Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has sparked concern after posting a cryptic message about her child’s “health and safety” while serving a federal prison sentence for fraud.
“I don’t get angry often. Tonight, I am,” Holmes, 42, wrote on X on Friday, September 25. “People put my child’s health and safety at risk. They knowingly and consciously chose this path.”
She followed the post with a warning: “If protecting my child means burning bridges, I’ll burn them to light the way. Time to sleep. I’ll grab the match tomorrow.”
Holmes did not identify the person or situation behind the message. She did, however, attach an AI-generated image showing herself lighting a match beside a bridge. She later appeared to change subjects, posting a photograph of herself with one of her children on an airboat. Holmes and her partner, Billy Evans, have two children.
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Holmes later taunted critics who questioned her references to “health and safety,” given her conviction on four federal counts of fraud and conspiracy in 2022. Theranos collapsed in 2018 after allegations that the company misrepresented the capabilities of its finger-prick blood-testing technology, potentially placing patients at serious risk.
“Erm. The company you founded and the lies you told also – I believe – put countless people’s health and safety at risk,” one critic wrote. Holmes replied, “Can the chat send this guy some x money to get a more flattering profile photo. Literally anything would be better.”
When another user asked, “Is this a threat?” Holmes answered, “A promise.”
A third critic accused her of following a “standard playbook” by acting like “the villain,” getting caught and then portraying herself as the victim.
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Holmes responded with another insult, writing: “Standard playbook, be a nobody, play the sage, be the r*****.”
The disgraced former Theranos CEO has been especially active on X this week despite continuing to serve a 135-month sentence at Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas. Last week, reports indicated that Holmes could be released early in 2027 and then transferred to a halfway house in Del Valle, Texas. Her former business partner and one-time boyfriend, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, received a nearly 13-year federal prison sentence and was also ordered to pay part of the $452 million restitution awarded to victims.
Holmes and her legal team have repeatedly appealed to President Donald Trump for a sentence commutation or full pardon. On Friday, September 25, she also praised Trump’s political prospects despite a bleak midterm outlook for Republicans, historically low approval numbers, rising gas and diesel prices, the ongoing war in Iran and multiple food recalls.
Holmes shared one of Trump’s midterm campaign videos and added, “We are winning.”
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Holmes has previously cultivated relationships with prominent political figures. She persuaded the late former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, former Trump administration Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, among others, to publicly support Theranos. Mattis, 76, and Shultz later withdrew their backing, while Frist, 74, and Kissinger quietly ended their business relationships with the company.
Holmes has again drawn public attention following news that The Rehearsal director Nathan Fielder and Some Kind of Heaven filmmaker Lance Oppenheim co-directed a nearly three-hour documentary about Holmes and Evans, 34. The film follows the former Theranos executive and her partner during the weeks leading up to her surrender to federal authorities.
You Can See Everything, scheduled to open October 16, was screened amid considerable anticipation at the 53rd Telluride Film Festival on September 6. Early reviews from the festival were highly enthusiastic.