Bad Blood reads like a Silicon Valley thriller, yet every detail is true. Pulitzer Prize–winner John Carreyrou unpacks the spectacular rise and ruin of Theranos, a blood-testing startup once hailed as the next Apple. At the center stands Elizabeth Holmes, a charismatic founder who donned a black turtleneck and deep voice to convince investors, journalists, and politicians that a single drop of blood could diagnose hundreds of diseases.
Carreyrou reconstructs the intricate web of secrecy, intimidation, and blind faith that kept Theranos afloat even as its technology failed basic lab standards. Scientists were silenced, whistle-blowers threatened, and board members dazzled by Holmes’s vision of democratized healthcare. The narrative exposes how Silicon Valley’s “fake-it-until-you-make-it” ethos, combined with investors’ fear of missing out, allowed a $9 billion mirage to persist.
Yet this is more than a corporate crime story. Bad Blood is a cautionary tale about the seductive power of storytelling when data is absent, and the systemic incentives that reward bold promises over verified results. Carreyrou’s meticulous reporting reminds readers—and regulators—that in medicine, unlike software, beta versions can be deadly.
