What happens when the next Steve Jobs turns out to be more con artist than innovator?
Elizabeth Holmes fools heavyweights like Henry Kissinger, Rupert Murdoch, and top venture capitalists to believe in a billion-dollar blood-testing device that never worked.
“The Inventor” will surely rank high on my list of “Best Documentaries on Con Artists/Fraud” when I get to it. 🙂
Enjoy!
Trailer for “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley”
Watch “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley”
You can watch “The Inventor (an HBO original) on HBO Max at https://play.max.com/movie/1d7c48f8-8064-46d7-a3b8-bb7b91fc2056
You can find other streaming options (including rentals at Amazon and Apple TV last I checked) at at https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-inventor-out-for-blood-in-silicon-valley
Ratings:
- My Rating: 91/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 75/100 (Users); 79/100 (Critics)
Release Date: March 18, 2019
My Review of “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley”
Elizabeth Holmes was Silicon Valley’s golden child. Until she wasn’t.
“The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley” takes you deep into the web of lies spun by Holmes, the founder of Theranos, a company once valued at $9 billion.
“The Inventor” is directed by one of my favorite documentary directors Alex Gibney (see “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” (which I rank 94/100); “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” (93/100) ; “Taxi to the Dark Side” (93/100); “Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos” (91/100) and “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” (95/100) (I still need to write this one up!))
Gibney nails Holmes’ story.
And it’s a captivating one.
She promised revolutionary technology—a device that could run hundreds of tests on a single drop of blood.
It was science fiction turned reality, or so it seemed.
She dropped out of Stanford, spoke in a deep, unchanging voice, and wore black turtlenecks that drew comparisons to Steve Jobs.
Investors, media, and even patients believed in her vision. But it was all a facade.
Holmes wasn’t just selling a product; she was selling a dream.
The doc captures how easily powerful figures like Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, and Rupert Murdoch were seduced by her charisma. You see interviews with whistleblowers, former employees, and journalists who worked to expose her deceit.
Holmes’ charisma carried the day for years. The doc shows how she used it to fool people who should have known better.
She wasn’t just fooling investors either—patients got blood tests back with false results, affecting real medical decisions.
Imagine being told you have cancer, only to find out the test was wrong because the technology was bogus. That’s real harm.
Director’s Insight
Gibney’s doc is 119 minutes long and was released in 2019, which was great timing (it’s just as Holmes’ legal troubles were about to explode).
Gibney expertly weaves interviews, court footage, and eerie animations of Theranos’ inner workings to paint a picture of an empire built on deception. The pacing is relentless—much like Holmes’ drive for success.
The Shocking Turn
The doc delves into the pivotal role of Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou. His investigative pieces were instrumental in bringing down Theranos.
Through interviews with him and others, we see how exposing the truth wasn’t easy.
Holmes fought tooth and nail, hiring high-powered lawyers and going on the offense to silence critics.
But Carreyrou persisted. It’s a reminder of how critical investigative journalism is in holding the powerful accountable.
Theranos’ most shocking revelation? Its core blood-testing technology didn’t work. But that didn’t stop Holmes from pushing it forward.
Doctors relied on faulty results, putting lives at risk. In one scene, we learn about a woman misdiagnosed with HIV because of a Theranos test.
You Can’t Make This $hit Up
- Elizabeth Holmes Changed Her Voice — she normally had a higher-pitched, more feminine voice, deliberately adopted a low, baritone tone as part of her calculated image. It was so exaggerated that even her own family members have been caught on record questioning it. The moment she let her guard down and accidentally spoke in her natural voice—then immediately switched back—feels like something straight out of a surrealist comedy, but it’s real life.
- Holmes Faking Her Own Test Results: In a move that sounds more like the plot of a sci-fi thriller, Holmes once faked her own blood test results. She would submit her own blood to Theranos’ machines to show investors and partners how accurate the tests were. The kicker? Her blood would be run through traditional machines in a backroom, not the faulty Theranos technology. She was literally using herself as a human prop.
- Theranos kept a wellness center at Walgreens open, offering blood tests to real patients long after knowing the tech didn’t work. They kept playing with people’s lives, even as internal reports showed the system was malfunctioning on a large scale.
Lesser-known Details: Behind the Curtain
- Erika Cheung: The doc introduces Erika Cheung, a young Theranos employee who became one of the key whistleblowers. Her courage in stepping forward, despite intense legal pressure, plays a crucial role in bringing the truth to light. Most people associate the whistleblowing with Tyler Shultz, but Cheung’s role was equally pivotal.
- Theranos’ fortress-like culture: The doc takes you inside the Theranos office, where paranoia reigned. Employees were kept in silos, unaware of what was happening in other departments. Information was controlled. Cameras were everywhere. Employees signed strict non-disclosure agreements. The culture at Theranos was as secretive as Holmes herself.
- Sunny Balwani: Holmes’ partner both in business and in her personal life, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, remains a shadowy figure throughout. The doc reveals that he ran Theranos with an iron fist, intimidating employees and enabling Holmes’ lies. His behind-the-scenes influence is both fascinating and chilling.
- Holmes’ family connections: Holmes’ parents had significant connections to Capitol Hill. Her father, Christian Holmes IV, was a former Enron executive, which is another ironic twist, given Gibney’s earlier work on Enron. These connections helped her secure early support, including from people like George Shultz, whose grandson Tyler would later become a whistleblower.
- Holmes’ voice: The doc addresses one of the most bizarre aspects of Holmes’ persona—her deep, almost robotic voice. Former employees suggest it was an affectation, part of her crafted image. There’s a clip where Holmes slips and her real voice, much higher-pitched, comes through. It’s a surreal moment that exemplifies just how meticulously she constructed her persona.
The Silicon Valley Machine
The documentary paints a larger picture about the culture of Silicon Valley—where failing fast and breaking things is celebrated.
In this world, visionaries are given the benefit of the doubt.
But Holmes took it to an extreme. Gibney doesn’t let the tech elite off the hook.
Venture capitalists, board members, and media alike were all complicit in creating the myth of Elizabeth Holmes.
I’m always amazed how super-smart people can be duped.
No one asked the tough questions until it was too late.
One highlight is the scene featuring a clip of Holmes from a tech conference. She’s giving one of her standard speeches—full of vague promises and jargon—and the audience claps.
It’s a perfect distillation of how easily people were taken in. Everyone wanted to believe in the next big thing.
Holmes’ Fall from Grace
In 2018, Holmes and Balwani were charged with fraud. The doc doesn’t cover the full trial (that came later), but it does end with a sense of inevitability.
The truth is, she had been skating on thin ice for years, and the cracks were always there.
But no one wanted to see them.
The film leaves you with a lingering question: How many more Elizabeth Holmes are out there in Silicon Valley?
Wrap-Up
“The Inventor” is more than a doc about a tech scandal. It’s a cautionary tale about ambition unchecked. Holmes didn’t just deceive a few wealthy investors. She endangered lives.
And she did it all while smiling, staring into the camera with unblinking eyes, and promising a future that never existed.
This film isn’t just about one woman. It’s about the culture that allowed her to rise and fall.
Gibney masterfully pulls the curtain back on Silicon Valley’s obsession with disruption at any cost.
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc