Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-10 06:55:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：John Carreyrou
- ISBN：0593081641
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Summary
The Financial Times & McKinsey Business Book of the Year
A New York Times Notable Book
A Washington Post Notable Book
One of the Best Books of the Year: NPR， San Francisco Chronicle， Time， Esquire， Fortune， Marie Claire， GQ， Mental Floss， Science Friday， Bloomberg， Popular Mechanics， BookRiot， The Seattle Times， The Oregonian， Publishers Weekly， Library Journal
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。
Rigorously reported and fearlessly written， Bad Blood is a gripping story of the biggest corporate fraud since Enron--a tale of ambition and hubris set amid the bold promises of Silicon Valley。
A New York Times Notable Book
A Washington Post Notable Book
One of the Best Books of the Year: NPR， San Francisco Chronicle， Time， Esquire， Fortune， Marie Claire， GQ， Mental Floss， Science Friday， Bloomberg， Popular Mechanics， BookRiot， The Seattle Times， The Oregonian， Publishers Weekly， Library Journal
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。
Rigorously reported and fearlessly written， Bad Blood is a gripping story of the biggest corporate fraud since Enron--a tale of ambition and hubris set amid the bold promises of Silicon Valley。
Reviews
Liz Thys
，
Amazing book！ Reads like a thriller in the vein of Too Big to Fail。 I wish that there was a clear timeline broken out。 It’s hard to follow all of the employed firings。 It’s shocking that Holmes got away with fraud for so long。 Carreyrou did an incredible job researching and telling the story。
Betty
，
I followed the story of Elizabeth Holmes quite closely。 It always shocked me how such fraud could go unnoticed and undetected for so long so I was intrigues to read this expose。 It is sometimes too hard to follow who is who， with too many characters and names being dropped， it still reads like a true crime thriller。
Gina
，
This book was a lot better than I expected it to be。 While saying it reads like a thriller （advertised on the book） is a bit of an exaggeration， as it definitely reads as a non-fiction， I still found it captivating。 I kept thinking 'they must get caught on this soon' and it just kept going on for years with the lies growing bigger and bigger。 The intense secrecy and litigation thrown around by Theranos was outrageous。 I couldnt believe some of the things I was reading had actually been allowed t This book was a lot better than I expected it to be。 While saying it reads like a thriller （advertised on the book） is a bit of an exaggeration， as it definitely reads as a non-fiction， I still found it captivating。 I kept thinking 'they must get caught on this soon' and it just kept going on for years with the lies growing bigger and bigger。 The intense secrecy and litigation thrown around by Theranos was outrageous。 I couldnt believe some of the things I was reading had actually been allowed to happen。 A very good read for anyone in the business， tech or medical world。 。。。more
Natalie
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I didn’t know much about the theranos story before I read this book and found it to be a page turner。 How long are they going to get away with this？ Who and what will bring it down？？？ Well-written and compelling， it’s a cautionary tale about being drawn in by a charismatic personality and a good story。 So many red flags ignored by people who should have known better - the pull of wanting to believe is strong。
Kathrine May
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This book is insane！ How could this really have happened in real life？
Greta Tishenko
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I got initially bored by this book and left it unfinished for quite a while - although I don't think it's the book's fault， it's the story itself。 From the very beginning it was evident what was going on （as the book presented） and it felt unfair that it was allowed to happen and last for such a long time。 Now， with the trial on， the story takes a new turn and I have no doubts that all the available measures will be used to pull yet another trick。 "Trying your hardest and coming up short is not I got initially bored by this book and left it unfinished for quite a while - although I don't think it's the book's fault， it's the story itself。 From the very beginning it was evident what was going on （as the book presented） and it felt unfair that it was allowed to happen and last for such a long time。 Now， with the trial on， the story takes a new turn and I have no doubts that all the available measures will be used to pull yet another trick。 "Trying your hardest and coming up short is not a crime" the lawyers say - is it actually when it is related to the people's health？ 。。。more
Holly Armitage
，
Oh my god！！ This is a horrifying look at what you can do with privilege and connections。
Jan
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A great read because of the great investigative journalism that made it possible。 It’s a real credit to the author and the WSJ that they weren’t deterred by the strong-arm tactics of a corporation overfed with cash。 The details of confrontations inside and out of the company bring the story queasily to life。
