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News,04 Jan 2022,5 mins

Elizabeth Holmes - the Silicon Valley fraudster

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She was once celebrated as a Titan of Silicon Valley - becoming America's youngest self-made billionaire on the promise of revolutionary technology that could diagnose multiple medical conditions with a simple blood test. But now Elizabeth Holmes is facing the prospect of years in prison after being convicted of tricking investors into backing her company, Theranos. The company collapsed after an investigation by the Wall Street Journal found that the devices were not as effective as Holmes claimed. Commentators say the Theranos case - a company once valued at some 9 billion dollars - is being held up as a worst case example of the excesses of Silicon Valley, which critics say encourages those without ethical standards to flourish. For 5 Minutes On, the BBC's North America tech correspondent, James Clayton, looks back at the extraordinary rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes. Image Credit - Elvis copyright EPA

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