Has streaming peaked? Netflix stock dropped 37% last week after the company’s loss of subscribers, and CNN+ was dead on arrival. Are viewers finally revolting? Maybe it’s the shows and content. It’s hard to find a movie, series or newscast that doesn’t push a social or political agenda, from “Bridgerton” to “Squid Game” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Even formerly family friendly Disney is getting too preachy. Elon Musk calls this the “woke mind virus.”
The agenda list is too long, so I’ll focus on the current rash of shows about entrepreneurs: Showtime’s “Super Pumped” on Travis Kalanick and Uber; Apple TV’s “WeCrashed” on Adam and Rebekah Neumann and WeWork ; and Hulu’s “The Dropout” on Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. Their debuts curiously coincided with the Netflix’s “Inventing Anna” about the con artist Anna Sorokin. Hollywood seems to equate entrepreneurs with scammers, almost as if filmmakers have a vendetta against success.
As I watched these entertaining series, I mostly laughed instead of cried, knowing this is how many people will think about entrepreneurs going forward. It’s a shame the entertainment industry is bent on destroying the reputation of Silicon Valley, which is keeping Hollywood alive.
Watching these series was fascinating but also a bit spooky, because I’ve known or met many characters in these shows. So it was fun to compare their real-life looks and personalities with the portrayals. Most weren’t even close. The opening line of each episode of “Inventing Anna” could apply to all the series: “This whole story is completely true. Except for all the parts that are totally made up.”
Here is the common thread: Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are misogynistic, adolescent, narcissistic tech bros running cults—even Ms. Holmes with her black turtlenecks and deepened voice. They consume only tequila, mysterious green juice or kombucha. Every company party has a bounce house. Bankers are idiots, and venture capitalists can be manipulated easily. Board members are rubber-stamping cretins. Every startup founder travels on private planes. (Note to venture capitalists: If a startup uses a company jet, then you’ve invested too much money and have lost control.) Finally, everyone’s motivation is the same: “We’re saving the world” or “making the world a better place,” a generational delusion. While there’s always a smidgen of truth to tropes, these are all clichés.
Anna Sorokin was a con woman.
