History Series / TheDropout

** In the show, Gary Yamamoto completely shuts down Sunny's attempt to dazzle him with a big presentation. In reality, Yamamoto let him do the presentation, though it still didn't impress him at all.

** It's inferred by the show that Holmes is able to persuade Ian Gibbons to come on-board because he urgently needs a healthcare plan after his cancer battle. In real life, Gibbons had already been working for Theranos for two years before he was diagnosed with cancer.

* WhamLine:
** Ian to Elizabeth:
-->'''Elizabeth:''' You don't understand the business.\\
'''Ian:''' And ''you'' don't understand the science!
** From the CMS report, and in all caps:

** Elizabeth to Sunny:
-->'''Sunny:''' You're not a person! You're a ghost! You're not real!\\
'''Elizabeth:''' And you're a mediocre software engineer.

* FamilyVersusCareer: Discussed: Larry Ellison warns Elizabeth that she'll have to sacrifice having a marriage and children if she wants to be a CEO, and he seems mildly amused when he points out that he didn't have to make that choice.

** [[spoiler:After learning Ian killed himself, Elizabeth goes back to the meeting she was just having. Sunny tries to get her to take a moment to grieve, but Elizabeth focuses on the fact that with Ian dead, he can no longer testify against her and therefore Richard Fuisz has to settle by default. She is later seen playing with the wellness center diorama like a child playing with a doll house.]]

''The Dropout'' is a Creator/{{Hulu}} miniseries about the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of Theranos, based on the Creator/{{ABC}} News podcast of the same name. The first three episodes dropped on March 3, 2022, with the remaining five episodes being released on a weekly fashion.

** Elizabeth does have some points in her sociopath speech to an apple worker. Having a big goal is a burden. Not having a big goal does keep a big burden from being on your shoulders. Also, not everyone does have a big goal, and as such, they won’t face that burden. It’s still not something you should say to someone though.

** In the show, after [[spoiler:Ian Gibbons commits suicide, a mass email is sent out to employees announcing in his death. In reality, no one in Theranos was told about his passing.]]

* CheatedDeathDiedAnyway: [[spoiler: When Elizabeth hears about Ian's suicide, she numbly states he had previously survived cancer. Her obvious thinking is that after Ian successfully (and repeatedly at that) bounced back from one of the deadliest ailments in the medical work, it was threats from partially ''her'' company that led to his death.]]

* PutOnABus: A lot of the people who break ties with Theranos or warn of its dangers are never seen again in the narrative. TropesAreTools here, as it was to establish the long term problems with the company and how people were constantly being dismissed and experts ignored. Fuisz's final scene also carries impact with this in mind, as now that Elizabeth is on her way down, he has nothing left to contribute, in-universe or out.

* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: Brendan had threatened to ResignInProtest after Ian Gibbons was fired but stayed after Ian returned to work. However, after [[spoiler: Ian's death by suicide,]] Brendan writes a heartfelt eulogy that he sends to everyone and leaves the company, armed with his CardboardBoxOfUnemployment.

** Elizbeth often dances alone in her bedroom, office, or car to release pent-up frustrations, and she looks absolutely ridiculous every time.

* PutOnABus: A lot of the people who break ties with Theranos or warn of its dangers are never seen again in the narrative. Justified in that it was to establish the long term problems with the company and how people were constantly being dismissed and experts being ignored.

-->'''Sunny:''' I was going back over emails, text messages.... It's romantic to look over old texts. ''(I'm building up an incriminating record of all our conversations.)''
-->'''Elizabeth:''' ...I don't know everything that you did. ''(I'm going to say I didn't know everything that you did.)''
-->'''Sunny:''' ...I worked for six years, day and night, to help you. This was ''your'' dream. ''Your'' passion. Not mine. ''(I'm going to say I was only following your orders.)''
-->'''Elizabeth:''' I know how hard it's going to be to transition out of the company. ''(I'm firing you to save myself.)'' ...You've known me since I was a girl. How old was I when I met you? I was barely 18. You've taught me everything I know. ''(And I'm going to position myself as a young naive girl under your sinister influence.)''
-->'''Sunny:''' I'm not leaving until we break even.... You need me until then. ''(I'll keep my mouth shut as long as you keep paying me.)'' ...But where will you live? The house is in my name. ''(But I'm throwing you out of our house.)''

-->'''Sunny:''' You're not a person! You're a ghost! You're not real!
-->'''Elizabeth:''' And you're a mediocre software engineer.

** Designer Ana Arriola goes to work at Elizabeth Holmes's company. Excited to work for a female CEO, she soon starts catching on to Elizabeth’s ways. The trial on cancer patients even though the machine doesn't work is the last straw. Elizabeth dismisses Ana's concerns by saying it was just a trial. In disgust, Ana quits on the spot, taking her whole design team with her.

