The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley

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The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley

2019

1h 59m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

60 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

With a new invention that promised to revolutionize blood testing, Elizabeth Holmes became the world's youngest self-made billionaire, heralded as the next Steve Jobs. Then, just two years later, her multibillion-dollar company was dissolved.

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Critics Consensus

Alex Gibey's The Inventor declines to outright condemn the actions by Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, but instead provides a comprehensive overview of the scandal that allows viewers to mull over its implications towards the broader Silicon Valley.

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Brian Lowry

CNN.com

The Inventor is one of those documentaries that -- unlike The Edison -- really gets under your skin.

Apr 30, 2019

Full Review

Sharon Waxman

TheWrap

It is also a stunning emblem of our delusional, self-aggrandizing, fake-it-till-you-make-it times, a cautionary tale of the tech era and the insidious culture it has created of would-be legends and short-lived genius.

Apr 13, 2019

Full Review

Ed Power

Daily Telegraph (UK)

The Inventor was a devastating warning of where these unchecked messianic tendencies lead and the lives they can destroy along the way.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 13, 2019

Full Review

Alex Behan

The Post NZ

Like a car crash you can't look away from.

Sep 17, 2021

Full Review

Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

Gripping documentary about one of the most blatant cases of corporate fraud to ever make billions disappear in dodgy circumstances.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jul 17, 2020

Full Review

Alison Foreman

Mashable

Scene by scene, the documentary spotlights Holmes' unnerving behaviors, shaky voice, and mesmerizing, beautiful eyes to build up the scare factor associated with her power and intelligence.

Dec 7, 2019

Full Review

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THE NASHVILLE I

The Inventor was markedly better than the Hulu, dramatized account, which is really saying something! As good as the show was the documentary did a sensational job structuring the story so that you were highly entertained but educated very well step by step, without ever getting bored. HBO did a sensational job with getting people like Ariely, Cheung and Shulz to share their insightful testimony. 100% a perfect documentary on a subject, if there was one.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/11/25

Full Review

Audience Member

It was interesting, but my one complaint is that it was a little too surface level for my liking. Maybe that's just the nature of the case, but my main takeaway is from the 2-hour documentary is that Elizabeth Holmes was fueled by Noble intentions, couldn't keep her promises, and then threatened people to keep quiet. Obviously there was more to it, they interviewed some people involved, but It didn't contribute much memorable information. It did raise the thought provoking question of whether she knew if she was intentionally lying or just blinded by her vision.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/02/24

Full Review

Brian D

83%. 7/23/23. Named the machine the Edison after the inventor who also faked inventions. She fired the lead chemist and he eventually killed himself. She's such a quirky person, they do a good job portraying her. Super weird relationship with the Indian man she ran the company with. Just a delusional person.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/02/24

Full Review

Samir N

Its good but the ending was meh

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/03/23

Full Review

Robert S

second-drawer Gibney.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/30/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Compelling, outrageous, and entertaining.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

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Alex Gibney

Director

Elizabeth Holmes

Actor

Errol Morris

Actor

Dan Ariely

Actor

Tyler Shultz

Actor

John Carreyrou

Actor

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Synopsis

With a new invention that promised to revolutionize blood testing, Elizabeth Holmes became the world's youngest self-made billionaire, heralded as the next Steve Jobs. Then, just two years later, her multibillion-dollar company was dissolved.

Director: Alex Gibney
Producer: Alex Gibney, Jessie Deeter, Erin Edeiken
Screenwriter: Alex Gibney
Production Co: HBO Documentary Films, Jigsaw Productions
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2019
Runtime: 1h 59m

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