Bad Blood by John Carreyrou wins 2018 Financial Times and McKinsey and Company Business Book of the Year Award

John Carreyrou is the winner of the 2018 Financial Times and McKinsey and Company Business Book of the Year Award for Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup.

The book is published by Picador (UK), and tells the tale of the rise and fall of Theranos, the blood-testing firm.

The award recognises the book that provides the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues.

John Carreyrou is the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who first broke the story of Theranos. His book saw off strong competition from a shortlist of titles with a focus on the future of capitalism, from the implementation of a universal basic income to the rise of India, to win the £30,000 prize. Each of the five runners-up received a cheque for £10,000.

Lionel Barber, Editor of the Financial Times and chair of the panel of judges, said, ‘Bad Blood is a brilliant piece of enterprise journalism. Carreyrou cracked the story of Theranos despite threats. He just gives us the facts and they are devastating. It’s well written and reads at times like a thriller.’

‘Bad Blood is a distinctive piece of work,’ said Kevin Sneader, Global Managing Partner of McKinsey and Company. ‘There are lessons here about the importance of governance, and the proper trade-offs between fostering innovation and conducting due diligence. Above all, it combines deep reporting with the narrative pulse of a well-told detective story.’