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Silicon Valley is on trial

Good morning! This Wednesday, Elizabeth Holmes isn't the only one on trial, El Salvador's bitcoin economy was not easy to orchestrate, Ford poaches Doug Field from Apple, and Jeff Bezos wants to be forever young.
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When Elizabeth Holmes stands trial this week, her defense could involve a few options. Her lawyers might argue she was abused by former Theranos COO and boyfriend Sunny Balwani and believed what he said was true, according to newly unsealed documents. (He denies it.)
Then there's another tack that's been hotly contested in the run-up to the trial: the "This is just how Silicon Valley works" defense. Inevitably, it's not just Holmes on trial for the alleged fraud that vaporized a lab-testing company once worth nearly $10 billion.
Silicon Valley's culture will be examined for its habit of enthusiastically embracing visionaries and supporting those who took a "fake it till you make it" approach that has let a lot of companies grow.
But Silicon Valley insiders are already pushing backat the idea that this case has anything to do with them. Venture capitalists have been quick to point out that Theranos only received a check from Tim Draper, a family friend who happened to be co-founder of DFJ, but not any other Sand Hill Road firm.
Still, there was a time when Holmes was respected and even defended by many venture capitalists as a part of Silicon Valley after the The Wall Street Journal published its first investigation into Theranos. Marc Andreessen started blocking Theranos critics on Twitter, and compared Holmes to Steve Jobs (his tweets have since been deleted).
Silicon Valley investors may want to distance themselves now, but the culture of Silicon Valley is part of what allowed Theranos to flourish and will still be on trial. Holmes sold her vision in the way that startup founders are taught to do, and to anyone who would listen: the press, East Coast elites, and corporate partners like Walgreens and Safeway. One question that may be answered in the trial is exactly where the line between optimism and deceit falls.
— Biz Carson (email | twitter)
A version of this story first appeared on Protocol.com. Biz will be reporting from the San Jose courthouse where opening arguments for the trial are scheduled to begin today. Follow her on Twitter for the latest on the trial.
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John Gibson resigned as Tripwire Interactive's headfollowing backlash for supporting the Texas anti-abortion law. Co-founder Alan Wilson will take his place.
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Expanding to Asia can be difficult, but Singapore is here to help. The Singapore Economic Development Board's guide to setting up in Singapore has all the information you need to find the right partners, talent, and connections to succeed in Asia.
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