Silicon Valley: From Zero to One

When X recommends me to watch Silicon Valley, I am extremely curious.

The thought of Silicon Valley promptly leads me to picture those grandiose and teeming high-tech companies, such as Google, Microsoft and Apple. It also reminds me of inspiring and legendary stories where those IT geniuses drop out and carve out off-beaten paths with valuable products.

Opportunities abound in the advent of technological innovation and upheaval. Silicon Valley has long been home to nerds and underdogs, which we later recognize to be the most influential figures in the world.

Honestly, I become soaked up in the show after peeking the previous introduction and singular posters.

Richard, one of the main charaters of the story and also an epitome of ordinary coders, joins forces with Big Head, Gilfoyle and Dinesh in the incubator that Erlich has established after selling some self-developed application and conspires to squeeze the promising income from everyone under his wings.

The show preludes with Richard’s disappointing showdown of a music app dubbed as Pied Piper. However, his algorithm on compression soon becomes a hit in the eyes of Peter Gregory and Gavin Belson, two of the most pioneering giants in the industry. Their rivalry ignites Richard and his homies. After much contemplation, they reject Hooli’s bounty buy-out and instead choose to start from scratch to make the world a better place.

Then the TV series follow their ups and downs in founding the enterprise. The interesting but surprising plots, on one hand, attest to the magnificent storytelling ability of writers. Financing conflicts, technological issues and team solidarity become even more credible. On the other hand, all the exaggeration and boastful performance in the show are genuine reflections of the stereotypes and prejudices in Silicon Valley. These bizarre expressions would not only tickle the audience, but also let everyone think about the reality.

Paradoxical may it be, there are some splendid supporting actors inSilicon Valley that I tremendously favor.

One of those impressionable characters is Jared. He has been doing superbly in Hooli, but after he meets Richard, he soon firmly jumps to the boat because of his addiction to the marvelous entrepreneurial experience. Jared’s audacious and dashing spirit truly astonishes me. Despite his orthodox conduct and analysis, he is an asset to the team. Impervious to others’ taunting and disparaging remarks, he would stick to his principles and try to tackle problems for the team.

Gavin Belson, CEO of Hooli and man of the hour, contributes quite a few jokes in the show. Every time he demonstrates in front of the board, he would invite some live animal to accentuate his points, including an elephant. Then he pushes forward his proposals against the board and sometimes becomes paranoid. By the way, Hooli is like a hybrid of Google and Yahoo where dozens of idlers swirl around.

Russ Hanneman, a super billionaire, makes fortune in early days but is excessively preoccupied with his asset depreciation. He would go so far as to sell his sports-car just to maintain his ranks. Being an investor of Pied Piper is his scheme to benefit his own interests. In the show, Russ is a master in formulating unrealistic goals and spoiling the atmosphere. I bet these episodes sound familiar in your real life.

All those supporting actors are awesome in conveying their personality, thus making the show more vivid and spectacular.

As regard to Richard, Erlich and Monica, there are much more for you to find out.

Apart from the remarkable characters, the road to success is always trenched with obstacles and compromises. Never could I imagine their perseverance in times of financing tricks, emotional breakdowns and business conflicts. Therefore, I am much indebted to some golden rules that I learn from the show.

First, valuation should be in line with the market expectation when a startup seeks early financing. High valuation in early rounds would expose greater pressure to future investors. After all, it is a point of honor to secure enough money to survive for a startup team. Jack Ma once rejected Softbank’s unreasonable funding because he was cognizant of the potential risks if he took more than what he needed at that time.

Second, contract spirit is everything in Silicon Valley. The face-to-face promises and the details in emails are no contracts in our conventional wisdom. Nonetheless, they are bound to be delivered in this holy place. Trust is the predominant code in business and if one dares to breach, there will be no forgiving and all his misdeeds would jeopardize his career.

Finally, entrepreneurs shall be mindful of their words and deeds and keep abreast of the latest trends. Everyone is equal and deserves appropriate attitudes. Being a jerk will only exacerbate the dilemma. They shall also keep an open mind to all the investors that come and go. Just bear in mind that justice will be done.

This is the show that I wish to share with you. Please feel free to speak your mind and enjoy it.

Hope you are all inspired.