Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos, and the $9 Billion Lie: Who Lost What?

CWEB Elizabeth Holmes
CWEB Elizabeth Holmes

What do we know about the real money behind the most infamous startup collapse in history? Inside the names, the numbers, and the brutal arithmetic of a $9 billion fraud. Welcome back to CWEB. Today, we are returning to the story of Theranos—but this time, we are not looking at the founder, the fraud, or the courtroom drama. We are looking at the money. Because behind every great fraud is a great sum of capital. And the story of who lost what is a fascinating, sobering study in the limits of even the most sophisticated investors.

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  1. 4d ago

    Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos, and the $9 Billion Lie: Who Lost What?

    What do we know about the real money behind the most infamous startup collapse in history? Inside the names, the numbers, and the brutal arithmetic of a $9 billion fraud. The story of Theranos is usually told through the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes. But behind the founder, there was a quieter, equally dramatic story: the story of the money. Theranos raised hundreds of millions of dollars from some of the most sophisticated investors in the world. They were not naive. They were not reckless. They were simply convinced that they had found the next great thing. When the company collapsed, the paper valuation of $9 billion evaporated overnight. But the actual cash that was lost tells a more precise and more painful story. In this episode of CWEB, we break down the real financial anatomy of Theranos. We examine the total capital raised, the specific losses of the most prominent investors—from Rupert Murdoch to Betsy DeVos—and the restitution order that followed. Tap play to hear our full analysis of the Theranos investor losses, the names behind the money, and the lessons that remain. Before you go, check out a deal from Paris Jewelry. Visit ParisJewelry.com for the lowest prices on any jewellery plus free shipping, and take 20 per cent off with the code SAVE20 at checkout. That is ParisJewelry.com, code SAVE20. You have been listening to CWEB. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, or Pandora for more. You can also watch some of our CWEB reels on X, TikTok, and Facebook.

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What do we know about the real money behind the most infamous startup collapse in history? Inside the names, the numbers, and the brutal arithmetic of a $9 billion fraud. Welcome back to CWEB. Today, we are returning to the story of Theranos—but this time, we are not looking at the founder, the fraud, or the courtroom drama. We are looking at the money. Because behind every great fraud is a great sum of capital. And the story of who lost what is a fascinating, sobering study in the limits of even the most sophisticated investors.

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