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PODCAST · true crime

The Dropout

by ABC News

Money. Romance. Tragedy. Deception. The story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos is an unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong. How did the world's youngest self-made female billionaire lose it all in the blink of an eye? How did the woman once heralded as "the next Steve Jobs" find herself facing criminal charges - to which she pleaded not guilty - and up to decades in prison? How did her technology, meant to revolutionize health care, potentially put millions of patients at risk? And how did so many smart people get it so wrong along the way? ABC News chief business, technology and economics correspondent Rebecca Jarvis, along with producers Taylor Dunn and Victoria Thompson, take listeners on a journey that includes a multi-year investigation. You'll hear exclusive interviews with former employees, investors, and patients, and for the first-time, the never-before-aired deposition testimony of Elizabeth Holmes, and those at the center of this story. Then, go inside t

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Episodes

  1. Introducing 'Burden of Proof: Luigi Mangione'

    Today, we're sharing the first episode of our latest series from ABC Audio and 20/20, 'Burden of Proof: Luigi Mangione.' In episode one, the manhunt for the alleged shooter of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson comes to an end at a McDonald's in Altoona, PA. To keep listening, find 'Burden of...

  2. Introducing "The Snare"

    Today, we're bringing you the first episode of our new true crime series from 20/20 and ABC Audio, "The Snare." In episode one, police in Idaho Falls bring in a young man named Chris Tapp to answer some questions. This will set him and others on a path they never would've predicted. To get new...

  3. Introducing "Blood and Water"

    Today, we're sharing something a little different. This is the first episode of the latest true crime podcast from 20/20 and ABC Audio, "Blood and Water." A woman fails to show up to work. When investigators are called to her home, they find a gruesome crime scene. To hear the rest of the series,...

  4. Bonus: Sentenced

    In a special bonus episode of "The Dropout: Elizabeth Holmes on Trial," we break down what happened during Holmes' sentencing hearing and what is next for the once-lauded Theranos founder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  5. Bonus: Amanda and The Other Liz

    Amanda Seyfried, the lead actress of Hulu's "The Dropout" and the show's creator and showrunner Liz Meriwether join host Rebecca Jarvis for a wide-ranging conversation about the making of the Hulu limited series based on the ABC News podcast. Seyfried has been nominated for an Emmy in the…

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  6. The Sunny Balwani Verdict

    Rebecca Jarvis sits down with Brad Mielke, host of ABC News' "Start Here" podcast to talk about the conviction of former Theranos president Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani. Follow "Start Here" on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/2maaMIF), Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3nNbcBC), or wherever you listen to get…

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  7. '20/20': The Rise and Con of Elizabeth Holmes

    The new Hulu limited series based on this podcast and starring Oscar-nominee Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes is out now. And in case you missed 20/20's behind-the-scenes look at the show, we wanted to drop it in this feed, so you can listen now. You'll hear from the stars of the Hulu series…

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  8. The Verdict

    Three years after Elizabeth Holmes was charged with 11 counts of fraud, the verdict we've all been waiting for is finally in. After seven days and over 50 hours of deliberation, the 12 members of the jury -- one of whom gave us details that you'll hear for the first time on this podcast -- found...

  9. Closing Arguments

    More than three months, 32 witnesses and three juror dismissals after the criminal trial of Elizabeth Holmes began, attorneys for the prosecution and defense had the chance to make their final appeals with closing arguments. Who presented the most compelling case? What resonated most with the…

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  10. The Defense Rests

    The testimony of Elizabeth Holmes continues this week, finally concluding after seven days. And in a surprising move, the defense calls no further witnesses, resting its case. So after three months and dozens of witnesses, who came out on top? Will the defense strategy pay off? Soon, both sides...

  11. Accusations and Evasions

    This week, the most jaw-dropping testimony in this trial yet. Elizabeth Holmes fights back tears telling the court she was raped when she was at Stanford and claims she was in an emotional and physically abusive relationship with her former boyfriend and Theranos COO Sunny Balwani, who firmly...

