The great pyramid

I recently have been taking career advice from a VP of a local biotech company. Typically she's been very helpful, but last week's coffee was... interesting.

I've heard from others who have had coffee with her that after giving valid career advice she ends up asking them to be part of a potential pyramid scheme! Both people I've heard this from did not see it coming and felt shitty and manipulated afterwards. Last week she asked me if I wanted to get coffee. Interested to understand why a prominent business person was preying on broke graduate students to be part of a shady business scheme I agreed to meet with her.

The first half of our meeting was great. She was very helpful. She then offered me a business "opportunity". She went into a long pitch about how great these vitamins and health supplements she's selling are, how she uses them herself, and how she attributes her recent health to them (even though she recently started eating better and working out). She then introduced me to the business plan. Basically it was a hand out with a picture of a freaking pyramid on it! No joke. Anyway, I (nicely) told her that I didn't have the market to sell these overpriced vitamins too ($35 for a month's supply!). I also told her that I would look further into the company since she still seemed intent in having me join.

So yesterday I sent her an email thanking her for the opportunity, but would have to decline. I also wanted to bring to her attention recent troubling events. Turns out the company she's working for is currently under investigation by the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) for being a pyramid scheme and for having its science board fudge their credentials! So I sent her some websites to see for her self and said I hoped for her sake that these claims against the company were false.

I don't know if she knew this ahead of time or what. She spoke like she thought she was doing me a favor. So weird....

Today she wrote me back. She gave me a contact name I had requested in the email, but said NOTHING about what I told her about her company! How weird is that?!

I also found out that yet ANOTHER friend was approached by her! So unprofessional!