Isaacson explains what made him wary of Elizabeth Holmes

Walter Isaacson met Elizabeth Holmes before she became widely known. He said she was a Steve Jobs devotee, tried to dress like Jobs, and knew Isaacson’s biography of him almost better than its author did.

Isaacson recalled becoming suspicious of Theranos when Holmes described testing with a tiny drop of blood but would not explain how it worked. He said he declined to write about her and to moderate some public events with her because the story did not pass his “smell test.”

He remained fascinated by whether Holmes believed her own fabrications or had deceived herself. Isaacson said he asked people who knew her about that question but did not reach a firm conclusion. He situated his interest in Holmes alongside a broader fascination with people whose accounts of themselves are questionable; this was his reflection, not a claim about Holmes’s diagnosis or motive.