“You Wanted It To Be True, So Badly…”
Those words are from a co-worker of Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of biotech startup Theranos….whose criminal trial is now underway!
Do you know the story? You should!
Holmes was the founder and CEO of Theranos. She is accused of defrauding investors and patients when the Stanford dropout and her company, Theranos, claimed that machines could run dozens of critical medical tests using just a tiny amount of blood. At one point, the company was valued at $9 billion!
And Prosecutors say it was all a fraud!
Jury selection is now underway in the trial of Holmes. The San Jose courtroom has been abuzz as Reporters flock to cover this story – but an acclaimed 2019 documentary has the whole story!
“The Inventor: Out For Blood In Silicon Valley”
This riveting story was turned into an incredible documentary on HBO – check out the trailer:
As news report have stated:
“Many Silicon Valley venture capitalists were burned by Theranos; some even say the massive losses temporarily froze investments. Trial watchers said that freeze hit women-run businesses the hardest.”
The Theranos Fallout…
This is quite the cautionary tale, and double sad because so many people were inspired by Holmes and her success. As one Silicon Valley insider noted:
“…and sadly, whatever happens, is going to send — and kind of deepen a message — particularly to female entrepreneurs who I think have experienced a tough time, especially in the valley,” said Aron Solomon of Esquire Digital.
If convicted, Holmes could face 20 years in prison. Prosecutors say Holmes not only swindled investors of hundreds of millions of dollars, but she also put thousands of lives at risk.
This is a great documentary about how someone can use social media and venture capital to create something that may never have been real.
It reminds me of this amazing documentary as well:
“Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened” documents the disastrous Fyre Fest, which let thousands stranded on an island with only this to eat:
Founder Billy McFarland is now in prison for defrauding Investors and concertgoers…and you can see this whole story by clicking here:
We are now in an era with some of the most mesmerizing documentaries ever – like this one that captivated the world:
The story of “Tiger King” must be seen to be belied, and you can find out more here:
There are so many incredible TV shows and documentaries on the air right now – earlier I told you about this one:
Another incredible real-life mystery about the man who rigged the McDonad’s Monopoly game!
See the trailer and more here:
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Categories: Art, Books / Media, Cult Movies, documentary films, Great Films, Memoirs, Movies, Pop Culture, TV Show
johnrieber 
My wife read the book Bad Blood, and told me all the details of the bizarre case. Life IS stranger than fiction! BTW, I believe they are planning to adapt the book into a movie (with Jennifer Lawrence as Holmes).
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That would be interesting…the documentary is really good – thanks for commenting!
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Definitely, one to watch I am fascinated as to how she managed to dupe so many supposedly intelligent people 🙂 x
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Carol, the frenzy for the “next big thing” in Silicon Valley has led to a lot of supposedly smart people investing in ideas that never pan out – or as alleged here, were fraudulent to begin with! I know someone who made a lot of money when a startup media company they worked at was bought for big$$$ – and the mega-company who bought it closed it down for a complete loss within 3 years….everyone thinks they are at the forefront of the next Amazon or Facebook!
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That’s quite sad, John that so many people hanker after the big break rather than working hard with a good idea which may prove to be what they wish for but realising that they can make a good living as it isn’t going to happen for everyone…
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It’s what drives the business I am in sadly…everyone wants to be a star – but most don’t want to put in the work it takes!
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I’m definitely going to watch this. I’m curious to get inside the head of someone who takes fraud to astronomical levels.
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Her defense is that she trusted her team when they told her it worked…but as the documentary shows, many at the company were saying otherwise but she didn’t want to hear it…very similar to what the organizer of the Fyre Festival did…and he’s now in prison.
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OMG I NEED to watch this👀✨
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It’s fascinating and quite the cautionary tale…it will be interesting to see what her defense is, as the material shown in the film is pretty damning…
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This sounds like a great movie, John. A terrible shame that this woman was a fraud.
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Robbie, it will be interesting to see what her defense is because, while not convicted yet, the evidence shown in the film is pretty damning…
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Can’t wait to see this! I’m always fascinated by these major frauds. McMillions was one of my favs ever, partially due to the zany crew in the FBI who were involved in the case
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Beth, you are so right – that wacky FBI crew was almost too much to be believed!
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