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adam_of_the_mountains 's review for:
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
by John Carreyrou
I picked this book up after hearing a few podcasts mention it as an elongated and cinematic piece of investigative journalism. It's much more than that.
At the heart of this work by journalist John Carreyrou is an exploration of the nature of Power. It tacitly explores the contradictory nature of balancing the will to do good for the world while being mindful of the expected costs and payoffs. What was most eerie about reading this book was the parallels between the way Holmes ran Theranos and the way Donald Trump attempts to run his Presidency (though ultimately I would have to say Holmes's intentions are decidedly more altruistic - and they don't come across as that altruistic in this book). Rather than taking seriously the objections and questions about Theranos's proprietary scientific developments, Holmes created an atmosphere of evasiveness, calling such questions and objections "unfounded" - you can almost hear a certain someone yelling "Fake News" as you read.
I would recommend reading this book really for two reasons:
1) It's important that all people understand that while technical innovation is certainly impacting our lives mostly for the better (though that's certainly debatable), we can't make things happen just because we want them to happen. In other words, the ease that a great deal of technology provides may encourage a society that yearns for revolutionary quick fixes.
2) We need to have conversations, as a society, about the role of regulation and the processes we have in place to promote innovation but to protect those individuals who seek to protect society writ large when they see businesses, corporations, and institutions engage in nefarious or questionable practices. Books such as these really make it clear that we need much more clarity around these issues.
At the heart of this work by journalist John Carreyrou is an exploration of the nature of Power. It tacitly explores the contradictory nature of balancing the will to do good for the world while being mindful of the expected costs and payoffs. What was most eerie about reading this book was the parallels between the way Holmes ran Theranos and the way Donald Trump attempts to run his Presidency (though ultimately I would have to say Holmes's intentions are decidedly more altruistic - and they don't come across as that altruistic in this book). Rather than taking seriously the objections and questions about Theranos's proprietary scientific developments, Holmes created an atmosphere of evasiveness, calling such questions and objections "unfounded" - you can almost hear a certain someone yelling "Fake News" as you read.
I would recommend reading this book really for two reasons:
1) It's important that all people understand that while technical innovation is certainly impacting our lives mostly for the better (though that's certainly debatable), we can't make things happen just because we want them to happen. In other words, the ease that a great deal of technology provides may encourage a society that yearns for revolutionary quick fixes.
2) We need to have conversations, as a society, about the role of regulation and the processes we have in place to promote innovation but to protect those individuals who seek to protect society writ large when they see businesses, corporations, and institutions engage in nefarious or questionable practices. Books such as these really make it clear that we need much more clarity around these issues.