In honor of Silicon Valley’s return to Netflix today, we take a look at some of the best movies that portray the world of Silicon Valley culture in all of its different facets. Whether they depict titans of industry, internet entrepreneurs, or tech geniuses on their way to revolutionizing the world as we know it, these movies are sure to have you laughing out loud one minute and getting inspired about your own future endeavors the next. Let’s take a look at which ones made our list…
The Social Network
The Social Network is a 2010 American biographical drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. It stars Jesse Eisenberg as founder Mark Zuckerberg, along with Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin and Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker.
It depicts the founding of the social networking website Facebook, and how it got its name.
Written by screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, the script was based in part on Ben Mezrich’s book The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal. The plot focuses on Harvard University student and computer programmer Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) who creates the popular social networking site that would become known as Facebook.
The story culminates in April 2004 when Zuckerberg’s then-girlfriend Erica Albright (Rooney Mara) ends their relationship upon discovering that he lied to her about his identity after telling her that he was an old friend of hers from Reed College.
The Startup Kids
The Startup Kids is a documentary about a group of kids who are starting their own companies in New York City. The film delves into the lives of these young entrepreneurs and discusses the benefits and struggles that come with being a startup founder at such an early age.
It’s inspiring to see these kids building empires from their bedrooms, as well as terrifying to think what could happen if they fail.
Marlo has not been able to sleep through the night since her daughter was born two years ago and now she finds herself pregnant again.
Though this may be depressing for some viewers to watch, it offers hope for others: If Marlo can find ways to balance family life while still making progress with her company, then there might be hope for the rest of us too!
Something Ventured
Based on the book of the same name, this movie documents how a small group of entrepreneurs risked everything to make a company called America Online.
It’s an inspiring story of how they took risks, made sacrifices, and overcame obstacles.
The movie is also a reminder that when you’re building something new and completely different, obstacles will arise and it’s how you overcome them that will define your success.
If you love biographies or documentaries about startups, then Something Ventured is worth watching. It also includes insights from Steve Case, who was one of the founders and CEO of AOL from 1985-1996.
Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine
This documentary by Alex Gibney is a great watch for anyone interested in the history of technology. It provides insight into Steve Jobs’ life, his relationships, and his legacy.
The film covers a range of topics such as the rise of Apple, NeXT Computers, Pixar Animation Studios, and Jobs’s one-year hiatus from Apple.
The first movie that comes to mind when thinking about silicon valley would be 1999’s cult classic The Social Network. A movie with 5 stars on IMDb and 8/10 stars on Metacritic that features actors Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, and Andrew Garfield among others.
Based on the novel written by Ben Mezrich, this drama tells the story of Harvard undergrad Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and how he created Facebook. Since its release in 2010, this movie has been successful in receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture among other awards.
In addition to having a deep understanding of how Facebook works now, this film can also show you how it used to work before it was constantly changing.
We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists
We Are Legion is a documentary about the rise of Anonymous, the hacktivist group that has become a force to be reckoned with in modern society.
The film not only examines the history of this collective but also covers their many battles against censorship and other social issues.
For example, they took down PayPal because it was going to prevent people from donating to WikiLeaks. Anonymous also had a hand in getting Donald Trump fired from hosting his reality show on NBC.
They hacked into the network’s computer system and made it so every time he would say NBC during taping, pictures of swastikas or images of him wearing KKK robes popped up on the screen. When these attacks became too much for NBC to handle, they were forced to let him go.
Code: Debugging the Gender Gap
It’s no secret that there is a big gender gap in Silicon Valley. On average, only one in five computer programmers are female. The documentary Code: Debugging the Gender Gap takes a look at why this is and what can be done about it.
The film follows three girls through their first year of coding classes to show the different challenges they face when entering the tech world.
Some interviewees discuss how they were ignored or excluded because of their gender.
Others talk about how being underestimated became an advantage for them in the workplace. Throughout the film, these stories are juxtaposed with clips from media coverage of sexism and discrimination lawsuits against companies like Google and Uber.
The Silk Road
This documentary film tells the story of Ross Ulbricht, a bright young man who had big ambitions. He wanted to change the world and make it a better place.
This is why he started the Silk Road, an online marketplace that changed the way people across the globe buy and sell illegal goods.
It was also one of the most successful drug marketplaces in history until it was shut down by law enforcement. What happens after this arrest? What lessons can we learn from this great criminal saga?
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