Miranda N。 Benson
，
I have never read a nonfiction book so fast。 My GOD， Carreyrou can write！
Signe White
，
Yikes。
Anne Fashant
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Dishonesty makes money at the expense of others。 It amazes me how this works！
Misha
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I was listening to this book with my jaw on the floor。 Elizabeth Holmes managed to fool， deceive， threaten and daze the entire industry。 She did for years upon years without any remorse and care for patients， driven purely by her ambition to become the greatest。 What a remarkable sociopath！Her trial begins now and it's going to be fascinating。 I was listening to this book with my jaw on the floor。 Elizabeth Holmes managed to fool， deceive， threaten and daze the entire industry。 She did for years upon years without any remorse and care for patients， driven purely by her ambition to become the greatest。 What a remarkable sociopath！Her trial begins now and it's going to be fascinating。 。。。more
Madison Harris
，
Though the story surrounding Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes needs no fluffing， Carreyrou covers the facts in detail while maintaining an astute level of entertainment。 Would highly recommend this read for a wide variety of readers， including fans of thrillers and non-fiction。
Jtoastp
，
All the juiciness of Hello magazine but the scandal is very real。 Page Turner and a half。 Interesting to see the cult of personality Holmes could cultivate and amongst such powerful people as well！
Greg
，
A gripping account of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos， the company that promised to change the world with its fast， miniature blood testing devices， but ended up lying its way to a billion dollars in investment - which all went up in smoke when the fraud was revealed。Bad Blood also serves as a cautionary tale on toxic startup culture and the willing blindness of powerful people to the Next Big Thing。 It’s astonishing how many people Holmes managed to spellbind - Henry Kissinger， George Shultz and A gripping account of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos， the company that promised to change the world with its fast， miniature blood testing devices， but ended up lying its way to a billion dollars in investment - which all went up in smoke when the fraud was revealed。Bad Blood also serves as a cautionary tale on toxic startup culture and the willing blindness of powerful people to the Next Big Thing。 It’s astonishing how many people Holmes managed to spellbind - Henry Kissinger， George Shultz and others all had seats on the board - into not asking the difficult questions。About 75% of the way through， Carreyrou pivots the book to a ‘How I Got The Story’ reporting memoir。 This may not be for everyone but I love that kind of thing and find it really useful。 The book has left me figuring which of my friends I’ll lend it to first。 。。。more
Mahmoud Abdelsamie
，
Great to learn that bad people could be punished in the end。 I appreciate the risk that the reporter and his sources took to save people from such irresponsible entrepreneurs who believe that their own fame and personal image are more important the others' lives。 Great to learn that bad people could be punished in the end。 I appreciate the risk that the reporter and his sources took to save people from such irresponsible entrepreneurs who believe that their own fame and personal image are more important the others' lives。 。。。more
Marjorie Isaacson
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report on the excesses of the innovation culture。 Themes of greed， integrity。
Noha Sallam
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Reading through I was partly amazed at the talent of deceit and selling something that did not exist， and partly waiting for the moment of this whole fiasco crashing。 Amazingly enough， we see many Elizabeth Homes around in this age， marketing and selling things that do not exist， and doing it exceptionally successfully that you might think that something is really wrong with you for thinking otherwise！Getting Henry Kissinger the ever cunning strategist， and George Shultz the Cold War guru to bel Reading through I was partly amazed at the talent of deceit and selling something that did not exist， and partly waiting for the moment of this whole fiasco crashing。 Amazingly enough， we see many Elizabeth Homes around in this age， marketing and selling things that do not exist， and doing it exceptionally successfully that you might think that something is really wrong with you for thinking otherwise！Getting Henry Kissinger the ever cunning strategist， and George Shultz the Cold War guru to believe in her must be a confidence boost that made her believe she can almost fool anyone。。。。。。who wouldn't be flattered and confident with those endorsements。。But， as every empty pot or an air filled balloon flying high， it came to an end。 I am planning to follow up on what happened to all those investors who put their money in this "actually nothing thing"。。。Great read 。。。。。 。。。more
Yvonne
，
Amazing recounting of what went down at theranos and how despicable the owners were。 Great read
Julia Carnes
，
