Thriller and scams are great selling genres in the present time. Bad blood is a new participant of top-selling books. Bad blood secrets and lies in a Silicon Valley startup written by journalist John Carreyrou. The complete story revolves around a Stanford drop out Elizabeth Holmes, CEO & founder of Theranos. She was just two semesters away from getting her degree. We all are aware that many dropouts are known for creating unicorn startups. Elizabeth joined in the list of creating miracles in the world with her fascinating idea.
Everyone got overwhelmed by her product that could run 200 different vital tests with three drops of blood, eradicating the gigantic machines. She also claimed that these tests are carried out in a machine as big as the CPU. The affirms were very high that we might get collaborated medicine industries of Canada and Switzerland and later may become history in the revolution of medicinal field. Soon the media was enthralled by this unique idea. We know that investors never look for ideas.
They look for the prototype. Her convincing pitch and product made them invest in her company. It was a rare opportunity for investors to find a noteworthy idea in finance and medicine that could scale up their economy. Everything went on well until the truth glowed in the sunshine. Yes, the twist in the plot comes here. To know what happened next. Flip the pages of Bad blood as soon as possible. The rise and fall of Theranos is the largest scandal in the history of Silicon Valley and a brilliant case of investigative journalism.
I found it as a fascinating story of how easy is to forgo ethics, misjudge passion, leadership, and charisma, and blur the lines between reality and delusion. This is not a scam intended to fool the investors and stakeholders. It is about a woman surrounded by powerful men who could not question her unreliable behavior. Initially, she intended to create a machine that would truly serve the community. But her self-confidence and optimism, fuelled by corruption.
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) journalist who uncovered the malpractices of Theranos. The book is a real page-turner. In the first part, the characters take us into an endless downward spiral. There seems to be no end to the deception, the questionable practices, the plain mistakes, and yet the company gets stronger and stronger.
The Theranos scandal was tremendous; but many mini-Theranos keep happening around us, where people are blinded by ambition and aspirations. In these cases, the belief that the mission is so important leads some people to bend not only the reality but also ethical norms. In most cases, those who are involved do not consciously engage in unethical practices: they simply don’t see their behavior as unethical, because they can’t distinguish between aspirations and reality.
Reading Bad Blood is more than a cautionary tale: it’s an antidote to avoid ending up in a Theranos-like bloody mess.
