‘Liz.’
The former chief executive of the blood-testing startup Theranos shared her new goals with the publication, admitting to “many mistakes” she has made in the past, including her “put-up appearance.”
“I made so many mistakes and there was so much I didn’t know and understand, and I feel like when you do it wrong, it’s like you really internalize it in a deep way,” Holmes told the newspaper.
When discussing her yearning to be taken seriously in innovative spaces, she explained her reasoning behind the black turtlenecks, sharp red lipstick and deep-voiced appeal, stating “I believed it would be how I would be good at business and taken seriously and not taken as a little girl or a girl who didn’t have good technical ideas.”
According to Yahoo News, this was the first time Holmes has spoken to the press since 2016 after her lawyers advised her to steer clear from commenting. When NYT’s journalist asked for her thoughts on actress Jennifer Lawrence potentially portraying her in a movie, she replied, “They’re not playing me. They’re playing a character I created.”
The 39-year-old mother of two expressed her continued interest in innovation, sharing new healthcare-related inventions she plans on developing from behind prison bars.
“I still dream about being able to contribute in that space. I still feel the same calling to it as I always did and I still think the need is there.”
The New York Times has recently received much backlash for granting Holmes an opportunity to potentially salvage her reputation – some media took to Twitter to share their disbelief on what they call a “fluff piece.”
Media outlets make choices every day on how they cover people in the criminal justice system.
This story, by the numbers:
-95 paragraphs(!)
-0 uses of the term convict, felon, offender
-1 photo of the family at the beach
-1 subheader with "devoted mother"https://t.co/a5P2RIyore— Todd Schulte (@TheToddSchulte) May 7, 2023
This is how the NYT decided to portray Elizabeth Holmes in a fluffy puff piece profile about how she’s a wife and Mom who volunteers at a rape crisis center. Reminder that she is a convicted felon who’s soon to start a sentence of more than a decade in federal prison. pic.twitter.com/hwhf6ocsM3
— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) May 8, 2023
Though the interview may present a motherly and vulnerable side of Holmes, it’s incredibly difficult to get over the fact that she built a $4.5 billion empire on lies and fraud.
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