👎 The GLP-1 startup making digital health look bad

Plus: Color Health CEO Othman Laraki on healthcare superintelligence

As a woman in my early 40s, I am a prime target for GLP-1 ads. I scroll right past most of them, but one company’s ads are taunting me. They are so bad and so irresponsible that I have to call them out.

But first, I want to preface this by saying:

1. I’m pro-GLP-1. These drugs are arguably the most game-changing therapeutic advancement of our generation... when delivered safely and effectively.

2. I’m pro-startup. Innovation is essential to making GLP-1s more accessible and ensuring people receive the wraparound support they need—nutritional, behavioral, and emotional—to maximize long-term outcomes.

Okay, that being said, our industry has a responsibility to patients. If we want to build lasting trust and value, we also have to hold each other to high standards regarding safety, ethics, and how we present and position our work to the public.

And today, I’d like to hold Willow accountable for marketing content that I believe is reckless.

Here’s the ad that stopped me in my tracks:

Let's count the issues:

1. “Lose 15 lbs in 6 weeks”

That’s 2.5 pounds per week—more than the recommended rate of weight loss. It’s aggressive and, in many cases, unsustainable or unsafe, especially for a person who is already as skinny as the person in this ad.

2. Boasting about “no gym”

Weight loss without strength training often leads to lean muscle wasting, one of the most well-known risks of GLP-1s. Responsible prescribers should promote exercise, not dismiss it.

Their other ad even tells patients to cancel their gym membership! Insane!

3. Promoting “eat what you want” culture

While GLP-1s do regulate appetite, suggesting you can eat anything with zero consequences while taking a magic shot is the antithesis of responsible care. A good GLP-1 program will come with nutritional counseling, or at least a reminder of the importance of a good diet in preventing nutrient deficiencies. As my friend Simmone Taitt commented, the pig emoji is diabolical.

4. Faking the testimonial

Willow’s testimonial from “Jenna Walsh” is completely fabricated. Here’s the original stock photo (thanks to detective Laura Little for digging this up):

Most of their ads contain fake testimonials from made-up influencers.

The FTC prohibits companies from creating and faking consumer testimonials. According to my friends at Fenwick, companies may face penalties of up to $51,744 for each fake review or testimonial.

5. Promoting toxic weight narratives

Finally, Willow’s messaging feeds into disordered eating behaviors and perpetuates unrealistic beauty standards, particularly harmful to young women online. These ads target already thin or healthy-weight individuals with promises of rapid weight loss, suggesting that smaller is always better, trivializing the use of medication, and belittling healthy behaviors like nutrition and exercise. It’s exactly the kind of narrative our industry should be working to dismantle, not fuel.

I’m working on a bigger project around GLP-1 startups, so stay tuned.

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🎧 New podcast episode

Do We Really Need Healthcare Superintelligence?
With Color Health CEO & Co-founder Othman Laraki

Most AI in healthcare promises superintelligence—but what if that’s the wrong goal entirely?

In this episode, Michael and I speak with Othman Laraki, co-founder and CEO of Color Health, to talk about why real-world care doesn’t need a perfect model—it needs a better system. Othman breaks down how Color evolved from a consumer genetics startup into a nationwide virtual cancer clinic, why most diagnostics businesses fail, and how AI can actually support clinicians without trying to replace them.

We cover:

🤖 Why chasing “healthcare superintelligence” misses the point
🧠 How Color uses AI to speed up care and not take over decision-making
🏥 Their pivot from genetic testing to full-scale clinical delivery
📉 How they cut time to treatment in half and boosted screening by 70%
🤝 Partnering with OpenAI, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and major employers

Tune in wherever you listen to podcasts! Apple | Spotify

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