SDS 576: Tech Startup Dramas

(00:19):
In recent months, three separate dramatic series on the hubris of tech startup founders, and the correspondingly dramatic rise and fall of their companies, were released and I was one of the many worldwide who got sucked into them each week as new episodes rolled out. These three shows are Super Pumped, The Dropout, and WeCrashed.

(00:41):
My favorite of the three was WeCrashed, which was released on Apple TV+ in March and April. This series, which featured A-list Hollywood actors Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto as both the lead actors and as executive producers, was focused on the genesis and botched initial public offering of WeWork. Leto and Hathaway, who play WeWork CEO Adam Neumann and his wife Rebekah, pull off exceptional dramatic performances, in my opinion. The story writing and cinematography are also exceptional, making for a gripping, visually stunning retelling of the office-sharing company that tried to use data science to maximize its impact and obtain a tech company valuation multiple from investors.

(01:24):
Super Pumped, the next show we’ll talk about, was released on Showtime, and dramatized the formation and boardroom battle of the global ride-share firm Uber — another firm whose use of data science and machine learning was central to their ability to scale. Super Pumped stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the cocky Uber co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick and he’s supported by renowned actors such as Uma Thurman and Elisabeth Shue. Quentin Tarantino narrates the program, which makes use of deliberately cheesy animations to explain technical content related to software development and venture capital financing rounds. While the critical reception for Super Pumped lagged behind the other shows I’m covering in this episode, I nevertheless found it both educational and interesting.

(02:06):
Of the three shows I’m talking about today, the most successful with critics was The Dropout, which was reviewed positively by 89% of critics according to RottenTomatoes. The Dropout aired on Hulu and, like the other two shows, was released over the course of March and April. This one starred Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes — the founder and CEO of the biotechnology company Theranos, which turned out to be a fraud and a danger to the patients that used its blood-sample testing service. Like WeCrashed, The Dropout had stellar writing and spectacular dramatic performances from Amanda Seyfried herself as well as the likes of Stephen Fry and William H. Macy. Unlike WeWork and Uber, there was no prominent data science element to the Theranos company, but as the cautionary tale of a high-growth venture capital-backed startup, you may still find it relevant to your profession… or, at worst, find it entertaining!

(02:57):
In case you’re wondering, I have not been paid to mention any of the shows I covered on the podcast today — they are genuine recommendations based on my personal experience enjoying the shows. As always, we’ve included links to all of them in the show notes for this episode.

(03:12):
All right, that’s it for today. Keep on rockin’ it out there, folks, and I’m looking forward to enjoying another round of the SuperDataScience podcast with you very soon.