Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
Score Modern
What it's about
In 2014, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was hailed as the next Steve Jobs: a Stanford dropout whose startup promised to run a whole range of lab tests from a single drop of blood, and whose company was valued at more than $9 billion. There was one problem: the technology didn't work. Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou tells how he exposed the fraud, and what it cost the people who spoke up.
Why it's worth reading
It spent 84 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists and is one of the defining business books of its era. It reads like a thriller, and every word of it is true.
You'll love it if you liked
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine or Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators
Good to know
You don't need any interest in business or medicine. It moves fast, and the whistleblowers' stories are the most gripping parts.
Quick answers
Is Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup worth reading?
Yes. It spent 84 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists and is one of the defining business books of its era. It ranks #204 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 83.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup about?
In 2014, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was hailed as the next Steve Jobs: a Stanford dropout whose startup promised to run a whole range of lab tests from a single drop of blood, and whose company was valued at more than $9 billion. There was one problem: the technology didn't work. Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou tells how he exposed the fraud, and what it cost the people who spoke up.
How long does it take to read Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup?
About 8 hours (320 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup?
If you liked it, try Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis or Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow.
By the numbers
- Readers97 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller70 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
84 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists since 2018.
Where it ranks
- #7 of the 85 self-help and business books we rank
- #103 of the 1,575 modern books we rank
- #204 of the 2,819 books we rank
Bestseller
- 84 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists since 2018
Reads as
True story, Gripping, Dark
If you like this, read next
Den of Thieves
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
Verity
Becoming