"You Can See Everything" is ostensibly about Elizabeth Holmes. For communications professionals, it is also a case study in how every word and intervention can carry reputational risk.
Throughout the film, minor communication choices have outsized consequences. The meaning of one word prompts an extended debate, while attempts to clarify past statements raise new questions.
PR professionals prepare clients for what to say, how to say it and which questions may come. We cannot control the final story, but we can improve the precision, preparation and judgment a client brings.
The film offers five lessons for communications professionals advising clients under intense scrutiny:
1. Pressure-test every word.
In one scene, Holmes addresses her past claims that a Theranos device “can” run tests. She said “can” described what the technology might eventually do, not what it could do at the time.
The exchange shows why precision matters. Media preparation should test every statement: Is it accurate? Does it align with the broader message? How could a reasonable audience interpret it? That final test matters when a quotation may circulate without context.
2. Prepare every potential spokesperson.
The film makes it very clear who is prepared and who is not. Unprepared interactions create uncertainty and undermine the principal’s message.
That is precisely why they deserve consideration. Not everyone needs full media training, but anyone who may speak should understand the ground rules, relevant facts, and when to defer rather than speculate.
3. Document conversations when permitted.
At one point in the film, Holmes objects to how a New York Times article quoted her. The scenario is familiar: a client disputes a characterization, but the team lacks a reliable record of what was said and in what context.
Where legally permissible, ethically appropriate, and agreed upon in advance, a recording or contemporaneous record can resolve later disputes. The goal is to have an accurate account that helps the reporter and the client verify the conversation.
4. Confront the underlying problem.
When a client is under scrutiny, the instinct to overexplain is natural. Good counsel asks whether an interview creates more opportunity than risk and whether the client’s account can withstand scrutiny.
For Holmes, the question is not only whether a docu-reality format or podcasts offered more control, but whether any medium could overcome the credibility problem. No format substitutes for truth. An adviser's value lies in pushing back when the client should not make the argument at all.
5. Recognize the limits of control.
A good media strategy helps messages land, represents the client accurately and advances their goals. But strategy is not control.
The film makes that limit visible. Holmes attempts to challenge critics' understanding of her, but co-directors Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim decide what audiences see. Her partner, Billy Evans, also tries to control the questions and intervenes midway through conversations. Reactive management cannot replace preparation.
Good PR counsel is no substitute for honesty, and communications cannot solve an underlying credibility problem. The adviser's role is to improve the client's precision, preparation and judgment, but they cannot promise control. Under intense scrutiny, knowing that boundary is part of the counsel.
Nick DeSarno and Sandeep Kumar provide crisis and reputation management counsel to Fortune 500 companies, major trade associations and nonprofits at Narrative Strategies.