John Carreyrou
Carreyrou in 2019
CitizenshipFrench-American
EducationDuke University (B.A.)
OccupationJournalist
Years active1999-present
Employer(s)The Wall Street Journal (1999-2019)
The New York Times (since 2023)
Known forReporting on Theranos and other corporate scandals
Notable workBad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
SpouseMolly Schuetz
Children3
AwardsPulitzer Prize (2)
George Polk Award
Gerald Loeb Award

John Carreyrou (/ˌkæriˈruː/)[1] is a French-American investigative reporter at The New York Times. Carreyrou worked for The Wall Street Journal for 20 years between 1999 and 2019[2] and has been based in Brussels, Paris, and New York City. He won the Pulitzer Prize twice and is well known for having exposed the fraudulent practices of the multibillion-dollar blood-testing company Theranos in a series of articles published in The Wall Street Journal.

Early life and career

John Carreyrou was born to French journalist Gérard Carreyrou and an American mother. He grew up in Paris.[3] Carreyrou graduated from Duke University in 1994 with a B.A. in political science and government.

After graduation, he joined the Dow Jones Newswires. In 1999, he joined The Wall Street Journal Europe in Brussels.[4] In 2001, he moved to Paris to cover French business and other topics such as terrorism. In 2003, he was appointed the deputy bureau chief for Southern Europe. He covered French politics and business, Spain, and Portugal.[5] By 2008, he was the deputy bureau chief and later bureau chief of the health and science bureau in New York.[6]

In late 2015, spurred by a deep investigation carried out by Eleftherios Diamandis, Carreyrou began a series of investigative articles on Theranos, the blood-testing start-up founded by Elizabeth Holmes, that questioned the firm's claim to be able to run a wide range of lab tests from a tiny sample of blood from a finger prick.[7][8][9] Holmes turned to Rupert Murdoch, whose media empire includes Carreyrou's employer, The Wall Street Journal, to kill the story. Murdoch, who became the biggest investor in Theranos in 2015 as a result of his $125 million injection, refused the request from Holmes saying that "he trusted the paper's editors to handle the matter fairly".[10][11] In May 2018, Knopf published Carreyrou's book-length treatment of the topic, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup.[12] Carreyrou also features prominently in a documentary about Theranos called The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley.

In August 2019, Carreyrou left the Wall Street Journal, opting for paid speaking engagements that are banned by the newspaper. For future plans, he commented "I want to keep writing non-fiction books for the second part of my career".[13][14]

In 2021, Carreyrou released a podcast called "Bad Blood: The Final Chapter" covering the trial of Elizabeth Holmes.[15]

In March 2022, Hulu released The Dropout, a miniseries about Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos scandal, where Carreyrou is portrayed by Ebon Moss-Bachrach.[16]

In early 2023 Carreyrou joined The New York Times as an investigative reporter.[17]

Awards

In 2003, Carreyrou shared the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting with a team of Wall Street Journal reporters for a series of stories that exposed corporate scandals in America.[18][19] Carreyrou co-authored the article Damage Control: How Messier Kept Cash Crisis at Vivendi Hidden for Months, published Oct. 31, 2002.[20]

In 2003, Carreyrou won the German Marshall Fund's Peter R. Weitz Junior Prize for excellence in reporting on European affairs for his detailed coverage of the downfall of Vivendi Universal SA and its chairman, Jean-Marie Messier.[21]

In 2004, Carreyrou shared the German Marshall Fund's Peter R. Weitz Senior Prize for excellence in reporting on European affairs with a team of six Wall Street Journal journalists.[22] In the five-part series titled The Disintegration of the Trans-Atlantic Relationship over the Iraq War Carreyrou contributed the article In Normandy, U.S.-France Feud Cuts Deep.[23] Published on February 24, 2003, while Carreyrou was based in Paris, the article explored how France's Normandy region, site of the D-Day landings, was caught between gratitude for the U.S. role in World War II and France's opposition to war in Iraq.[24]

In 2015, Carreyrou shared the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting and the Gerald Loeb Award for Investigative with a team of investigative reporters at The Wall Street Journal for "Medicare Unmasked", a project that forced the American government in 2014 to release important Medicare data kept secret for decades, and in a sweeping investigative series uncovered abuses that cost billions.[25][26][27] Carreyrou co-authored four articles in the series: Taxpayers face big tab for unusual doctor billings,[28] A fast-growing medical lab tests anti-kickback law,[29] Doctor 'self-referral' thrives on legal loophole[30] and Sprawling medicare struggles to fight fraud.[31]

