Elizabeth and Sunny are incredibly corrupt and dishonest people. They simply saw and easy mark in this guy and tried to fleece him. I mean, they've already fleeced millions from investors, whats another con job for them?

The work environment was incredibly toxic as well:

For example, Balwani took it upon himself to keep track of how long employees were working. In one encounter, Balwani brought up security footage that showed a software engineer only working an eight-hour day. He told the employee, "I'm going to fix you." The engineer promptly resigned and left the building, even as Balwani sent a security officer to try and stop him. Balwani then called the cops on the employee.

http://www.businessinsider.com/theranos-former-president-sun...

The author's conclusion stops short of calling her a sociopath but "there is no question that her moral compass was badly askew...Her ambition was voracious and it brooked no interference".

One of the main themes of the book is her worship of Steve Jobs. Ripping someone for having a side project, instead of full dedication to the company, does sound like something Steve Jobs would've done.

The bike light had more value than Theranos' actual "product"?