Bill Gates digs the Silicon Valley series

Bill Gates ou Richard Hendricks ? © @BillGates.

In a post published on his personal blog, Bill Gates admits liking Silicon Valley, the popular HBO series that follows the tribulations of the startup Pied Piper. “The show is a parody, so it exaggerates things, but like all great parodies it captures a lot of truths. Most of the different characters you see in the show feel very familiar to me. The programmers are smart, super-competitive even with their friends, and a bit clueless when it comes to social cues. Personally, I identify most with Richard, the founder of Pied Piper, who is a great programmer but has to learn some hard lessons about managing people.” However, the Microsoft founder does have one little critique. He wishes the series didn’t give the impression that large companies like Hooli are usually inept while the small ones such as Pied Piper are always nimble. But then again, he also admits that he is, naturally, somewhat biased. Of course, Microsoft is not completely inept, far from it. Bill Gates even tweeted a photo that appears to be an edited picture of himself dating from 1985, except with Thomas Middleditch’s face, who plays Richard Hendricks. There probably lies the deeper meaning of Bill Gates’s post: the series must bring on waves of nostalgia for his early-career days.

⇨ The Gates Notes, “If you want to understand Silicon Valley, watch ‘Silicon Valley’.”

⇨ Mashable, “Bill Gates has a few things to say about HBO’s ‘Silicon Valley’.”