A recent Juul insider interview published by Reuters has showcased some of the more controversial issues with the embattled corporation. According to numerous interviewed sources, the flames of controversy that blaze around accusations of the Juul Labs catering to youth markets were ignored from the onset in favor of titanic profit growth.
The Importance of The Juul Insider Interview
The Juul insider interview began by taking a historical look at the mammoth corporation’s initial designs for its addictive e-cigarette. According to one of the initial designers, Chenyue Xing, there was originally the idea for Juuls to deactivate after a set number of drags or period of use in order to limit the intense nicotine exposure. Juul Labs gave no comment on the reason that these limiting features were not implemented, stating only that the product was designed to mimic cigarettes in order to sway smokers.
Despite this comment, the anonymous manager wasted little time in directing the Juul insider interview towards the company’s early nicotine marketing practices. These practices, alleged to target 20 to 30-year-old smokers, featured “young, hip models” and were said to ape the marketing strategies of similarly sleek and popular products such as Apple Inc. with slogans like “Simple. Smart. Satisfying.” Similarly, another member of the Juul insider interview, former head of sales and distribution on the U.S. East Coast Vincent Latronica, told Reuters that the product was sold to retailers by showing proof of its highly addictive nature which promised return customers. Latronica mentioned that Juul Labs even offered to buy any unused product at the end of a set timeframe.
By 2015, the Juul insider told reporters that signs had arisen that Juul was appealing to a demographic far younger than the allegedly intended market. Phone calls from teenagers began to come through company lines. These calls included requests for the names or locations of distributing stores where they could purchase additional Juuls and Juul pods. This allegedly sparked an internal debate at the company over the ethicality of failing to take actions to immediately curb Juul sales to youths.
According to the anonymous source, founding members of Juul Labs were dismissive of the issue, claiming that they couldn’t be blamed for youth nicotine addiction because the company did not explicitly sell or advertise to teenagers. Additionally, the manager said that although staff members “internally had an issue with it,” there were also “a lot of people had no problem with 500 percent year-over-year growth,” referring to the rampant sales of Juuls across the nation in its early years.
Juul Labs has thoroughly refuted the claims of the Juul insider interview on this subject noting that key staff members like Chief Administrative Officer Ashley Gould stated that they were “completely surprised,” at the rates of teen addiction and, in a written response to Reuter’s inquiries, stated that founder James Monsees “did not recall” the internal debate in 2015. No current members of Juul Labs commented on the statements of the Juul insider interview.
Though Juul’s position is predictable given the nature of their current litigatory storm, it is slightly undercut by several sources cited by the Juul insider interview as having warned the founders and design team early on. Neal Benowitz, a professor at the University of California-San Francisco, said to interviewers that he told Gal Cohen, the company’s director of scientific affairs, that teen addiction to Juul products could spell doom for the company.
For more information on the dangers of Juuls and other e-cigarettes, visit Parker Waichman’s Vaping Device Heart Disease Death Lawsuit Lawyers Page.
How The Juul Insider Interview Affects Your Compensation
Although the Juul insider interview is not a factual legal document, it can give plaintiffs and attorneys additional context and information regarding the potential mindsets of various members of the Juul design team over time. Though the Juul insider interview is careful never to explicitly declare whether Juul acted recklessly, the theme of the interview seems transfixed on Juul Labs’ choices to prioritize profitability and growth over decisive, unambiguous action against youth nicotine addiction. If you or a loved one have suffered from loss of concentration, e-cigarette illness, respiratory or cardiac distress, or other life-changing developments as a result of Juul addiction, you may be entitled to financial compensation. To achieve that compensation, you will need a legal firm to represent you that is capable of combatting the legal team of a multibillion-dollar corporation. You will need Parker Waichman LLP.
At Parker Waichman LLP, teams of experienced trial attorneys are prepared to pursue your case to its utmost conclusion in order to secure you the compensation that you deserve. Don’t wait. Contact Parker Waichman today for a free consultation, and begin your journey to justice.
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