Theranos is fighting to maintain its reputation and to stem a tide that is about to sweep it away in The Dropout, Episode 7. John Carreyrou brought that tide in. When Richard Fuisz got in touch with him, his investigation started to pick up steam. Erika Cheung and Tyler Shultz were on the verge of joining the opposition. John only required a person with first-hand experience. He was unable to publish a Wall Street Journal story based only on hearsay information.
Elizabeth Holmes claimed that her invention, the Edison machine, was conducting all of the tests while actually conducting the majority of them on the Siemens machine. Mark Roessler, the lab director at Theranos, was apprehended by Richard Fuisz and made a pledge to give him some proof. Tyler did eventually phone John Carreyrou, but he was unable to communicate with him. He recalled that Tyler’s testimony would have significant effects on his grandfather, George Shultz, who served on the board of directors.
Let’s now examine The Dropout, Episode 7, and how Theranos steadily descended into a quagmire from which it was hard to escape.
See More: The Dropout Episode 6: Recap And Ending Did John Carreyrou Find Anyone To Testify Against Theranos?
The Dropout Episode 7: Recap
Elizabeth Holmes was feeling accomplished. She was now a global and local topic of conversation. On every public forum, she could be seen with prominent figures like Bill Clinton and Joe Biden. She was sought after for interviews on all talk shows. She was the youngest female self-made billionaire, after all. Many were unaware, however, that the promises made and the words said by this ostensibly brilliant scientist—who had several patents to her name—were hollow on the inside. The public thought that she was pulling a major bluff and that the future of healthcare was in capable hands. Why wouldn’t they, then? I mean, here was a lady who, at the age of 19, confided in her Stanford professors that she had an idea that would start a revolution. They had faith in her, and ultimately everyone else did as well.
When John Carreyrou visited Arizona, he discovered some local medical professionals willing to testify against Elizabeth Holmes. John now had a number of witnesses willing to testify. He believed he had a credible account thanks to the emails Richard Fuisz would send him as well as the testimonies of patients and medical professionals. Tyler Shultz, who is the grandson of George Shultz, was of course his wild card. John’s former employer, Judith, instructs him to submit a questionnaire to Theranos so that they may claim that they gave the company a fair chance to present their case in the future.
The emails that were exchanged between him and the management were intended to be sent by Mark Roessler, the lab director of Theranos. When Sunny Balwani and Elizabeth Holmes learn about it, they caution Mark against moving forward.
In the United States, Theranos was the hot new product. Everyone yearned to participate in it. Theranos received FDA approval to perform Herpes tests, and Elizabeth secured publication of the news in the Wall Street Journal.
The media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who in a sense owed the Wall Street Journal money, had invested $125 million in Theranos. For Richard Fuisz and everyone who opposed Theranos, the game was over, he believed. Elizabeth Holmes was planning to buy away the only resistance in the room, burying the news.
John Carreyrou feels that even if the tale appears to be incomplete, it should be published immediately away. Judith, his supervisor, tells him a tale involving Sicilian fishermen. She informs him that Sicily is home to a tradition known as La Mattanza. The fisherman enter the Mediterranean Sea while engaging in the practise. They spend hours motionless in the water. The fish begin to congregate since they are unaware that those men are there. The guys use their spears to effortlessly remove the fish at the right time, when a sufficient number have congregated. In order to take down Theranos when they were least expecting it, Judith urged John to behave like those fisherman did.
Did The Wall Street Journal Publish A Story Against Theranos?
Sunny Balwani and Elizabeth become aware of John Carreyrou’s extensive network of potential witnesses against them. They begin frightening each individual so that they will not testify.
Tyler Shultz was in a risky scenario as a result of Elizabeth. He was required to sign a fresh non-disclosure contract. Theranos was prepared to bring numerous charges against him if he failed to comply. Tyler manages to avoid signing the document, despite Elizabeth dispatching Linda, her assistant, to take care of the situation.
Elizabeth is asked to reveal all that she had been holding back by Theranos’ attorney, David Boies. The attorney arrives at the Wall Street Journal office with his entire team. Judith advises John to be prepared to let go of the narrative since she was aware of David Boies’ prominence as a strong guy and prominent campaigner. He must have known they were there since he wouldn’t leave until their narrative was completely forgotten if he had come to their office.
But then something unexpected occurs. For the simple reason that they were correct and all the evidence supported them, they were able to defeat David Boies. Elizabeth is informed by David Boies before he departs the scene that the Wall Street Journal will publish the article.
The Conclusion
Theranos’ actions were impeded by the media, which served as a barrier. One journalist took it upon himself to uphold the truth and was unwilling to compromise. He made sure that everyone was aware of what Theranos was doing because he did not want to sell his conscience.
We had arrived at a point when we could not help but hate Elizabeth Holmes, going back to the time when we were all rooting for a young, ambitious female entrepreneur. She was egotistical, and she didn’t give any thought to her health. She was endangering the lives of innocent individuals who trusted her brand by leveraging her influence and resources. It was the highest kind of betrayal. Episode 8 will centre on how a drowning Elizabeth Holmes tries to grasp at a straw before her ship entirely sinks because their demise is inevitable.
See More: The Dropout Ending, Explained: What Happened To Theranos & Elizabeth Holmes?
