Welcome to the โTODAY Archives,โ where we revisit memories from our show when celebrities and newsmakers started discourse, made us laugh or shaped our culture. This latest installment features Eliazbeth Holmes being interviewed in 2016.
Elizabeth Holmes has once again found herself in the public eye, thanks to the film โYou Can See Everything.โ The documentary, which follows her weeks before she begins her prison sentence, earned $15 million in its opening weekend earlier this month, the most for a debut weekend for a non-music doc since Michael Mooreโs 2004 movie, โFahrenheit 9/11.โ
Holmes is the founder and former CEO of Theranos, a company that sought to revolutionize blood testing, partnering with Walgreens to offer fast in-store blood tests for more than 20 diseases at a cheaper price than what they traditionally cost, due to secret technology. Holmes raised nearly $1 billion and the company was once valued at $9 billion, bringing her wealth and fame among the Silicon Valley set.
Accusations, however, came out that Theranosโ technology was faulty and Holmes was convicted in 2022 of four federal charges of wire fraud for misrepresenting to investors what the Theranos technology could do.
In 2016, then-NBC special anchor Maria Shriver sat down with Holmes to discuss the questions that emerged about her productโs accuracy.
Elizabeth Holmes Defended Theranos
After reports began circulating about the methods Theranos used, Holmes discussed her company in an interview that aired April 16, 2016, in which she opened up about the growing controversy over her company.
โIโm a better person for it, and Iโm a better leader,โ she said.
Holmes defended Theranos and the blood testing methods it used.
โItโs affordable,โ she said. โThat means itโs transparent in terms of pricing. That means that itโs available to people as a basic right, early, before theyโre sick.โ
What Did Elizabeth Holmes Say About the Negative Reports?
In 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found multiple violations at one of Holmesโ labs which presented a threat to the safety of patients.
โI feel devastated that we did not catch and fix these issues faster,โ she said.
Holmes said the buck has to stop with her.
โIโm the founder and CEO of this company. Anything that happens in this company is my responsibility,โ she said. โAt the end of the day, we stop testing and have taken the approach of saying, โLetโs rebuild this entire laboratory from scratch, so that we can ensure it never happens again.โโ
Elizabeth Holmes Believed in the Future of Theranos
Holmes said she thought the correct policies were in place, but added she was โabsolutelyโ sure Theranos would withstand all its issues and survive.
โNo doubt. I know what weโve built, and I know what weโve created, and I know what it means to people, and it is a change that needs to happen in the world,โ she said.
