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  • Thicker than Water

  • Written by: Tyler Shultz
  • Narrated by: Tyler Shultz
  • Length: 3 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (113 ratings)

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Thicker than Water

Written by: Tyler Shultz
Narrated by: Tyler Shultz
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Publisher's Summary

From the hero whistleblower of the infamous Theranos scam, Thicker than Water is a look at never-before-revealed details behind closed doors at the company, revealing a cautionary tale of corporate bullying, gaslighting, ego, and wealth running amok in Silicon Valley.

Tyler Shultz had been in the workforce for less than a year when he emailed Elizabeth Holmes, his employer and the CEO and founder of Theranos, with concerns that the company’s lab practices were faulty, ignored quality control, and were potentially dangerous to patients. The COO fired back with a dismissive and insulting email, to which Tyler replied: “Consider this my two weeks’ notice.”

From there, his life spun out of control at the hand of Elizabeth, her team of high-powered lawyers, and the patriarch of Tyler’s own family George Shultz - one of America’s most prominent statesmen - who sat among the top of the Theranos board of directors. And yet, Tyler forged on. To protect his own conscience, the honor and reputation of his grandfather, and the health of patients worldwide.

Thicker than Water is Tyler’s as-told-to story - a harrowing and heartbreaking roller coaster of biomedical drama, family intrigue, and redemption - that will ultimately make you feel as though you are at a dinner party, seated next to a brilliant friend with one hell of a story. 

Selected audio clips are courtesy of Bloomberg.

©2020 Audible Originals LLC. (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

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What listeners say about Thicker than Water

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I'm so Obsessed with Theranos

This whole fraud story is so wild. I have been reading and watching everything about it, including Carreyrou's Bad Blood.

Tyler did a really good job expanding on his side of the situation starting from when he first met Elizabeth to the time when her company was charged with fraud.

I cannot imagine the turmoil he went through. Some of his story was hard to listen to but so compelling all the same.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Emotional, gripping, but easy listen

I have been following the Theranos story for years. Tyler's always been very cheerful and funny in interviews, but I had always wondered about the whole picture from his perspective because what he went through was nothing short of a layered cake of nightmares upon nightmares.

It is easy-listen like a podcast, but also very impactful hearing the emotions in his voice as he recounted the hardships. He cracks a joke every now and then that made me laugh. What an incredibly humble, articulate and intelligent young man with impeccable integrity, who not only navigated legal and social challenges but also knew how to stand up for himself for the sake of his mental health and self-worth. Truly inspiring.

This audiobook is worth every penny.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Interesting and powerful

Short but interesting perspective from a brave young man. Anyone following the Theranos saga will enjoy it. Fills in many areas from his viewpoint.

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Excellent

Having read the book Bad Blood written by the WSJ reporter who broke the Theranos story I was curious about the young ‘whistle blower’ who showed wisdom and strength far beyond his years in the face of an overwhelming degree of harassment and bullying by his ethically challenged former employers. His narrative is genuine, engaging and very thoughtful. He came off as humble and sincere and I kept on thinking how incredibly proud his family should be of him. I often found myself tearing up thinking of the terrible stress he endured because he felt so strongly about doing the right thing. This is an audio book well worth the listen.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Loved the honesty

Thoroughly enjoyed the listen. Nice to know that there are honest people with convictions. You must be very proud of what you have an accomplished.

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  • 2021-11-11

Awesome listen

It is never easy to be a whistle blower.That I know .

This is truly the best audio book I have listened to in a long time.

This book had the commercial free audio book format combined with an informal podcast feeling. I loved the music .

Books well read by the author always adds another dimension to the story.

Good luck Tyler. Be happy.

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Fascinating!

The Theranos story is fascinating and it was great to hear Tyler's story. Kudos to him for sticking to his guns and doing the right thing.

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informative, entertaining & almost addictive

could not stop until the end.
I broke my own rule of keeping audiobooks to driving time, but found myself listening to it as I did house chores & prepared dinner. I always admired Kyle & his dedication to stand up for the truth, his courage to protect his loved ones & his commitment to sound scientific thinking. Recommended to anyone who likes a good ending with the good guy finally vindicated & the bad guy exposed. Most of us dream this scenario as a fantasy & it is so nice to see it in real life.

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Stand-up human being - great book

Loved the book. What a brave standup man. You took on an empire and stood your ground. Your parents must be beaming with pride. You are the kind of person that could run an empire or country!

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Great personal insight!

I have listened to Bad Blood and The Drop Out so it was nice to hear the inside story from someone so heavily involved.

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