Mike Judge has done it again. A few months ago, I wrote about
one of my favorite workplace flicks, Office Space, and the dangers of
pushing off uncomfortable employment issues (specifically Milt
Waddams, a mumbly arsonist-to-be). Now I'm hooked on Mike
Judge's latest project, HBO's Silicon Valley.
Silicon Valley chronicles the ups and downs of life in
a tech startup. The feature characters are all residents of an
eccentric business incubator that allows them free room and board
in exchange for 10 percent of their companies and some questionable
business direction. One of the characters (Richard) suddenly scores
the attention of several venture capitalists and potential
acquirers for his company, Pied Piper, and its revolutionary
compression algorithm. From that point, the show does a brilliant
job of showing that initially successful tech startups are a bit
like the dog who chased the car—and caught it.
