Elizabeth Holmes staging new antics in the Nathan Fielder documentary, yet distracting from the real story
Fortune
1h ago
Ai Focus
Columnist Diane Brady states that the new documentaries on Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim have portrayed Elizabeth Holmes as a more eccentric character, but this actually tends to overshadow the harm and deception of the Theranos scam itself. The article also discusses the tech industry's obsession with character storytelling, as well as how individuals like Jensen Huang and Mark Zuckerberg have become focal points of public opinion.
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Good morning. After the most recent media screening, I had a conversation with comedian Nathan Fielder about his absurd documentary You Can See Everything. This film was co-produced by him and director Lance Oppenheim, and it follows the downfall of Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced founder of Theranos, right before she was about to be sent to federal prison.

I asked him why it took three years to shoot this film – considering that if we only looked at the 34 days he spent living with Holmes, her partner Billy Evans, and their two children, the film could have been completed much sooner. He told me that they wanted to gather more material for this couple’s next steps in their lives, and also to present Elizabeth Holmes more clearly. What kind of person is she really?

Reporters always love dramatic characters, especially when they don't follow the script. Just from this trailer, it's clear that Holmes no longer wants to play the role of the "billionaire genius girl" in a black high-necked shirt with a deep voice and the technology to change the world – a technology that was advertised as capable of performing hundreds of medical tests with just a drop of blood. Now, she has become a somewhat bewildered and quirky character: wearing her mother's jeans, with a holy-like smile, staring unblinkingly at her "soul mate" Evans; who is a person with strong control desires and ambition, even showing a series of questionable behaviors such as being completely naked in front of the camera. We also saw two angelic babies – Holmes calls them her "angels" – whose birth has postponed her trial and sentencing. Why not invite a comedian to join this family to spend the last 34 days of her freedom, before then serving a 135-month prison sentence for charges of investor fraud and conspiracy? What a crazy couple! Perhaps it's better to eat popcorn while watching this drama.

I like this movie. I also recommend watching Tilda Swinton's mirror scene in “Michael Clayton” to experience how Holmes rehearses herself over and over again with that character trait that has now been abandoned. This character was based on her imagination of Steve Jobs. Then, think about how many patients and doctors were deceived by her, how many people bought into that illusion just because they wished it were true. We once called her an extraordinary entrepreneur, but later we questioned her business model.

The problem with oddball characters is that they make you overlook the more important aspects of the underlying story. Last year, when Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared on Joe Rogan's show, we paid more attention to his transformation towards a "masculine" image – from a nerdy, nervous and reserved person wearing hoodies, to a street-style tech guy with gold chains and thick curly hair. The host was busy chatting with Meta, the newly promoted "tough guy" protagonist, about hunting and jiu-jitsu, and didn't delve much into those controversial policies that later led to a $18 billion settlement.

In today's business discussions, there's also a group of equally eccentric characters taking center stage. Elon Musk posts erratic content on social media, engages in moonshot-like projects, and even personally pushes for an increase in the Earth's population; Dario Amodei and Sam Altman openly debate whether their products will kill us, as if it's beyond their control; Jeff Bezos has transformed from an image of a customer-centric ordinary person into a muscular billionaire, cruising around in a yacht worth $500 million, and even sent Katy Perry into space. These stories could almost be written by themselves, unless we stop to see what's actually happening.

However, before becoming overly obsessed with Holmes 2.0, it's worth taking a look at the lies, harm, and corruption that led to this character being sent to prison.

To contact CEO Daily, you can send an email to Diane Brady at diane.brady @ fortune.com.

Headline Leadership News

Nvidia CEO is the biggest antagonist of AI's doomsday theory

Jensen Huang has repeatedly dismissed warnings that AI poses a threat to human survival, and has constructed a strong defense for the full advancement of AI. In an interview two weeks ago, he stated that "2030 will not be the end of the world." Earlier in September, Huang also argued that governments should regulate "actual and practical harm," rather than "hypothetical and theoretical harm."

The Iranian currency is being completely undermined.

As Iran's economy experiences a free-falling decline, the country's currency has also been dragged into oblivion, continuing to hit new lows at a time when the regime is facing a severe cash shortage. The exchange rate has dropped to over 2.5 million rials per US dollar; just less than a month ago, on September 2nd, it was at a previous low of 2.2 million rials. At the beginning of this year, it was around 1.5 million rials, and in August 2025, it was about 920,000 rials.

Where do Americans migrate to by generation?

According to the data from U-Haul, the Baby Boomers and Generation X prefer warmer destinations in the southeastern United States with lower living costs. At the same time, younger Americans still tend to choose the states and cities with the largest populations nationwide. California ranks third among states with the highest net inflow of Millennials in U-Haul and second among Gen Z; however, census data shows that the state's total population decreased by 0.5% between April 2020 and July 2025.

Market

S&P 500 index futures fell 0.13% this morning. On the previous trading day, they closed up 0.73%. The European Stoxx 600 index rose 0.33% in the early session. The UK FTSE 100 index rose 0.45% in the early session. The Japanese Nikkei 225 index rose 2.40%. The South Korean market was closed. The Chinese market was closed. The Hong Kong Hang Seng Index rose 0.28%. India’s NIFTY 50 index rose 0.58%. Bitcoin rose to $86,000.

Tea room topics

After a 13-year hiatus, her first novel has been described as “confusing” – critics are also questioning what message the author Sydney Lake intends to convey, writes Sydney Lake.

Gen Z cannot control the future, so they turn to paying witches and tarot readers in an attempt to make the future seem more controllable. Written by author Tatiana Sataua.

Getting to know these individuals who fight against expropriation rights and also against the shadow of Amazon: A data center is offering $10,000 to its neighbors, written by Sasha Rogelberg

Even the "King of Bonds" Bill Gross warns against holding bonds, as long-term debt is entering a new era of volatility, writes author Jason Ma.

"We need to trust our employees": This billionaire CEO changed from counting the cars in the parking lot after 6 p.m. to embracing hybrid working, written by author Preston Fore

CEO Daily was planned and edited by Joseph Abrams, Jason Ma, Claire Zillman, and Lee Clifford.

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