Alex Gibney’s Theranos Scandal Documentary

Jan 14, 2020

In Silicon Valley, where “fake it till you make it” is a mantra, Elizabeth Holmes stood out. Theranos, the company she founded, drew the support and accolades of investors and senior statesmen alike – that is until a Wall Street Journal reporter’s prying questions spelled the beginning of the end. What originally looked like a revolutionary technology in blood sampling quickly became a scandal that swept the nation.

Today we are joined by award-winning business and tech broadcaster, and host of the Gender Knot, Nastaran Tavakoli-Far, as we explore the Theranos saga through the lens of Alex Gibney’s The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (2019).

We discuss how this fraud was able to happen and to what extent the culture of Silicon
Valley is to blame.

A fantastically made documentary about a dangerous company, it makes us question yet again the cult of charismatic leaders.

“That’s the beauty of America that if you’ve got a big idea you’re not necessarily going to be laughed at. She kept referencing a Thomas Edison quote, that if you fail ten thousand times, that’s so you get it right the ten thousand and first time.” – Nastaran Tavakoli-Far