In 2016, Carreyrou received the 67th annual George Polk Awards in Journalism for Financial Reporting in 2015,[32] and the Gerald Loeb Award for Beat Reporting.[33] His investigation of Theranos, Inc. "raised serious doubts about claims by the firm and its celebrated 31-year-old founder, Elizabeth Holmes".[32] According to Vanity Fair, "a damning report published in The Wall Street Journal had alleged that the company was, in effect, a sham".[34][35] Carreyrou wrote the report.[34][35] A book-length treatment titled Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup (2018)[36] won the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award.[37] A film version was once described as being in the works starring Jennifer Lawrence, written by Vanessa Taylor, and directed by Adam McKay.[38]

Personal life

He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife Molly Schuetz, an editor at Bloomberg News,[39] and their three children.[40]

References

  1. ^ "John Carreyrou: Investigative Reporter". The Wall Street Journal. March 20, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  2. ^ Cartwright, Lachlan (2019-08-29). "'Bad Blood' Author Left Wall Street Journal". Retrieved 2019-11-02.
  3. ^ Emmanuel Saint-Martin (Apr 21, 2015). "Un Français reçoit le Prix Pulitzer". French Morning. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  4. ^ John Carreyrou (Dec 6, 1999). "Belgians Dole Out $1 Million to Pay For Wedding of Their Future King". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  5. ^ "John Carreyrou New Deputy Bureau Chief for Southern Europe". Dow Jones Newswires. Feb 14, 2003. Archived from the original on 2005-05-16. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  6. ^ "2008 SABEW Conference Program" (PDF). SABEW. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 25, 2021. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  7. ^ James B. Stewart (Oct 29, 2015). "The Narrative Frays for Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes". The New York Times. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  8. ^ John Carreyrou (Oct 16, 2015). "Hot Startup Theranos Has Struggled With Its Blood-Test Technology". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  9. ^ John Carreyrou (Dec 27, 2015). "At Theranos, Many Strategies and Snags". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  10. ^ Huddleston, Tom Jr. (March 15, 2019). "6 of the most fascinating revelations from 'Bad Blood' on Theranos debacle and Elizabeth Holmes". CNBC.
  11. ^ "An Unsung Hero of the Theranos Saga: Rupert Murdoch". Ricochet. 19 March 2019.
  12. ^ Carreyrou, John (2018). Bad blood : Secrets and lies in a Silicon Valley startup (First ed.). New York: Knopf. ISBN 9781524731656. OCLC 1029779381.
  13. ^ Cartwright, Lachlan (2019-08-29). "'Bad Blood' Author Left Wall Street Journal". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  14. ^ ""Bad Blood" author Carreyrou leaves WSJ over paid speaking ban". Talking Biz News. 2019-08-29. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  15. ^ Khorram, Yasmin (2021-07-09). "Reporter who broke Theranos scandal predicts outcome of Elizabeth Holmes trial". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  16. ^ Petski, Denise (2021-09-14). "'The Dropout': Hulu Limited Series Rounds Out Recurring Cast With LisaGay Hamilton, Michaela Watkins, More". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  17. ^ "John Carreyrou Joins The Times". The New York Times Company. 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  18. ^ "Wall Street Journal Wins Pulitzer For Series on Corporate Scandals". The Wall Street Journal. Apr 7, 2003. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  19. ^ "Pulitzer Prize Winners". The Pulitzer Prizes – Columbia University. 2003. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016. 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting: Staff of The Wall Street Journal. For its clear, concise and comprehensive stories that illuminated the roots, significance and impact of corporate scandals in America. (Moved by the jury from the Public Service category.)
  20. ^ John Carreyrou and Martin Peers (Oct 31, 2002). "Damage Control: How Messier Kept Cash Crisis at Vivendi Hidden for Months". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  21. ^ "Annual Report 2003" (PDF). The German Marshall Fund of the United States. 2003. p. 8. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016. Peter R. Weitz Journalism Prizes. GMF awards two prizes annually for excellence in reporting on European and transatlantic affairs. A team of writers from BusinessWeek, led by David Fairlamb and John Rossant, were awarded the 2003 senior Peter R. Weitz Journalism Prize of $10,000 for their in-depth coverage of the expansion of the European Union to include countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The junior prize of $5,000 was awarded to The Wall Street Journal's John Carreyrou for his detailed coverage of the downfall of Vivendi Universal SA and its chairman, Jean-Marie Messier.
