The eight-part Hulu series “The Dropout” (from April 20 on Disney+) tells of the rise and fall of a young US entrepreneur: Amanda Seyfried (“Mamma Mia”) plays Elizabeth Holmes, who wanted to revolutionize the medical world with her company Theranos. Instead of needing a whole ampoule of blood for various tests, she promised to get by with just one drop. The biotechnology company was able to attract financiers quickly and Holmes was celebrated as a child prodigy. In the end, however, only disappointment remained, because the high expectations could by no means be met.
- Portrait: This is Elizabeth Holmes:
Blood test cheating
In “The Dropout” we see Elizabeth Holmes found the company Theranos at the age of just 19 and claim to have developed technology that can diagnose diseases with just a single drop of blood. She begins a personal and business relationship with investor Sunny Balwani (Naveen Andrews from the series “Lost”), who is almost twice her age. Dropping out of college, she persuades her parents to put all of her college tuition into Theranos and rounds up staff for the lab while telling investors the moonlight.
However, the success story burst after a report in the “Wall Street Journal”, which, citing former employees, said that Theranos’ technology did not work and that the company had often used conventional devices from other manufacturers for blood tests. Theranos initially rejected this. But the October 2015 article sparked investigations into Theranos losing licenses and laboratory deals. From there, episode after episode, the entire illusion shatters into smaller and smaller pieces. Before the scam broke in 2016, Theranos was considered a “unicorn”. It was valued at $9 billion.
Imposter in a turtleneck sweater
The story is amazing, not least because of Holmes’ self-portrayal. She duped Rupert Murdoch, Henry Kissinger and many others. The now 38-year-old often compared herself to Steve Jobs. She even imitated the late Apple co-founder in terms of clothing: she usually wore a black turtleneck sweater.
Earlier this year, Holmes was convicted by a US court. The indictment accused Holmes of deliberately duping financiers to get the investments. According to US media reports, the jury saw this confirmed in the case of three injections of money – and also found Holmes guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud on another count. The sentence is not expected to be announced until September, theoretically up to four times 20 years imprisonment are possible. Pending the announcement, Holmes is out on bail.
Series creator Elizabeth Meriwether (“New Girl”) adapted the true story based on the podcast of the same name, and Seyfried also stars Naveen Andrews, Dylan Minnette, Laurie Metcalf and William H. Macy.
- Picture gallery: The stars of the series and their real role models:
View picture gallery
- Trailer for “The Dropout”:
Also in the cinema
The rise and fall of start-up founder Elizabeth Holmes also provides the material for a film adaptation: Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence (“Don’t Look Up”) will play the former star entrepreneur in “Bad Blood”. The film by US director Adam McKay is based on the book of the same name by journalist John Carreyrou.
Source: Nachrichten