  12. Reframing the Narrative

    This week, Elizabeth Holmes returns to the stand, presenting herself as a confident CEO with a noble mission who also naively took experts at their word. She meticulously details how she built her business -- even admitting to having doctored those pharmaceutical documents -- but implies over and...

  13. The Prosecution Rests & Elizabeth Speaks

    In a monumental week in the trial of United States v. Elizabeth A. Holmes, the prosecution introduced its final week of witnesses before resting its case. Among them, a patient who received troubling results from a Theranos HIV test and a journalist whose damaging interviews with Elizabeth were...

  14. The Beginning of the End

    In this episode, we hear from two Theranos lab directors -- one who never met Elizabeth or stepped foot into the company's lab, another who ultimately voided more than 50,000 Theranos tests after a damning government inspection. And we hear from an irate investor who says Elizabeth Holmes cut off...

  15. Patterns

    Nine weeks into the criminal trial of Elizabeth Holmes, we've heard from dozens of witnesses -- Elizabeth's colleagues, board members, investors, clients, scientists, accountants and corporate executives. It's impossible not to feel the repetition. We learn that a fake Pfizer memo wasn't the only...

  16. The Investors

    This week, we hear from high-profile companies and individuals who invested millions of dollars into Theranos, the prosecution reiterating that these investments were made on the basis of what they say was a pattern of misinformation, exaggeration and outright lies coming from Elizabeth Holmes...

  17. The Therabros

    This week, we got a peek into how things at Theranos could at times be a full-on family affair. Elizabeth recruited her brother Christian to the company. He, in turn, recruited five of his Delta Tau Delta fraternity brothers to join him. The group would come to be known as "The Therabros." We…

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  18. The Clients

    Theranos' biggest clients, Walgreens and Safeway, are on the stand this week, testifying to what exactly they say they were told before signing multimillion-dollar deals with the blood testing startup. In email exchanges, text messages and board presentations, the prosecution paints a picture of...

  19. Crime and Punishment

    This week, two jurors ask to be excused, citing stress around punishment and the responsibilities in deciding the future of Elizabeth Holmes. A young woman, with unusual ties to this case, gives her perspective as a trial observer, and a veteran Silicon Valley investor puts the Theranos saga in...

  20. Sounding the Alarm

    This week, we hear some shocking insights from a former Theranos lab director who says he tried to stop the train before it ran off the tracks. From failing machines to a lack of proficiency testing, he tells of the pressure he felt to vouch for tests while maintaining his integrity as a lab...

  21. The General and the Patient

    This week, a high-profile witness from Elizabeth's superstar board of directors surprises the courtroom by taking the stand: 4-star general and former U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis. He speaks of being dazzled by the potential of Theranos' devices on the battlefield and the…

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  22. Mystery Men

    This week, we hear from Erika Cheung, one of the whistleblowers who originally set Elizabeth's downfall in motion and who says she was subjected to disturbing intimidation tactics as a result. Legal experts analyze the success of each side's opening arguments. And a mysterious man named "Hanson"...

  23. Setting the Stage

    Elizabeth, holding hands with her partner, Billy and her mother, Noel, breezes into the courthouse to hear opening statements in her financial fraud trial. The government and the defense set the stage, giving us a roadmap of how their sides of the case will unfold. The prosecution says this is a...

  24. The Jury

    This week, after 11th-hour bombshell allegations of abuse were revealed, we meet the seven men and five women who will ultimately be deciding Elizabeth Holmes' fate. We take a peek inside the courtroom, and speak with some of the potential jurors who were dismissed. We'll hear firsthand what...

  25. Bombshell

    Today, after four postponements, a global pandemic and a baby, Elizabeth's long-awaited trial finally begins with jury selection. With millions of pages of discovery, a potential witness list of more than 200, and nearly 4,000 exhibits, Elizabeth's team of heavyweights has their work cut out. And...

