Book Log 2018 #45: Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

Elizabeth Holmes, a Stanford dropout with an interest in life sciences, founded a company called Theranos that claimed it could run dozens of lab tests and get accurate results from a single drop of blood. Hailed as a genius and a revolutionary, she attracted high-profile investors and grew the company to a valuation in the billions. 

Only problem was that the technology didn't work.

Carreyrou, who wrote on science and health for the Wall Street Journal, wrote a series of articles that questioned Holmes' claims. This would later grow into this book, which gives a comprehensive picture as to how Holmes and others at Theranos - most notably her business and romantic partner Sunny Balwani - were able to keep the secret about their technology while raising millions. Spoiler alert: it involves a lot of threats against lower-level employees.

Most notable for me in this was the way that former US Secretary of State George Schultz became so wrapped up in the company - and in personal regard for Holmes - that he ignored the warnings of his grandson, a biologist who worked at Theranos and knew first-hand that the company wasn't what it seemed.

I found this book fascinating, both for the main story about the company and all of the personal stories that intertwine with it. Holmes herself is maybe most fascinating in the "what exactly is her psychopathology" sort of way.

There's also a documentary, which I also recommend.