The Complex Defense of Entrepreneurial Ambition

When Elizabeth Holmes founded Theranos, the blood testing start-up, she was held up as one of the next great tech innovators.

But her company collapsed, and she was accused of lying about how well Theranos’s technology worked. Now she is on trial on fraud charges.

The case against Ms. Holmes is being held up as a referendum on the “fake it till you make it” culture of Silicon Valley, but it’s also about so much more.

Guest: Erin Griffith, a reporter covering technology start-ups and venture capital for The New York Times. 

Sign up here to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter. 

Background reading: 

• The trial of Ms. Holmes will cap a saga of Silicon Valley ambition and deception.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.