Bad Blood

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou is a meticulously researched and thrilling exposé of one of the most outrageous corporate fraud cases in recent history. The book delves into the audacious rise and scandalous fall of Theranos, a Silicon Valley biotech startup founded by the enigmatic Elizabeth Holmes.

The story begins with the ambitious and charismatic Holmes, a Stanford dropout who was hailed as the next Steve Jobs. At just 19 years old, Holmes promised to revolutionise the medical industry with her company's breakthrough technology—small, portable machines that could run extensive tests on just a few drops of blood. Holmes's vision captivated the world, attracting high-profile investors, enthusiastic media coverage, and a $9 billion valuation that placed her personal worth at an astounding $4.7 billion.

However, beneath the glossy surface of innovation and progress lay a dark secret: the technology simply did not work. Despite mounting internal and external pressures, Holmes chose to conceal these flaws, leading to widespread deception involving investors, regulators, and even patients whose health depended on accurate test results.

John Carreyrou, a Wall Street Journal investigative journalist, first broke the story of Theranos's fraud and pursued it relentlessly, undeterred by legal threats and personal attacks orchestrated by the company. His dogged reporting eventually dismantled the façade of Theranos, exposing Holmes and her partner, Sunny Balwani, and leading to their high-profile legal battles.

Bad Blood captures the grandiosity and downfall of Theranos with all the suspense and clarity of a crime thriller. Carreyrou’s narrative is as compelling as it is chilling, throwing light on the dark corners of Silicon Valley’s culture, where lofty promises often blur the lines of ethics and legality.

Bill Gates hailed it as "the perfect book to read by the fire this winter," and it was awarded the prestigious Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award in 2018. With a new afterword that covers the landmark trials of Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani, Bad Blood provides a comprehensive look at this remarkable true story.

The New York Times Book Review describes it as "Chilling... Reads like a West Coast version of All the President's Men," encapsulating the book’s engrossing narrative and its exhaustive investigation into one of the biggest corporate frauds since Enron.