Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani was the secondary antagonist in Hulu’s Miniseries “The Dropout”. He is portrayed by Naveen William Sidney Andrews.
Biography[]
Sunny Balwani, born Ramesh Balwani on June 13, 1965, in Pakistan, is an American businessman best known for his role as president and COO of Theranos, a health technology company once touted as a revolutionary force in medical diagnostics. Balwani's educational background includes a degree in information systems from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.
Balwani began his career in software development, working for companies like Microsoft. He later co-founded CommerceBid, an e-commerce software development company, which was acquired by Commerce One, another e-commerce company, during the dot-com boom. This acquisition made Balwani wealthy and established him as a significant figure in Silicon Valley.
In 2009, Balwani joined Theranos, a startup founded by his lover, Elizabeth Holmes, which aimed to revolutionize blood testing with proprietary technology that could run a wide range of tests using just a few drops of blood. As the company's president and COO, Balwani played a crucial role in its operations and strategic direction. However, Theranos' technology and practices came under intense scrutiny, leading to investigations and legal challenges. In 2013, British Biotechnologist Ian Gibbons committed suicide after being mistreated in the workplace by Balwani.
In 2018, Balwani, along with Holmes, was charged with criminal fraud by the SEC. He was accused of deceiving investors, doctors, and patients about the capabilities and accuracy of Theranos' blood-testing technology. In July 2022, he was found guilty on 12 counts of fraud and conspiracy, and in December 2022, he was sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison.