Book Review of "Bad Blood: Secret & Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup"

Holy mother of god, the story of Theranos is crazy! I thought having followed the Theranos debacle in the news would soften the blow for me, but boy was I wrong! This is the story of one of the most gruesome frauds in recent history and the levels to which its founders stooped to justify their actions. 

You might have heard about Theranos before and you might have watched the couple of documentaries out there about it. But trust me, you should still read this. It has first hand accounts of hundreds of employees. Excruciating details about downright bullying and unconscionable acts of playing with terminal cancer patients' hopes.

Oh and if you are one of those few untainted souls who have not heard of Theranos before, then brace yourselves, you are in for a ride. 

I never thought a book about rise and fall of a biotech company would be as nail biting and exciting as a mystery novel. It certainly helps that the writer is the investigative journalist himself who first broke the news about Theranos's wrongdoings. 

That being said, the book itself is not without its flaws. It introduces too many characters too quickly and changes tracks suddenly more than a few times. But I think I understand where this comes from. The details are so twisted and the writer so eager to make sure nothing is missed that it does make an impact on the narrative as a whole. 

Whether you work in Tech or not, whether you are a star crossed silicon valley fanboy or not, the story of Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes is eye-opening. The following lines in the book sum it well - 

"She didn’t initially set out to defraud investors and put patients in harm’s way. By all accounts, she had a vision that she genuinely believed in and threw herself into realizing. But in her all-consuming quest and amid the gold rush of the “unicorn” boom, there came a point when she stopped listening to sound advice and began to cut corners. Her ambition was voracious and it brooked no interference. If there was collateral damage on her way to riches and fame, so be it."