* TakeAThirdOption: A dark, tragic example. [[spoiler:Ian Gibson is subpoenaed to testify in Richard Fuisz's lawsuit. He either testifies, at which point he will not only be fired but will also lose his health insurance coverage and face lawsuits from Theranos itself which he cannot stave off, or sign an affidavit that says he has a drinking problem, which means he will never be able to practice chemistry again. Ian instead decides to commit suicide.]]

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Elizabeth yells at Sunny for dropping by the engineering lab, claiming to be a consultant and asking questions. Sunny responds calmly. "Do you want to talk about that, or the fact you're 10 years away from the promises you've made to the board?"

-->"''Underfunded and understaffed, but if they get a formal complaint, they have to investigate it. It's just this fucking boring fucking federal fucking regulatory agency that can shut her ass down.''"

--->''What I like about blood\\

You got your results!''

-->'''Ian''': Although, uh, just out of curiosity, um, when will we run out of money? Just so I know so when to, you know, run off to find another job ''(Chuckles)'' for the health insurance, because I do have this tendency to occasionally get cancer, you know.

-->''My god, even the name's boring. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It-it's just, like, so boring that I can't even say it without being bored.''

** Once Sunny becomes chief operating officer, he runs the company with an iron fist: guards in the lobby to prevent employees from talking to each other, virtually locking the chemists in their laboratories, and suddenly and secretly firing staff, which the other employees refer to as "disappearing."

-->'''Carreyrou:''' Would you go on the record with this?
-->(''pause'')

--->''And when this becomes a scandal, because it will become a scandal, what do you think happens to all of the other women who want to start companies? Who do they go to? Who's going to trust them? Because it's not just you. It's never just you.''

-->'''Fuisz''': ''(awkwardly)'' Well, it must be hard to be a woman.\\

* TheyCallMeMISTERTibbs: At a dinner for the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows, Elizabeth bumps into Phyllis Gardner. Dr. Gardner knows about the ''Wall Street Journal'' article and gives a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Elizabeth. Elizabeth tries to slip away with a lame, "It was good to see you, Phyllis."

-->'''Sunny:''' I was going back over emails, text messages.... It's romantic to look over old texts. (''I'm building up an incriminating record of all our conversations.'')
-->'''Elizabeth:''' ...I don't know everything that you did. (''I'm going to say I didn't know everything that you did.'')
-->'''Sunny:''' ...I worked for six years, day and night, to help you. This was ''your'' dream. ''Your'' passion. Not mine. (''I'm going to say I was only following your orders.'')
-->'''Elizabeth:''' I know how hard it's going to be to transition out of the company. (''I'm firing you to save myself.'') ...You've known me since I was a girl. How old was I when I met you? I was barely 18. You've taught me everything I know. (''And I'm going to position myself as a young naive girl under your sinister influence.'')
-->'''Sunny:''' I'm not leaving until we break even.... You need me until then. (''I'll keep my mouth shut as long as you keep paying me.'') ...But where will you live? The house is in my name. (''But I'm throwing you out of our house.'')

* GetOut: One that's not a demand, but a warming: Tyler Shultz arrives for his first day of work at Theranos. At the lobby, he sees everybody is heading toward the same direction. Confused, he turns toward the first person he sees, Brendan, seemingly oblivious to the CardboardBoxOfUnemployment that Brendan carries:

* AtomicFBomb: Elizabeth yells "Fuuuuuuuuck!" inside her car after being rejected by several venture capitalists.

* ForgotToPayTheBill: After the first failed test of the machine, the lights go out at Theranos. Elizabeth has to put the power bill on a credit card other than the one she was using.

* GetOut: Tyler Shultz arrives for his first day of work at Theranos. At the lobby, he sees everybody is heading toward the same direction. Confused, he turns toward the first person he sees, Brendan, seemingly oblivious to the CardboardBoxOfUnemployment that Brendan carries:

** After the trial on cancer patients in a Nashville clinic. "This is an inspiring step forward." It's the phrase that Elizabeth says out loud over and over again to practice her ContraltoOfDanger. She uses it to justify the trials on cancer patients to both Edmond and Don Lucas. Also doubles as MadnessMantra.

* ContraltoOfDanger: Elizabeth makes a deliberate switch from her regular voice to one that's deeper. She tests out her new voice when Don Lucas calls her to tell her that Avie resigned. He asks her if she has a cold. She finally drops it after the company collapses.

* OhCrap: Brendan's expression when he sees a model of the miniLab device, which is less than two feet wide on any side but requires him to fit an entire blood-testing mechanism into it.