Elizabeth Holmes & Theranos: The Rise and Fall of a Silicon Valley Icon | 60 Minutes Archive
In a captivating episode from the archives of “60 Minutes,” Norah O’Donnell delves into the astonishing story of Elizabeth Holmes and her ambitious startup, Theranos. Promising to disrupt the healthcare industry with its revolutionary blood-testing technology, Theranos claimed to perform hundreds of tests using just a single pinprick of blood. But as O’Donnell reveals, this bold vision quickly unraveled; the much-touted technology failed to deliver on its promises, leading to a fraud scandal that rocked Silicon Valley.
Holmes, once celebrated as a trailblazer and a billionaire founder, now serves an 11-year prison sentence for defrauding investors and misleading stakeholders about the capabilities of her company. This segment explores the intricate layers of ambition, deception, and the high-stakes world of tech startups.
First aired in 2018, this episode of “60 Minutes” not only provides insight into the rise and fall of Holmes but also serves as a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of unchecked ambition and the desperate chase for success in the modern entrepreneurial landscape.
Tune into the full segment to learn about this gripping saga of ambition gone awry, and don’t forget to subscribe for more compelling stories from “60 Minutes,” the most successful television broadcast in history.
Watch the video by 60 Minutes
About 60 Minutes
“60 Minutes,” the most successful television broadcast in history. Offering hard-hitting investigative reports, interviews, feature segments and profiles of people in the news, the broadcast began in 1968 and is still a hit, over 50 seasons later, regularly making Nielsen’s Top 10.
Video “Elizabeth Holmes & Theranos | 60 Minutes Archive” was uploaded on 10/15/2026 to Youtube Channel 60 Minutes