  22. ^ "2004 Peter R. Weitz Senior Prize" (PDF). The Wall Street Journal. The German Marshall Fund of the United States. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2017. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  23. ^ John Carreyrou (Feb 24, 2003). "In Normandy, U.S.-France Feud Cuts Deep". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  24. ^ "Journal Reporters Win Prize For European Affairs Coverage". The Wall Street Journal. Oct 1, 2004. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  25. ^ "Pulitzer Prize Winners". The Pulitzer Prizes. Columbia University. 2015. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016. 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting: Eric Lipton of The New York Times For reporting that showed how the influence of lobbyists can sway congressional leaders and state attorneys general, slanting justice toward the wealthy and connected. & The Wall Street Journal Staff For "Medicare Unmasked," a pioneering project that gave Americans unprecedented access to previously confidential data on the motivations and practices of their health care providers.
  26. ^ Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg (Apr 20, 2015). "Wall Street Journal Wins Investigative Pulitzer". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  27. ^ Hutchins, Sarah (April 21, 2015). "IRE members recognized in 2015 Pulitzer Prizes". Investigative Reporters and Editors. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  28. ^ John Carreyrou, Christopher S. Stewart and Rob Barry (June 10, 2014). "Taxpayers face big tab for unusual doctor billings". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  29. ^ John Carreyrou and Tom McGinty (September 8, 2014). "A fast-growing medical lab tests anti-kickback law". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  30. ^ John Carreyrou And Janet Adamy (October 23, 2014). "Doctor 'self-referral' thrives on legal loophole". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  31. ^ John Carreyrou And Christopher S. Stewart (December 26, 2014). "Sprawling medicare struggles to fight fraud". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.
  32. ^ a b "Long Island University Announces 67th Annual George Polk Awards in Journalism". Long Island University. Feb 14, 2016. Retrieved Feb 20, 2016. The award for Financial Reporting will go to John Carreyrou of The Wall Street Journal whose investigation of Theranos, Inc. raised serious doubts about claims by the firm and its celebrated 31-year-old founder, Elizabeth Holmes, that its new procedure for drawing and testing blood was a transformational medical breakthrough in wide use at the firm's labs. Carreyrou's well-researched stories, reported in the face of threats of lawsuits and efforts to pressure some sources to back off of their accounts, led to a reevaluation of Theranos' prospects among investors and have been followed by regulatory actions against the company and widespread discussion that publications and institutions from Fortune and The New Yorker to Harvard and the White House may have been too quick to hail Holmes, a Stanford dropout whose personal wealth at the height of her startup's rise was an estimated $4.5 billion, as a success story in the tradition of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.
  33. ^ Daillak, Jonathan (June 29, 2016). "UCLA Anderson School honors 2016 Gerald Loeb Award winners". UCLA. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  34. ^ a b Bilton, Nick. "Exclusive: How Elizabeth Holmes's House of Cards Came Tumbling Down". The Hive. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  35. ^ a b Carreyrou, John (2015-10-16). "Hot Startup Theranos Has Struggled With Its Blood-Test Technology". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  36. ^ "How One Company Scammed Silicon Valley. And How It Got Caught". The New York Times. 2018-05-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
  37. ^ Andrew Hill (November 12, 2018). "'Bad Blood' wins the FT and McKinsey Business Book of 2018". Financial Times. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  38. ^ McNary, Dave (June 23, 2016). "Legendary Wins Bidding War for Jennifer Lawrence Movie 'Bad Blood'". Variety. Archived from the original on 2016-06-25. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  39. ^ Ali, Yashar (May 24, 2018). "The Reporter Who Took Down a Unicorn". Intelligencer.
  40. ^ "2014 IRE Conference – Event: Finding stories in Medicare's vast data trove". Investigative Reporters & Editors, Missouri School of Journalism. Jun 27, 2015. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved Jan 31, 2016.


External links

Gerald Loeb Awards for Deadline and Beat Reporting
Gerald Loeb Award for Investigative Journalism winners
Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting
Authority control databases
Theranos
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