We had Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, James Mattis, and Rupert Murdoch on our board. The most powerful men in America believed in Theranos. None of them asked to see the data. Not one.
I wore the same black turtleneck every day. People compared me to Steve Jobs. The difference is Steve Jobs had a product that worked.
I founded Theranos at 19 because I was afraid of needles. I wanted to run hundreds of tests from a single drop of blood. The vision was real. The technology wasn't.
This is what happens when you work to change things. First they think you're crazy, then they fight you, and then all of a sudden you change the world.
We were valued at $9 billion. I was the youngest female self-made billionaire. Then John Carreyrou called and everything unraveled. One journalist with a source inside the company ended it all.
I was convicted on four counts of fraud. I am going to prison. I still believe the mission was right. The execution — I take responsibility for the execution.