Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley StartupBad 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
Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect PredatorsGood to know
You don't need any interest in business or medicine. It moves fast, and the whistleblowers' stories are the most gripping parts.
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.
Where it ranks
- #7 of the 85 self-help and business books we rank
- #104 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #205 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Gripping, Dark
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All 36 best-of lists →
Self-help and business booksTop 25 · 85 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,573 ranked
Books of the 2010sTop 25 · 736 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 459 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 309 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedQuick 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 #205 of the 2,816 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.