Elizabeth Holmes
Founder of Theranos and Stanford University dropout who was convicted of fraud related to the company's blood-testing technology. Her case is regarded as a landmark example of fraudulent conduct in Silicon Valley technology entrepreneurship.
Timeline (last 90 days)
Theranos's board included former secretaries of state and retired generals, the media was happy to report the "female Steve Jobs" narrative, and investors actively loosened their due diligence.
In the Theranos case, Holmes's defense team tried to place her behavior within the cultural tradition of "fake it till you make it," but prosecutors pointed out that when the company knew the technology could not deliver yet still provided erroneous test results to patients, it had already crossed the legal line into fraud.
Holmes's fraud is destructive and caused real harm; Fielder's performance is constructive, provoking reflection on everyday lies through exaggeration and dislocation.
Theranos was once valued at as much as 9 billion US dollars, and Elizabeth Holmes appeared on the cover of Forbes and was compared to 'the next Steve Jobs'.
In 2003, 19-year-old Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of Stanford to found Theranos, claiming to have developed the 'Edison' device that could complete hundreds of tests with just a finger-prick drop of blood.
In the attention economy, Holmes and Fielder are both extreme cases — one trades lies for trust, the other trades performance for laughter.
Elizabeth Holmes was convicted over the Theranos blood-testing fraud, and in 2022 was sentenced to more than 11 years for four counts of fraud.
Theranos ultimately collapsed due to technology fraud, and Holmes was convicted and imprisoned.
Theranos, founded by Elizabeth Holmes, claimed to be able to perform hundreds of tests with just a few drops of blood and was once valued at billions of dollars.
Elizabeth Holmes founded blood-testing company Theranos in 2003, and the company was once valued as high as $9 billion.
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All Facts (20)
Nathan Fielder produced a documentary about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.
60%UnverifiedHolmes's story has previously been adapted into the HBO documentary "The Inventor" and the Hulu series "The Dropout."
60%UnverifiedTheranos's board included former secretaries of state and retired generals, the media was happy to report the "female Steve Jobs" narrative, and investors actively loosened their due diligence.
50%UnverifiedIn the attention economy, Holmes and Fielder are both extreme cases — one trades lies for trust, the other trades performance for laughter.
50%UnverifiedElizabeth Holmes was convicted over the Theranos blood-testing fraud, and in 2022 was sentenced to more than 11 years for four counts of fraud.
50%UnverifiedIn 2003, 19-year-old Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of Stanford to found Theranos, claiming to have developed the 'Edison' device that could complete hundreds of tests with just a finger-prick drop of blood.
50%UnverifiedTheranos was once valued at as much as 9 billion US dollars, and Elizabeth Holmes appeared on the cover of Forbes and was compared to 'the next Steve Jobs'.
50%UnverifiedHolmes's fraud is destructive and caused real harm; Fielder's performance is constructive, provoking reflection on everyday lies through exaggeration and dislocation.
50%UnverifiedTheranos, founded by Elizabeth Holmes, claimed to be able to perform hundreds of tests with just a few drops of blood and was once valued at billions of dollars.
50%UnverifiedTheranos ultimately collapsed due to technology fraud, and Holmes was convicted and imprisoned.
50%UnverifiedElizabeth Holmes founded blood-testing company Theranos in 2003, and the company was once valued as high as $9 billion.
50%UnverifiedElizabeth Holmes was imprisoned for scientific fraud.
50%UnverifiedTheranos was founded in 2003 by Elizabeth Holmes, who was a 19-year-old Stanford dropout at the time.
50%UnverifiedElizabeth Holmes is currently serving her sentence at the Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Bryan, Texas, and is expected to be released in 2032.
50%UnverifiedTheranos was founded in 2003 by 19-year-old Stanford dropout Elizabeth Holmes, who claimed to have developed a revolutionary technology capable of performing hundreds of medical tests using just a few drops of fingertip blood.
50%UnverifiedMultiple witnesses confirmed that Elizabeth Holmes's natural voice is higher than the deep voice she used in public settings.
50%UnverifiedElizabeth Holmes was sentenced to 11 years in prison for the Theranos fraud case, entered prison in May 2023, and is expected to be released in 2032.
50%UnverifiedElizabeth Holmes is currently serving her sentence at the Federal Prison Camp Bryan, a federal women's prison in Bryan, Texas.
50%UnverifiedHolmes's iconic image includes a deep voice and a black turtleneck sweater modeled after Steve Jobs.
50%UnverifiedFollowing the Holmes case, the FDA strengthened its regulatory scrutiny of medical technology startups.
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