Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

I knew a little bit about this story before beginning this book, but the absurdity of what these people got away with for so long is fascinating. CEO Elizabeth Holmes and COO Sunny Balwani are cartoonishly evil, constantly intimidating and manipulating people internally while outwardly projecting a completely different persona to stakeholders and the public.

I actually thought it felt a bit too editorialized in their portrayals. There's a little bit here and there about how charming and intelligent seeming Holmes is, but none of it was as specific as the bad things she does, so it was hard for me to understand how she got away with some things without filling in a lot of blanks. Balwani meanwhile seems to have no redeeming qualities besides the fact that Holmes likes him. He comes across as a pure thug.

The accounts of all the goings on in Theranos are crazy though and described in great detail, clearly a lot of research was done and many people consulted. I listened to this via audiobook from the library and the ~12 hours blew by, I listened at any chance I had. I'll be checking out the HBO documentary and maybe the podcast soon as well.