Rebecca Jarvis
Author of The Dropout
Works by Rebecca Jarvis
The Dropout 1 copy
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The Theranos Scam
Review of the ABC News podcast edition originally transmitted January 15 to February 27, 2019
The Dropout is a further exploration of Stanford University dropout Elizabeth Holmes and the story of her $10 Billion valuated medical biotech company Theranos that was exposed as a fraud through initial articles in the Wall St. Journal by investigative journalist John Carreyrou and his later book Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup (2018). An inside whistleblower's view was also detailed in this year's Audible Original Thicker Than Water (2020) by Tyler Shultz.
The Dropout provides the opportunity to listen to many of the same players from the above books and to hear their voices firsthand, esp. that of instigators Holmes and her partner Sunny Balwani in recorded court depositions. Podcast writer and narrator Rebecca Jarvis also takes the time to explore further avenues into Holmes' childhood and possible future along with some psychological insight:
The above quote was used presumably in its applicability to Elizabeth Holmes, but it also struck me how applicable it was to the current 2020 American Election situation and incumbent President Trump.
The final part to this saga has yet to be written as the court cases are still pending due to the standard delays and also the current COVID pandemic. The most recent news that I could find said that Theranos' Holmes May Pursue 'Mental Disease' in Her Defense at Bloomberg, September 9, 2020.
I listened to The Dropout via Apple Podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-dropout/id1449500734 [Note: LInk goes to Apple Canada, adjust for your own region or zone].… (more)
Review of the ABC News podcast edition originally transmitted January 15 to February 27, 2019
The Dropout is a further exploration of Stanford University dropout Elizabeth Holmes and the story of her $10 Billion valuated medical biotech company Theranos that was exposed as a fraud through initial articles in the Wall St. Journal by investigative journalist John Carreyrou and his later book Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup (2018). An inside whistleblower's view was also detailed in this year's Audible Original Thicker Than Water (2020) by Tyler Shultz.
The Dropout provides the opportunity to listen to many of the same players from the above books and to hear their voices firsthand, esp. that of instigators Holmes and her partner Sunny Balwani in recorded court depositions. Podcast writer and narrator Rebecca Jarvis also takes the time to explore further avenues into Holmes' childhood and possible future along with some psychological insight:
We'll do anything we can to get away from uncertainty ... We're relieved when we have a narrative or a story that we can buy ... If you have a compelling charismatic person, who can talk in a way that can pull at the underlying values that people have and can make them feel safe and that we're headed in the right direction, even a message that lacks data or is somewhat flawed can be accepted. - quote from clinical psychologist Jonathan Fader in Part 6 "What Now?" of The Dropout.
The above quote was used presumably in its applicability to Elizabeth Holmes, but it also struck me how applicable it was to the current 2020 American Election situation and incumbent President Trump.
The final part to this saga has yet to be written as the court cases are still pending due to the standard delays and also the current COVID pandemic. The most recent news that I could find said that Theranos' Holmes May Pursue 'Mental Disease' in Her Defense at Bloomberg, September 9, 2020.
I listened to The Dropout via Apple Podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-dropout/id1449500734 [Note: LInk goes to Apple Canada, adjust for your own region or zone].… (more)
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Review of Season 2 of The Dropout (August 31, 2021 to January 5, 2022)
Rebecca Jarvis and her team at ABC News did a fantastic job with their coverage of the Elizabeth Holmes / Theranos trial. For those who are not familiar with the case, in brief it relates to Holmes & her confederates scamming investors and the public about their blood-test analysis machines which never actually worked. The extent of the scam is even more incredible when you learn that the company raised over $1 Billion dollars in funding and actually got their blood tests into Walgreens stores. The blood test results frequently gave incorrect results which resulting in the misdiagnosis of patients.
The scheme began to come undone when investigative journalist John Carreyrou, with the assistance of initially undisclosed whistleblowers, revealed the extent of deception in the Wall St. Journal (2015). This was later further detailed in his book Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup (2018) and then by one whistleblower Tyler Schultz, who gave his own insider’s view in the audiobook Thicker Than Water (2020).
The story does not actually end with the initial trial verdict. Sentencing has not yet been announced as of early January 2022. Then there are sure to be appeals and there is a forthcoming trial of Holmes confederate Sunny Balwani expected later in 2022.
Trivia and Links
A TV-series adaptation of Season 1 of The Dropout will begin airing on Hulu as of March 2, 2022. There is no trailer yet (early January 2022) but watch for updates at The Dropout on Hulu (link goes to Twitter).
See photograph at https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGqmqlQWQBAMlkp?format=jpg&name=medium
Actress Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout… (more)