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If you want to understand Silicon Valley, watch Silicon Valley

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Re: If you want to understand Silicon Valley, watch Silicon Valley

#401

Post by PhasmaFelis »

antisthenes wrote: post #301
Apocryphon wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What mythical better times are Idiocracy theory proponents even mourning? When have literacy rates and educational attainment for the masses ever been better than the present? As a species, we still have a long way to go before the low hanging fruit gains are realized.

To suggest that basic literacy and educational attainment are somehow indicative of above average intelligence or the ability to understand complex and abstract ideas is a bit of a stretch. With grade inflation and babysitting modern age students, what are the realistic requirements to attain a university degree in a low-difficulty major at a mediocre school? 80 IQ? 85? The literacy argument is trivially refuted in a…

You're dodging the question. When, exactly, was the peak of American intellectual achievement that we're now coasting downhill from? Name a decade.

Re: If you want to understand Silicon Valley, watch Silicon Valley

#402

Post by STRiDEX »

derangedHorse wrote: post #388
BurningFrog wrote: post #376

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing that mildly annoys me about the show is how white the cast is. At least in my Silicon Valley career, the "cast" around me has been vastly less so.

I have no idea where you're working at but if you've ever looked at Google's public diversity report (one of the largest companies in the valley), you'd see that your Silicon Valley career does not reflect what the majority of people in this very large company experience. https://diversity.google/annual-report/

Some of the other staples of the bay area.

Yahoo Tech workers 31% white https://yahoo.tumblr.com/post/152561899994/yahoos-2016-diver...

Ebay Tech workers 29% white https://static.ebayinc.com/assets/Uploads/Documents/eBay2017...

Re: If you want to understand Silicon Valley, watch Silicon Valley

#404

Post by bane »

cknoxrun wrote: post #195
garmaine wrote: post #146

I find it hits a bit close to home, so much so as to ruin the comedy sometimes... it’d be funny if it weren’t so true, which is depressing. Still watch it, and love it though. And super impressed that a Hollywood production finally understood Northern California. That never happens (see: The Social Network, Hackers, every Steve Jobs movie, etc.)

I would highly suggest checking out Halt and Catch Fire. It's a period piece, but I think it captures the spirit of Northern California. The first 2 seasons are in Texas before they jump ship to San Francisco.

H&CF is a great series and switches gears every season. The final season has some of the most beautifully written and acted character moments I've ever seen on TV. I finished it almost aching for the characters on the show and I rarely ever have a strong reaction to TV.

Re: If you want to understand Silicon Valley, watch Silicon Valley

#405

Post by shaklee3 »

tzs wrote: post #230
coleifer wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use this simple litmus test: if it has a laugh-track, then it's for dumb people.

That's a bad test. It mainly just filters out shows filmed in front of a live audience. If you film a comedy in front of a live audience, the actors have to adjust their delivery to speak around the laughter. If you take the laughter out of the final cut the pauses were the actors were waiting for the laughter to die down make it weird and awkward. If a scene only needs one or two takes to get right, they can just go…

Is BBT filmed in front of an audience? I thought OP's point was it's a laugh track, and there are no people there actually laughing.

Re: If you want to understand Silicon Valley, watch Silicon Valley

#406

Post by bane »

ibudiallo wrote: post #300

A few months ago I wrote a certain story here and to my surprise I received a call from Dan Lyons, one of the writers of the show. We had long discussions about silicon valley and his new book coming out (I'm featured in it). A few weeks ago he was in LA and we had another long discussion about the show. Silicon Valley is the show most startup founders will refuse to watch. My startup was featured on TechCrunch Disru…

It does a great job at isolating and grinding on the insufferable pretentiousness of the SV startup scene.

The first season resonated the most with my experiences, but I know others who recognize their own experiences in different parts of it.

Re: If you want to understand Silicon Valley, watch Silicon Valley

#407

Post by tonystubblebine »

BurningFrog wrote: post #398
derangedHorse wrote: post #388

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have no idea where you're working at but if you've ever looked at Google's public diversity report (one of the largest companies in the valley), you'd see that your Silicon Valley career does not reflect what the majority of people in this very large company experience. https://diversity.google/annual-report/

By this report Google is 56.6% white. My experience is that white male Americans are roughly 25% of the Silicon Valley workforce, but if you bundle in white immigrants and women you might reach 40-50%. As I remember the TV show, the main characters are 80% white, and the Indian guy is the whitest one I've seen. Small sample, I know, and I'm not offended. Just a little bored...

Pakistani fwiw.

Re: If you want to understand Silicon Valley, watch Silicon Valley

#408

Post by mcbain »

nkoren wrote: post #334
ibudiallo wrote: post #300

A few months ago I wrote a certain story here and to my surprise I received a call from Dan Lyons, one of the writers of the show. We had long discussions about silicon valley and his new book coming out (I'm featured in it). A few weeks ago he was in LA and we had another long discussion about the show. Silicon Valley is the show most startup founders will refuse to watch. My startup was featured on TechCrunch Disru…

Man, you need to get better co-founders! I agree that Silicon Valley often hits painfully close to home, but that's precisely what makes it so fantastic. My own startup has been mostly outside of America, but we get enough brushes with Silicon Valley culture -- or, worse, wannabe Silicon Valley culture -- to make the show really resonate. Even closer to home, for me personally, is the Australian comedy "Utopia" (or "…

Utopia is a documentary, not a comedy. I know people that can’t watch it because it is like being in their office.

Re: If you want to understand Silicon Valley, watch Silicon Valley

#409

Post by gammateam »

garmaine wrote: post #146

I find it hits a bit close to home, so much so as to ruin the comedy sometimes... it’d be funny if it weren’t so true, which is depressing. Still watch it, and love it though. And super impressed that a Hollywood production finally understood Northern California. That never happens (see: The Social Network, Hackers, every Steve Jobs movie, etc.)

I feel it is a bit contrived, the plot is

"AAAAaaaaaah! here is this completely benign part of the software development cycle that we are dramatizing because the sky is falling and our company won't survive!!!!!"

Every episode

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