The Dropout dramatises the rise and collapse of blood testing startup Theranos, focusing on founder Elizabeth Holmes and chief operating officer Sunny Balwani. It follows the company’s ambitious claims, fundraising and commercial partnerships as employees, scientists and journalists begin to question whether its technology works as promised.
Use in class
The series is useful in entrepreneurship, accounting, finance and governance courses. It allows students to examine valuation under uncertainty, investor due diligence, board competence and disclosure. It also prompts discussion of leadership narratives, organisational silence, whistleblowing and the ethical limits of “fake it till you make it” in high stakes industries.
