⭐⭐⭐⭐ Bad Blood by Carreyrou
| Full Title | Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup |
|---|---|
| Authors | John Carreyrou |
| Year Published | 2018 |
| Date Read | August 23, 2018 |
| Rating | 4/5 stars |
Bad Blood mostly reads like an expanded WSJ article, and it works well for the subject matter. Carreyrou does a good job of giving context and telling an interesting story without getting too bogged down in the details. Some of the background information on the Holmes - Fuisz relationship starts veering a bit too much into gossip territory, but that’s really my only gripe with the book.
Separately, one thing I still don’t really understand is how investors were duped into funding this startup time and again. I buy the argument that Holmes has a reality-distortion field akin to Jobs and that people can become enamored with her. But to not verify the claims of the founder? This seems like basic due diligence any investor should be doing. The argument put forth in the book is that the board was filled with all-stars, but to me the individuals always seemed pretty random - big names, sure, but from areas that are totally unrelated to either medicine or tech. Mostly, it
was just people involved in politics in some fashion - George Shultz, Henry Kissinger, James Mattis are three names that are consistently mentioned as lending credibility, yet to me don’t really have standing to assess a company that produces a medical device. That Holmes & co were able to fake their way to funding of nearly $1bn is wild to me.
I’d say it’s worth a read for people with an interest in Silicon Valley. If you’re interested in the Theranos story specifically, definitely worth a read.