Tyler Shultz, one of the first people to call attention to questionable practices at the blood-testing startup Theranos Inc., believes the jury got it right when it convicted former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes of four counts of fraud.
Holmes was acquitted of four other charges on Monday, and the jurors said they were deadlocked on the three remaining charges. She could file an appeal, but faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the fraud counts.
"I am happy that she was found guilty of these crimes and I feel like I got my vindication from that, and I feel good about that," Shultz told "CBS Mornings."
By coming forward in 2015 about what he saw while working for Holmes and her partner, Sunny Balwani, Shultz risked a lot, including his relationship with his grandfather, George Shultz, the former secretary of state and a board member of Theranos. At one point, Tyler only spoke to his grandfather using lawyers.
"That was extremely tough. This whole saga has taken a financial, emotional and social toll on my relationships. The toll it took on my grandfather's relationship was probably the worst. It is tough to explain. I had a few very honest conversations with him," Tyler said.
He said the two ultimately did reconcile before George Shultz died last year. Despite never apologizing to him, Tyler said his grandfather did finally acknowledge that he was right.
"In one of my last conversations with him he told me a story about how he got Elizabeth invited during fleet week in...
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