Citation
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
TL;DR
Holmes deliberately mimicked Steve Jobs visual identity
Investigative account of the Theranos fraud, documenting how Elizabeth Holmes used visual signaling (Steve Jobs aesthetic, prestigious board, sleek devices) to create credibility decoupled from substance. Essential case study in how cheap-to-produce visual signals enable deception until verification occurs.
Key Findings from Carreyrou (2018)
- Holmes deliberately mimicked Steve Jobs visual identity
- Board members lacked technical expertise to verify claims
- Edison devices produced inaccurate results
- Most tests run on commercial Siemens machines
- Visual signals sustained fraud for over a decade