{
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "generatedAt": "2026-05-07T10:22:53.102Z",
  "findingType": "lie",
  "findingId": 10,
  "contentHash": "4ecc3af06fb0dcce896a8377327ee78e515d9d447fa9bd072aa0f755e8ad136b",
  "title": "Holmes: Theranos can run hundreds of tests on a finger-prick of blood",
  "summary": "Theranos promised: \"We've made it possible to run any combination of tests, including sets of follow-on tests, very quickly, all from a single micro-sample. … Tests run on samples as small as a few drops of blood, taken from a tiny finger-stick.\" (Mon Sep 08 2014 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)). 2 documented violation(s). Severity: catastrophic.",
  "methodology": "Documented promises are sourced from public statements, filings, and transcripts. Each promise must have a non-empty source URL. Violations are independently sourced with evidence strength tiers. The time delta (days after promise) quantifies the gap between commitment and breach. Materiality assessment includes financial cost, people affected, and environmental impact where applicable.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/12/15/blood-simpler",
      "label": "The New Yorker, 'Blood, Simpler', 15 December 2014",
      "type": "primary"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.wsj.com/articles/theranos-has-struggled-with-blood-tests-1444881901",
      "label": "Wall Street Journal, 15 October 2015",
      "type": "primary"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/elizabeth-holmes-sentenced-more-11-years-defrauding-theranos-investors-hundreds",
      "label": "US Department of Justice, 18 November 2022",
      "type": "primary"
    }
  ],
  "queries": [
    {
      "description": "Promise record with entity",
      "table": "documented_promises",
      "parameters": {
        "id": 10
      }
    },
    {
      "description": "Promise violations",
      "table": "promise_violations",
      "parameters": {
        "promiseId": 10
      }
    }
  ],
  "dataSnapshot": {
    "promiseId": "10",
    "slug": "theranos-finger-stick-blood-2014",
    "entityId": "31236",
    "entityName": "Theranos",
    "headline": "Holmes: Theranos can run hundreds of tests on a finger-prick of blood",
    "promiseText": "We've made it possible to run any combination of tests, including sets of follow-on tests, very quickly, all from a single micro-sample. … Tests run on samples as small as a few drops of blood, taken from a tiny finger-stick.",
    "promiseDate": "2014-09-08T00:00:00.000Z",
    "promiseSourceUrl": "https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/12/15/blood-simpler",
    "audience": "investors",
    "domain": "financial",
    "severity": "catastrophic",
    "status": "violated",
    "narrative": "Theranos repeatedly told investors and the press that its proprietary 'Edison' device could run hundreds of clinical tests on a single drop of blood. A 2015 Wall Street Journal investigation revealed the company was running the vast majority of tests on conventional third-party machines. Founder Elizabeth Holmes was later convicted of fraud.",
    "financialCostUsd": null,
    "peopleAffectedEstimate": null,
    "violations": [
      {
        "id": "20",
        "violationText": "Wall Street Journal investigation reveals Theranos performed only a handful of its 240 tests using the proprietary device; the rest ran on standard commercial analysers.",
        "violationDate": "2015-10-15T00:00:00.000Z",
        "violationSourceUrl": "https://www.wsj.com/articles/theranos-has-struggled-with-blood-tests-1444881901",
        "evidenceStrength": "primary",
        "daysAfterPromise": "402"
      },
      {
        "id": "21",
        "violationText": "Elizabeth Holmes convicted on four counts of investor fraud; sentenced to over 11 years in prison.",
        "violationDate": "2022-11-18T00:00:00.000Z",
        "violationSourceUrl": "https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/elizabeth-holmes-sentenced-more-11-years-defrauding-theranos-investors-hundreds",
        "evidenceStrength": "primary",
        "daysAfterPromise": "2993"
      }
    ],
    "createdAt": "2026-05-03T09:29:14.760Z"
  },
  "entities": [
    {
      "id": "31236",
      "name": "Theranos",
      "slug": "theranos",
      "type": "company"
    }
  ],
  "verificationSteps": [
    "Retrieve documented promise #10 from documented_promises.",
    "Visit promise source: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/12/15/blood-simpler — confirm the original commitment was made.",
    "Violation #1 (Thu Oct 15 2015 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)): visit https://www.wsj.com/articles/theranos-has-struggled-with-blood-tests-1444881901 — confirm \"Wall Street Journal investigation reveals Theranos performed only a handful of its 240 tests using the proprietary device; the rest ran on standard commercial analysers.\"",
    "Violation #2 (Fri Nov 18 2022 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)): visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/elizabeth-holmes-sentenced-more-11-years-defrauding-theranos-investors-hundreds — confirm \"Elizabeth Holmes convicted on four counts of investor fraud; sentenced to over 11 years in prison.\"",
    "Verify the SHA-256 content hash by re-generating the JSON bundle."
  ]
}