hehe just gearing up for the trial…really didn’t realize this was going on for as long as it was
anastasia
，
4。5 rounded up
India Yardley
，
Crazy
Que Gantalao
，
Excessive Optimism and a straight up scam from the very start。 Hard to believe this is Non-fiction！There are a lot of 'wtf faces' I made while reading this book。 It's insane！。。and that deep voice she's trying to pull off （or should I say she did pull off）。 What a nightmare。 Excessive Optimism and a straight up scam from the very start。 Hard to believe this is Non-fiction！There are a lot of 'wtf faces' I made while reading this book。 It's insane！。。and that deep voice she's trying to pull off （or should I say she did pull off）。 What a nightmare。 。。。more
Margaret Chen
，
Couldn’t put this down - one of the most interesting reads。 You can find all the details of Theranos’ lies in various news articles， but hearing it all detailed and chronicled it out from start to finish was truly fascinating。 The story was so captivating and each chapter left me wanting more。
Jess
，
This book is insane in the best way。 The writing is superb。 Without Carreyrou and the courageous whistleblowers， who knows how many thousands of innocent people Theranos would still be medically defrauding today。 The most mindblowing part of this story is how many powerful， well-known men supported Elizabeth Holmes and her company， despite demanding little to no evidence of her claims。 She was a Stanford drop-out with no medical education。 Yet， General Mattis， Henry Kissinger， Rupert Murdoch， Ge This book is insane in the best way。 The writing is superb。 Without Carreyrou and the courageous whistleblowers， who knows how many thousands of innocent people Theranos would still be medically defrauding today。 The most mindblowing part of this story is how many powerful， well-known men supported Elizabeth Holmes and her company， despite demanding little to no evidence of her claims。 She was a Stanford drop-out with no medical education。 Yet， General Mattis， Henry Kissinger， Rupert Murdoch， George Shultz， and many more heaped money and adoration upon her。 Some people to this day refuse to believe she and her co-conspirators were the fraudsters they so clearly are。 Both she and Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani should go to prison。 Holmes's trial is currently ongoing in September 2021。 Let's hope the jurors are smarter than the richest， dumbest men in the world。 。。。more
Cass Waddell
，
What Elizabeth Holmes did was criminal。 Learning about the people she hurt and the lies she told was so interesting！
Amy Trenh
，
300 damn pages of how full grown adults can be deceived and lack the ability to independently think or form their own opinions。 I applaud all the whistleblowers and Carreyrou's admirable persistence。 It takes IMMENSE courage to speak up when bullies are trying to silence you。 Thanks to this book， the WSJ article Carreyrou published， and several brave people， real human lives were saved。 300 damn pages of how full grown adults can be deceived and lack the ability to independently think or form their own opinions。 I applaud all the whistleblowers and Carreyrou's admirable persistence。 It takes IMMENSE courage to speak up when bullies are trying to silence you。 Thanks to this book， the WSJ article Carreyrou published， and several brave people， real human lives were saved。 。。。more
Jaimie
，
4。5？ This was incredibly readable and such a page-turner。 I rated it less than perfect because the author portrayed himself as overly righteous in a way I found annoying， and the terms used to describe how Elizabeth Holmes took people in were very gendered。 It definitely highlighted the sickness of Silicon Valley culture。
Lisa Van Gemert
，
Sometimes when a book is recommended over and over， I get a little nervous about reading it。 Can it really live up to the hype？In the case of "Bad Blood，" the hype was fully warranted。How could a woman fool the whole world？ One lie at a time， smoke and mirrors， and a bunch of sychophants。 Oh， and a much older， very odd boyfried。As of writing this review， the subject of the book is on trial， and it's as crazy as you would expect after reading the book。What's so well done in "Bad Blood" is the gen Sometimes when a book is recommended over and over， I get a little nervous about reading it。 Can it really live up to the hype？In the case of "Bad Blood，" the hype was fully warranted。How could a woman fool the whole world？ One lie at a time， smoke and mirrors， and a bunch of sychophants。 Oh， and a much older， very odd boyfried。As of writing this review， the subject of the book is on trial， and it's as crazy as you would expect after reading the book。What's so well done in "Bad Blood" is the gentle revisiting of previously shared information。 This is so hard to do without feeling repetitious or insulting， but Carreyrou executes it perfectly。 The revisiting is necessary because the ideas are complex， and it's so well done， you just sigh， "Thank you，" and keep reading。When you read "Bad Blood，" you will be thrust into the world of venture capitalism where there might be angel investors， but there are also devils。 Understanding how close we came to real danger on so many occasions is terrifying。 If you liked it， I'd also recommend "The Hot Zone。" 。。。more
Greeshma
，