The word ‘can’ is the real star of the Elizabeth Holmes documentary
A documentary about Theranos' founder hinges on the meaning of a single, slippery word.
The story
A documentary about Elizabeth Holmes explores whether she lied or paltered, focusing on the word 'can' and the ambiguity of her statements about Theranos' technology.
Source: fortune.com
Our reading
Elizabeth Holmes’ insistence that she never lied hinges on the word ‘can,’ which she used to describe Theranos’ blood-testing technology. The word, as it turns out, is a linguistic tightrope walk between capability and immediacy, and Holmes seems to have mastered the art of standing on both sides at once.
It’s not just that she said the tech could do something—it’s that she never said it actually did. Investors and the public were left to assume the latter, while Holmes, like a magician, kept the trick under wraps. The real magic, though, is how she managed to keep the entire world guessing whether she was a genius, a fool, or just very good at playing both.
By the end, the film leaves you wondering not if Holmes lied, but if she ever really believed in the ‘can’ at all.
