S. Brice Strickland | Contributing Writer
They call it the technological singularity. A hypothetical moment in time when artificial intelligence will have superseded human intelligence. A radical change of civilization is theorized to then ensue, perhaps altering human nature as we know it.
HBO’s Silicon Valley
For today’s growing number of aspiring high-tech entrepreneurs, budding startups and “deep pockets” venture capitalists, experiencing anything akin to a gravitational singularity any time soon (think Will Smith in I, Robot type of bad luck) is not likely. With HBO’s newly released Silicon Valley series, however, another form of singularity may have been achieved – high-tech is now cool [no, no, like really cool].
Set in Silicon Valley (Palo Alto, California), former high-tech-startup-programmer-turned-HBO-executive producer Mike Judge (writer and director of classics Office Space and Beavis and Butt-head) takes a team of 6 aspiring programmers – in a previously unfathomable HBO story line – on a journey into the heart of the Silicon Valley jungle. [Editor’s Note: If you get a show on HBO about your industry, you’ve pretty much made it, right?]
In the process of trying to pitch their startup to a big shot VC, a young executive inadvertently stumbles upon a compression algorithm hidden in the team leader’s file-sharing software, and it could revolutionize everything. Enter VC chase. Enter Silicon Valley. High-tech is cool.
“Freakin’ Kid Rock is the poorest person here . . . minus you guys.”
“For thousands of years, guys like us have gotten the s*** kicked out of us. But now…we can be in charge and build empires.”
The show’s protagonist, Richard Hendricks, is rich in hipster apparel but poor in people skills. He triumphantly declares to his team of fellow programmers, “[f]or thousands of years, guys like us have gotten the s*** kicked out of us. But now…we can be in charge and build empires.”
The opportunities are real. For the first time in history, tech is the mainstream. Kids are now growing up with a keyboard or smart device in their hands (not a football or a basketball), dreaming to become the next Steve Jobs (and not the next Steve Young).
For many young and aspiring would-be tech developers of years’ past, entrance into the venture capitally funded high-tech world was extremely unlikely. Computer science or engineering degrees typically produced characters reminiscent of Val Kilmer’s role in Real Genius. For a majority of baby boomers, computer science prospects were limited or otherwise not appealing at all.
Computer science or technology careers were for the guys who wanted to work on huge computers in the basements of universities, right? Billion dollar Google buyouts did not exist. Heck, Google DID NOT EXIST. Why go high-tech?
Kilmer did not win an Oscar for this role. Or any movie after 1988 for that matter.
TechCrunch Meetups / Disrupt / Startup Battlefield
Enter present day and TechCrunch. A tech publication by day, an incubator for startups at night. Aiding aspiring high-tech entrepreneurs with an open forum to present and pitch their ideas to potential investors, TechCrunch is a great example of the exponential amount of opportunities that continue to become available for those involved in the high-tech marketplace.
Meetups – Think Mark Cuban’s Shark Tank meets tech nerds. Each Meetup, held at fourteen cities throughout the country, pits in development startups up against one another in a pitch-off like environment. Amidst networking (and beer), aspiring companies must pitch their ideas to a panel of judges (including TechCrunch editors, seasoned entrepreneurs, and product experts) who decide on the winners of the pitch-off event.
First place gets a table at “Startup Alley” and the chance to compete at the finals of the event, known as the TechCrunch Disrupt, held in NYC May 5-7. [Editor’s Note: I attended the DC Meetup event in DC on May 18th and it was awesome.]
Disrupt/Startup Battlefield – Startup Battlefield is the very heart of TechCrunch Disrupt. Thirty companies, chosen from hundreds of applicants, pitch their products live on the Disrupt stage in front of a panel of expert judges, press, a live audience of thousands and online audience of millions.
After demos, pitches and tough rounds of questions, six companies are selected for a final, drama-filled round on the third and final day of the event. One Battlefield contender will take home a check for $50,000 and the coveted Disrupt Cup.
Sound too good to be true? Oh, well perhaps it is the technological singularity‼
That green dot looks awful close . . .
Xavient is on our way to NYC next month to witness the spectacle that is TechCrunch Disrupt. We hope to see some of you there. The future is bright for the high-tech innovators of today. And tomorrow as well.
What changes, if any, will this have on society? Shift the landscape of the future American economy? Will computer programming take over the world?!
Either way, as the unbelievably hilarious, yet utterly enigmatic Erlich Bachmann of Silicon Valley would say, “let’s see how high this rocket can fly, partner.”
Cheers,
Xavient Information Systems | Herndon, Virginia, USA
P.S. My favorite clip from the show right here (WARNING, somewhat, well, mostly NSFW)
P.P.S. Wow, what a coincidence! This just announced! “Mike Judge And The Stars Of HBO’s ‘Silicon Valley’ Will Join Us At Disrupt NY” (TechCrunch, 4-16-14, read HERE).
References: TechCrunch – Meetups, TechCrunch – Disrupt NY 2014
XavThought 
Nicely written,thoughtful. I have also watched a few episodes of Silicon Valley, its good (my 2nd TV series based on computers after “IT Crowd”).You are right,technology has changed the world and every thing around us.Anyone who has a great idea and good business plan can go for glory.
Thanks for the kind comments, nine@8891! And I completely agree about the expansion of opportunities these days.
Cheap shot at Val Kilmer! He was amazing as the blind guy in that movie where he goes to the Rangers game.