Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Bad Blood recounts the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, examining one of the largest corporate frauds in history. The narrative focuses on ambition and hubris within Silicon Valley, reported by journalist John Carreyrou. In 2014, Holmes, a Stanford dropout and Theranos founder and CEO, was widely viewed as the next Steve Jobs. Her startup promised to revolutionize medicine with a device that could perform a full range of laboratory tests from a single drop of blood. Backed by investors including Larry Ellison and Tim Draper, Theranos raised funding that valued the company at over $9 billion, with Holmes's personal net worth estimated at $4.5 billion. However, the technology did not function as promised. The device produced erroneous results that endangered patients, leading to misdiagnoses and unnecessary treatments. Holmes and her partner, Sunny Balwani, actively worked to suppress concerns raised by journalists and employees. This edition includes a new Afterword covering Holmes's trial and sentencing.