SEATTLE >> A former Starbucks vice president is suing the Seattle-based coffee giant over wrongful termination and sex discrimination allegations. Waszak allegedly learned from company employees that they thought the system’s design “was too complicated” to be properly sanitized. She said she informed Venkatakrishnan about health and safety risks to patrons and employees, but he proceeded with implementation plans for the Siren System. In 2023, she was promoted to a vice president position, in which Waszak allegedly oversaw testing of the Siren System in coffeehouses. The Siren System led to the formal introduction of the Siren Craft System, a project that began in 2023 and was formally introduced to the public the next year.