Channing Robertson
Robertson took on major responsibilities at the company prior to its collapse, including becoming its first board member, engaging with venture capitalists, and recruiting biochemist Ian Gibbons.
D, Robertson left academia to become a researcher for in the oil industry; later returning to Stanford to work in the field of bioengineering.
[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.
[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.
[5] After the collapse of Theranos, Robertson returned to Stanford as professor emeritus, teaching the course "Busting Energy Myths".
[31][26] Holmes kept a quote from Robertson featured on her desk: "You start to realize you are looking in the eyes of another Bill Gates, or Steve Jobs.
[34] According to criminal filings by prosecutors in United States v. Elizabeth A. Holmes, et al., Robertson was paid approximately US$463,000 by Theranos from March 2015 to February 2016.
[36][37][38] Brian Grossman of PFM Health Sciences relied upon expertise by Robertson, prior to his firm's investment in Theranos.
[42] Following a report by Wall Street Journal investigative journalist John Carreyrou on questionable medical practices at Theranos, Robertson defended the company in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek.
[43][44] 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.
[43][44] In the same interview, Robertson classed Holmes among geniuses including Leonardo da Vinci, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Albert Einstein, and Isaac Newton.
[45] 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.
[7] 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.
[54][55][56] In the 2022 American biographical television drama miniseries The Dropout, based on the Jarvis podcast of the same name, Robertson was portrayed by actor Bill Irwin.
