Random House Books for Young Readers Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Very interesting book (saw the story on American Greed on CNBC) and had to get the book so I would no the whole story... Its amazing what this young girl could accomplish

Reads like a thriller. Excellent analysis and behind the scenes of Theranos. A hard lesson in what greed, corruption and blind faith can do. Also shows you how vital a free and independent media is to bring fraud like Theranos to justice.

One of the top-notch pieces of investigative journalism by John Carreyrou in recent times, the book is a culmination of 3.5 years of John's investigation and reporting on Theranos, the now defunct startup by Elizabeth Holmes. Though I had wind of the type of problems the startup ended up with over the years through news articles, this book encapsulates in precisive details, the events right from the beginning until mid-2018, when the company was dissolvedIf books like The Lean startup, Zero to One, The Innovation Stack, and The Right it showed us how startups and entrepreneur's drive an idea or initiative to success, Bad Blood brings out examples of how not-to run a startup, across technical, people-centric, and impact-centric angles. Just like I recommended the former books, I would also recommend Bad Blood as a book that warns any prospective entrepreneur on pitfalls and mindsets that would lead to downfall in a startup cultureJohn's writing literally transports you, as an invisible viewer, as the events get recorded and at one point in time, you will feel, why you couldn't have stopped what Elizabeth Holmes was trying to do to the characters in the book. John's integrity and moral compass show through, even as he is tried to be intimidated by Theranos lawyers at crucial points in the story. His ethical stance against letting go of sources and withstanding fire from the dragon's mouth are inspiring, to say the least. John's character descriptions and the capturing of emotions all across the book is one of the strong points of his writing that help readers to visualize the characters in their minds vividlyAll said, I am happy that I had the chance to read the book, before the movie potentially in the works gets released, with Jennifer Lawrence set to play Elizabeth Holmes (at the time of my writing this)

Este libro recopila la investigación por parte de un periodista de uno de los diarios más reputados de EEUU (el Wall Street Journal) del mayor escándalo empresarial de EEUU en la historia reciente, la cual de hecho a la fecha de esta reseña sigue en curso y no ha concluido, ya que los protagonistas se encuentran aún en el proceso legal.Historia increíble que muestra como la combinación de varios factores e intereses llevan a una startup iniciada por una chica, con carrera trunca ("dropout"), sin experiencia de ningún tipo, fingiendo evidentemente la voz y creando un personaje (véanse entrevistas en YouTube), a generar una "revolución" médica, llegando a recopilar cientos de millones de dólares inversión de los personajes más prominentes de la política de EEUU (y hasta de Carlos Slim, aquí en México), sin la menor evaluación de certeza de sus afirmaciones ni pruebas tanto por la comunidad médica ni por los inversionistas, y en el camino poniendo en peligro la salud de los pacientes.La publicación del autor en reportajes en WSJ y este libro fueron los que finalmente revelaron la realidad de esta startup, y sobre todo, evitando lo que iba encaminado a ser algo de mayores consecuencias.

From her unblinking blue eyes to her black turtlenecks and fake basso voice, Elizabeth Holmes set out to dazzle Silicon Valley with a revolutionary product that in essence did not exist. For years she protected the secret in a cult-like environment where employees were sworn to secrecy or thrown out. One former employee committed suicide. What is creepiest about this creepy story of massive $9 billion fraud is the way the media embraced her and splashed her all over the covers of Forbes and similar publications. It was as if she was just what the public was looking for: a blonde, blue-eyed, female Steve Jobs clone who was going to "save the world" (her words) with a blood-testing system which was a complete sham and potentially endangered human lives. She had mastered the dubious art of talking on and on while saying nothing, and "answering" questions with meaningless bafflegab while everyone ate it up and applauded wildly. The recent YouTube videos of her being questioned in court are a stark contrast to the slickly-groomed blonde creature the media adored. Her hair is brown and straggly, she stares straight ahead of herself and her eyes look like holes as she murmurs "I can't recall" over and over again. Her billions gone, she may not be able to afford the kind of legal clout to get her out of the hole she dug for herself and countless others. Justice may yet be served. Meantime, this book analyzes her astonishing rise and inevitable fall with the meticulous precision that used to characterize journalism before internet slop took over. What I like the most is the absence of "invented" dialogue that characterizes most non-fiction books now: well, here is what they MIGHT have said (or should have said, or would have said - phooey!). His only quotes are taken directly from interviews. And there are none of those truly evil inventions: composites, in which two or three or four human beings are glommed together to prove the writer's predetermined thesis. One of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. Get it.