Documentary on Elizabeth Holmes Sparks Debate Over Her Credibility

The documentary "You Can See Everything" by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim has generated a wave of commentary from people who previously covered or worked with Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. Investigative journalist John Carreyrou, who first reported on the Theranos scandal for The New York Times, said Holmes misrepresented several moments in the film, including her alleged unfamiliarity with the Abbott and Costello "Who’s on First?" routine and a scene in which she appears to break down after a photo shoot. Carreyrou noted Holmes' extensive public appearances, such as a 2014 TED talk, as evidence that contradicts the film's depiction. > "She is casting herself as a neurodivergent entrepreneur who operates on a different wavelength," Carreyrou wrote on X.

A separate New York Times piece referenced a 2023 interview in which Holmes told reporter Amy Chozick that the Hulu series "The Dropout" was portraying a character she created. Holmes later disputed that wording, saying the producers created the character. Her fiancé Billy Evans claimed to have recorded the exchange and said the quote was inaccurate, while Chozick maintained that only a short clip was provided and that she had taken notes during the interview.

Theranos whistleblower Tyler Shultz, writing for the medical journal Stat, said the device shown on Holmes' kitchen table in the film was an unfinished prototype, not the version used by the company. He also noted that the modest beach house depicted in the documentary differed from Holmes' larger residence prior to filming, recalling a 2014 New Yorker profile that featured a smaller condo while she actually lived in a mansion in Atherton.

Former Forbes health reporter Matthew Herper, also published in Stat, recalled two on-stage interviews with Holmes in which she made claims he considered deceptive about the technology's capabilities. He described Holmes' influence on audiences as a "superpower" and warned that continued attention could reinforce her behavior. > "We see that eerie stare and we are caught up — we even see it happen to Fielder. I wish we could all just not look," he wrote.

NPR correspondent Bobby Allyn reported that Evans, who appears prominently in the film, had pushed back on Holmes' involvement in the company's relaunch, a detail that contrasts with the documentary's portrayal of her as central to the effort. Data scientist Armand Domalewski commented on X that the technical language used by Holmes and Evans in the film was nonsensical and suggested they were "play acting" as startup founders.