The fraud trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has become a must-see event.
Holmes, the founder and chief executive of Theranos, has become a household name because of her company's failed and allegedly fraudulent attempt at blood-testing technology.
Arriving at the San Jose Federal Courthouse bright and early at 7 a.m., I was greeted by a line of journalists waiting outside along with Bay Area locals, all of whom wanted a first-hand account of the trial. Holmes herself arrived at 8 a.m. with her mother by her side and walked into the courthouse with confidence, successfully avoiding reporters.
Elizabeth Holmes arrives at the courthouse in San Jose on Wednesday.Christine Coughlan
A few attendees in line waited to enter shortly after Holmes.
I met Richard Rabin and Chloe Hoag, a married couple from Oakland.
They arrived at the courthouse at 7 a.m. and took a day off work to be there.
Rabin and Hoag, physicians themselves, have been following Holmes as if she were a famous rock star. They've digested every film, documentary, podcast and book released about her, and have been watching recent coverage of the trial with intense interest.
Rabin wanted to eat breakfast before arriving at the courthouse, but Hoag said they couldn't risk not being able to get inside.
Richard Rabin and Chloe Hoag pose for the camera.Sydney Fishman/KCBS Radio
"I was saying we're not coming all the way down here, to not get in, because we stopped at McDonald's," Hoag said while laughing. "I had read that some people weren't able to get in on the first day, so I wanted to make sure that we could get in."
On the first day of the trial back on Sept. 8, three women dressed as Holmes lookalikes, with black blazers, backpacks and bleach blonde hair, waited outside to see the infamous scientist.
It was more like concertgoers standing in line at a Britney Spears show – not a trial.
The long line to get into the courthouse early Wednesday.Sydney Fishman/KCBS Radio
But on this day, the atmosphere outside the courthouse was eerily calm and quiet.
The physicians I spoke with talked about the absurdity of Theranos and the testimony that former lab assistant and whistleblower Erika Cheung gave that day. "They were throwing out data points arbitrarily, and you shouldn't be throwing out data points at all," Rabin said. "It's astounding and helps you understand where this company was going wrong."
He spoke about how surprising it was that companies were accepting Theranos devices at their retail stores.
"I do find it shocking that these tests were allowed in Walgreens, and used for patient care at all," he said. "I respect the whistleblowers for coming forward and testifying now."
Rabin added that Holmes' theories were not appropriate for blood experiments.
"I know that Elizabeth Holmes has mentioned Steve Jobs quotes about failing a million times. That applies when creating computers, but not when you are doing blood tests that are impacting people's lives."
The absurdity of the trial contrasted with the surroundings of downtown San Jose, where university students were strolling through the streets unknowingly with their friends, grabbing coffee and studying.
When I questioned students on what they thought of Elizabeth Holmes, they simply said they didn't know who she was.
In this day and age, that's surprising.
The trial is expected to last about three months.
