'The Dropout': What Is The Real Story Behind The Mini Series

Intriguing shows like Inventing Anna—which are based on bizarre real stories—have been released on OTT platforms. The latest is Hulu and Disney+ series The Dropout.

The eight-part mini-series is based on a podcast of the same name produced by ABC News. The television adaptation stars Oscar-nominee Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes and Naveen Andrews as Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani. The story chronicles the rise and fall of the tech company Theranos and its founder Elizabeth Holmes.

Elizabeth, a 19-year-old Stanford dropout who bluffed investors, doctors, journalists into thinking her company would revolutionise the diagnosis of diseases with a blood test that never worked. The ">series documents the fall from grace of a woman who was once described as the "youngest self-made female billionaire" on the planet by Forbes.

Suggested Reading: Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes Found Guilty Of Defrauding Investors

The Dropout Real Story

Elizabeth Holmes was a student of chemical engineering at the prestigious Stanford University where she dreamt of radical inventions like a patch that would attach to an individual’s skin and routinely scan them for infections and automatically administer antibiotics whenever necessary. As interesting as it sounds, it was impossible to execute the idea.

Based on a similar model, she came up with a blood test device—The Edison—through her company Theranos which would require only a drop of blood to perform dozens of health tests. The research was funded with the remainder of her tuition fee after she dropped out of university.

Suggested Reading: Who Is Elizabeth Holmes? Fallen Businesswoman’s Fraud Case Trial Begins

At a point in time, Holmes had advertised her revolutionary test as best as she could. In a country like the United States of America, where healthcare is an expensive affair, investors were attracted to her invention. Her company gradually became a billion-dollar company.

What led to Theranos' downfall?

In 2015, journalist John Carreyrou wrote an investigative article which was published in the Wall Street Journal about Holmes’ fraud which kick-started the chain of events that eventually led to the downfall of the billion-dollar company. Holmes was ousted from her own company in 2018 and went on trial which began in September 2021 after delays caused by her pregnancy and the pandemic. Earlier this year, she was found guilty on accounts of defrauding the investors.

Where is Holmes Now?

As Elizabeth Holmes awaits her sentencing scheduled for September 26, 2022, she reportedly is free on bond and is staying at her Silicon Valley estate. The next episode of The Dropout is expected to come out on March 31. The series is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.