The scandalous fraud of the Theranos company and every step taken by its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, is well known in the media. In order to learn more about this topic and identify areas in which the company's management has fallen short, a variety of articles, newsletters, and papers were examined. The whole story of this enterprise was told by carefully putting in context what happened to Holmes in the workplace and in her personal life. In college, when she met Balwani, a romantic partner and important member of Theranos' management, the Stanford dropout began working on her company idea. Both were convicted of offenses connected to this type of business management. Five essential questions, as outlined by Lafley & Martin (2023), encapsulate the decision cascade that should be incorporated into any business plan. This essay attempts to explain Theranos' decision-making process in light of these considerations, complementing it with the strategic view defined by Porter’s five forces. The facade of success that made it possible for investment to keep coming in while the technology did not make any progress was analysed too, divided into two parts: red flags and Elizabeth’s crafted discourse about the company. Through this article, it is easy to conclude that Theranos’ mismanagement was responsible for its collapse. With all that said, the following questions remain: Is there a bright future after a huge mistake? Perhaps a second attempt to help people with no ulterior motives? What will happen next? What can be expected?
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