  26. Where Have You Been, Elizabeth Holmes?

    It's been over three years since Elizabeth Holmes was charged with multiple counts of fraud. Once the youngest female self-made billionaire, she was poised to change health care forever. Now she faces decades in prison if convicted. What has Elizabeth been up to while the government has been...

  27. Introducing 'The Dropout: Elizabeth Holmes on Trial'

    Starting Aug. 31, in a series of new episodes, "The Dropout: Elizabeth Holmes on Trial" will take you inside the courtroom, breaking down the evidence and keeping score for both sides until 12 jurors decide the fate of the Theranos founder and new mother. Three years after she was first charged…

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  28. 6. What Now?

    As Elizabeth Holmes awaits a criminal trial, how is she spending her days? A former employee who had a chance encounter tells us some surprising new details about just that, while an old classmate emerges to share some insight into her past. Plus former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of...

  29. 5. The Downfall

    Elizabeth Holmes, once the darling of Silicon Valley, is under a different kind of spotlight. Now under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, she is forced to answer tough questions under oath. The claims that Elizabeth had been repeating over and over again to the public,...

  30. 4. The Whistleblower

    With Theranos technology now being used by real customers, many employees are at a breaking point. They are horrified by what they believe to be widespread deception and dangerous practices, but Theranos has implemented increasingly extreme measures to stop them from speaking out. As the threat…

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  31. 3. A Star is Born

    Elizabeth becomes a celebrity as Theranos breaks out of stealth mode and onto the main stage. The media can't get enough, and neither can many investors as Theranos Wellness Centers start popping up at Walgreens. To take advantage of the moment, Elizabeth spends millions on advertising…

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  32. 2. The Enforcer

    Elizabeth brings on an unexpected character as her right-hand man at Theranos and it turns out they are hiding a big secret. They strike a monumental deal with Walgreens that could potentially put millions of lives at risk while insiders say a culture of fear and intimidation at the company leads...

  33. 1. Myth-Making

    On the premiere episode of The Dropout, you'll meet a young Elizabeth Holmes. Convinced of her own destiny even as a young child, she would come to drop out of Stanford in her late teens, intending to mold herself after the great tech icons of our time. Her obsession with Steve Jobs -- down to…

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  34. Trailer: The Rise and Fall of Elizabeth Holmes' Theranos

    The Dropout tells the story of the rise and fall of former Silicon Valley darling Elizabeth Holmes, the youngest self-made female billionaire. She dropped out of Stanford to launch her company Theranos -- claiming her technology could detect hundreds of diseases from a drop or two of blood. If it...

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Money. Romance. Tragedy. Deception. The story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos is an unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong. How did the world's youngest self-made female billionaire lose it all in the blink of an eye? How did the woman once heralded as "the next Steve Jobs" find herself facing criminal charges - to which she pleaded not guilty - and up to decades in prison? How did her technology, meant to revolutionize health care, potentially put millions of patients at risk? And how did so many smart people get it so wrong along the way? ABC News chief business, technology and economics correspondent Rebecca Jarvis, along with producers Taylor Dunn and Victoria Thompson, take listeners on a journey that includes a multi-year investigation. You'll hear exclusive interviews with former employees, investors, and patients, and for the first-time, the never-before-aired deposition testimony of Elizabeth Holmes, and those at the center of this story. Then, go inside t

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ABC News

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does The Dropout have?

The Dropout currently has 34 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is The Dropout about?

Money. Romance. Tragedy. Deception. The story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos is an unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong. How did the world's youngest self-made female billionaire lose it all in the blink of an eye? How did the woman once heralded as "the next Steve Jobs"...

How often does The Dropout release new episodes?

The Dropout has 34 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to The Dropout?

You can listen to The Dropout on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts The Dropout?

The Dropout is created and hosted by ABC News.
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