Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

"Due diligence" is part of the vernacular. But what does it really mean?

Apr 5, 2023
Recent scandals involving FTX and Frank leave some wondering if enough research was done on the startups, and who was supposed to do it.
JPMorgan recently bought the financial planning startup Frank for about $175 million but says its owner lied about its number of users.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

What Elizabeth Holmes' guilty verdict means for Silicon Valley

Jan 4, 2022
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was convicted of four counts of fraud in a case that's viewed as a landmark test of Silicon Valley startup culture.
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was convicted of four counts of fraud in a case that's viewed as a landmark test of Silicon Valley startup culture.
David Odisho/Getty Images

Is Elizabeth Holmes guilty of fraud? A jury is deliberating.

Dec 21, 2021
The trial of the Theranos founder is seen as a bellwether for Silicon Valley.
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is accused of duping patients and investors.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Former execs at Safeway, Walgreens testify at trial of Theranos founder

Oct 14, 2021
Testimony from the former CEO of Safeway and the ex-CFO of Walgreens illuminates those companies' dealings with Elizabeth Holmes.
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes arrives at the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building with her defense team on Aug. 31, 2021 in San Jose, California. Holmes is on trial after being indicted on multiple counts of fraud for misrepresenting her company's blood-testing technology.
Ethan Swope/Getty Images

The Enron scandal: 20 years later, what’s changed?

Sep 23, 2021
Very little, according to Bethany McLean, the first financial reporter to ask questions about Enron's accounting practices.
Former Enron CEO and Chairman Kenneth Lay is sworn in before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in 2002.
Stephen Jaffe/AFP/Getty Images

Inside the trial of Theranos' Elizabeth Holmes

Sep 14, 2021
And what the case means for Silicon Valley.
Holmes, who was acclaimed as one of Silicon Valley's rare female CEOs, is accused of fraud in the spectacular failure of her medical-technology company, Theranos.
Lisa Lake/Getty Images

What it means to be a whistleblower

Jul 30, 2018
What are the benefits? Risks? And are you protected?
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (L), joined by Dr. Jeffrey S. Wigand (R), the anti-tobacco advocate and founder of the non-profit organization 'Smoke-Free Kids,' announces plans for the 2002 Smoke-Free Air Act at Union Square Park in New York City on October 9th, 2002.
Adam Rountree/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Will the Theranos scandal put a damper on medical tech investing?

Jun 19, 2018
It's become a cautionary tale for biotech investors. Are they heeding it?
Elizabeth Holmes speaks during the closing session of the Clinton Global Initiative 2015 in New York City.
JP Yim/Getty Images

How Theranos, a Silicon Valley star, came tumbling down

May 21, 2018
Wall Street Journal investigative reporter John Carreyrou discovered that all wasn't as it appeared at Theranos, the biotech company founded by Elizabeth Holmes.
Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of Theranos, speaks at the Clinton Global Initiative's closing session on September 29, 2015 in New York City.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Holmes surrenders Theranos, pays $500K after "massive fraud"

Mar 14, 2018
The settlement comes two years after the SEC began looking into claims at Theranos that it had developed potentially revolutionary blood-testing technology.
Elizabeth Holmes (L), founder and CEO of Theranos being interviewed by Matthew Herper, a senior editor for Forbes Media, at Forbes Under 30 Summit on Oct. 5, 2015.
Lisa Lake/Getty Images