A hacker revealed that the classic HBO comedy,Silicon Valley, was extremely accurate. Even thoughHBO has produced many underrated showsand series that are perfect for binging, it is impressive that the company made a show that was so technically realistic. The series follows Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch), a programmer who founds a startup company, Pied Piper, and the challenges of competing with larger entities.
Between 2014 and 2019, six seasons of the tech comedy were produced. WhilesomeSilicon Valleyseasons were better than others, the show had an impressive fan following at the time. The thing that many ofSilicon Valley’sfans wouldn’t have realized is that the show was so accurate.
A video fromInsiderfeaturing Keren Elazari, a security analyst and computer hacker, judges how accurate TV show and movie scenes featuring computers were. Elazari looks atSilicon Valleyseason 4, episode 9, “Hooli-Con” where Pied Piper tricks users into getting their app by masking it as a download for free Wifi. Elazari rates the realistic scheme a perfect 10/10.
The scenario that’s described in this scene is very realistic… The second part of the hack is also realistic. They’re using their control of the Wi-Fi to point people to a website they control made up to look like the HooliConference website. I would rate this at 10 out of 10.
What Being Called So Accurate Means For Silicon Valley’s Legacy
At the height ofSilicon Valley’ssuccess, it was one of the most talked-about HBO shows. However, likely as a result of things like T.J. Miller’s scandalous exit,Silicon Valleyis rarely brought up today. WithSilicon Valleybeing singled out for being so accurate by a hacker, there is a potential for the show to be more relevant again.
Silicon Valleywas at its best when it mixed technology with comedy. As the show used real technology, it helped ground its more absurd comedic takes. Looking back onSilicon Valleyyears after it endedis an interesting exercise that could renew interest for old and new viewers who could be interested in realistic portrayals.
Our Take On How Great It Is That Silicon Valley Was So Accurate
To put the hacking expert fromInsider’s video comments aboutSilicon Valleyin context, it makes sense to look at some of her other comments. For example, Elazari deemedStar Trek: Discovery’saccuracy score to be just 1 out of 10. With that point of comparison in mind, the fact thatSilicon Valleymanaged to be so accurate is truly impressive.
Over the last few decades, several TV shows and movies have featured computer-hacking scenes that were laughably goofy. Given the level of sophistication behind the technology, it makes sense that not all screenwriters are able to realistically portray hacking. Seeing howSilicon Valleyreceived such a high accuracy score makes the show all the more impressive.
Silicon Valleyeasily could have been just another show that didn’t bother to depict hacking computers believably. The fact thatSilicon Valleyput in the effort to be technologically plausible is refreshing and makes the series worthy of a rewatch.
Silicon Valley
Cast
Silicon Valley follows engineer Richard Hendricks, played by Thomas Middleditch, in his struggle to build a tech company called Pied Piper in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley also featured several comedy stars, including TJ Miller, Josh Brener, Martin Starr, Kumail Nanjiani, and Zach Woods. The HBO series concluded in 2019 after six seasons and two Primetime Emmy awards.
