According to NPR, Elizabeth Holmes could face up to 20 years in prison for each count — a whopping total of 80 years behind bars served consecutively. This scenario, however, looks extremely unlikely — at least according to experts. As the Wall Street Journal noted, Holmes will presumably stay out of jail until her sentencing hearing as a pre-sentence report is compiled by a probation officer. Factors include any prior criminal history — one which, until fraud charges were levied against her in 2018, Holmes did not have. She could also dodge prison time during an appeal process, which could take years to complete.
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Nevertheless, it’s most likely that Holmes, if sentenced to the maximum period each count allows, could serve up to 20 years, albeit concurrently. Even if she’s given a lighter sentence, it seems her verdict will still have a ripple effect on the way business is conducted in Silicon Valley — a business model that can often focus on big ideas, rather than concrete statistics and a “business culture that celebrated and encouraged very young, marginally experienced people,” as University of Washington tech historian Margaret O’Mara put it to CNN. “This is a verdict that should matter not just to Silicon Valley but to the people who celebrate it, invest in it and use its products.”
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