In 2014, Elizabeth Holmes was hailed as the youngest female billionaire in America, promising to revolutionize healthcare with her blood-testing company Theranos. With just a drop of blood from a fingerprick, she claimed her Edison machines could run hundreds of tests faster and cheaper than traditional labs. But behind the black turtlenecks, deep voice, and Steve Jobs comparisons was one of the biggest frauds in Silicon Valley history. The technology never worked, patients received dangerous false results, and investors lost over $900 million. Holmes and her business partner Sunny Balwani were both convicted of fraud, with Holmes sentenced to over 11 years in prison, where she remains today still claiming her innocence.
We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou - The definitive book on the Theranos scandal (2018)
Elizabeth Holmes Wikipedia page - Complete biography and timeline
United States v. Elizabeth A. Holmes Wikipedia page - Full trial details and verdict
Sunny Balwani Wikipedia page - Holmes' co-defendant and former partner
BBC News coverage - "Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes loses fraud appeal" (2025)
People Magazine prison interview - Elizabeth Holmes breaks her silence from prison (2025)
People Magazine current status - "Where Is Elizabeth Holmes Now?" (2024)
The Dropout Hulu series - Amanda Seyfried's Emmy-winning portrayal (2022)
The Inventor HBO documentary - "Out for Blood in Silicon Valley" trailer (2019)
ABC News documentary series - "The Story of Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos" complete coverage
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