Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

By John Carreyrou

Book Overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - The gripping story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos--one of the biggest corporate frauds in history--a tale of ambition and hubris set amid the bold promises of Silicon Valley, rigorously reported by the prize-winning journalist. With a new Afterword.

"Chilling ... Reads like a thriller ... Carreyrou tells [the Theranos story] virtually to perfection." --The New York Times Book Review

In 2014, Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was widely seen as the next Steve Jobs: a brilliant Stanford dropout whose startup "unicorn" promised to revolutionize the medical industry with its breakthrough device, which performed the whole range of laboratory tests from a single drop of blood. Backed by investors such as Larry Ellison and Tim Draper, Theranos sold shares in a fundraising round that valued the company at more than $9 billion, putting Holmes's worth at an estimated $4.5 billion. There was just one problem: The technology didn't work. Erroneous results put patients in danger, leading to misdiagnoses and unnecessary treatments. All the while, Holmes and her partner, Sunny Balwani, worked to silence anyone who voiced misgivings--from journalists to their own employees.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 152473165X
• ISBN13: 9781524731656
• Release Date: May 2018
• Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Investigative Journalism at Its Absolute Finest—A Masterpiece of Integrity

If you are looking for the gold standard of what investigative journalism can achieve, look no further than this book. From the first page, I was hooked. Carreyrou’s writing is sharp, meticulously researched, and reads like a high-stakes thriller, but the fact that every detail is true makes it even more chilling. He masterfully peels back the layers of the Theranos scandal, exposing the web of secrets, lies, and corporate intimidation that allowed such a massive fraud to persist for so long. What I loved most was the sheer tenacity required to bring this story to light. It is incredibly inspiring to see how hard Carreyrou worked to hold powerful, manipulative figures accountable; it’s a powerful reminder of how vital investigative journalists are to our society, digging where others look away to protect the public. That said, my biggest props go to the sources—the doctors and employees (former and current) who had the integrity to come forward. Standing up against one of the largest law firms in the world takes immense courage, and those individuals deserve every bit of praise for refusing to buckle under that kind of pressure. Reading this has left me with a newfound appreciation for the craft of investigative reporting. It has genuinely inspired me to prioritize this genre in my future reading; there is something so compelling about seeing the truth win out against insurmountable odds. If you have an interest in healthcare, the inner workings of corporate culture, or simply want to witness a masterclass in journalistic integrity, you must read this book. It is a five-star experience from start to finish. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Difficult Read

I found the narrative very difficult to follow because it did NOT follow any specific timeline. The story jumps from personality traits, to financial issues, from present day to ancestry, to scientific issues, to regulatory issues, to employee remembrances. Almost impossible to follow the development of the idea or the look of the product. Without viewing internet interviews with Holmes over time the book falls flat of cohesive story telling.

Brand new looking

It's for ppl who love true crime