Silicon Valley
Success Failure
TV Flash files “Success Failure” as a desk essential hour — Silicon Valley (2014–2019) on HBO, season 4, episode 1, aired 2017-04-23, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S04E01: listed hour 29 of 53 in the Silicon Valley guide, first listed hour of season 4. It aired 2017-04-23 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “The Uptick” (S03E10). Next is “Terms of Service” (S04E02).
Essential hour: “Success Failure”. Success Failure is an oxymoron as the show's whole anthropology of the decade's tech-bro boom years.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
In the wake of Pied Piper's clickfarm scandal, the guys struggle to find funding for Pied Piper's video-chat app to keep up with their rapidly growing user base. Erlich faces resistance from Big Head's dad, while Gavin balks after Jack steps on his toes at Hooli. Having a hard time adjusting to his company's pivot, Richard gets sage advice from an unexpected source, leading him to a big idea that could change his future.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Success Failure sit in the Silicon Valley guide?
S04E01 is listed hour 29 of 53 — first listed hour of season 4, season 4 episode 1.
When did Silicon Valley S04E01 air?
Success Failure aired 2017-04-23 and is listed at 30 minutes.
Do I need to know startups to get it?
Helpful, not required. The series was praised for unusually accurate tech satire; the humiliation and incubator farce land even if you cannot define compression.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Mike Judge's incubator farce: compression algorithms, board-room humiliation, and engineers who cannot talk to humans. Jared's toxic positivity, Gilfoyle's deadpan, and Pied Piper's endless self-sabotage. The decade's best anthropology of tech-bro boom years — researched enough that the satire aged straight into the news.
So about last night's group chat: someone dropped a Pied Piper joke and it aged into the actual news again. (I said spoiler-free. The satire already spoiled itself by becoming the decade.) Mike Judge, John Altschuler, and Dave Krinsky's HBO incubator farce (2014–2019) is tech-bro anthropology as sitcom sport — Thomas Middleditch's shy engineer, compression algorithms, board-room humiliation, engineers who cannot talk to humans. Lana can keep the gown; this fandom wanted the term sheet and the hoodie that refused…
Filed against
- Thomas Middleditch as Richard Hendricks
Thomas Middleditch compressed Silicon Valley as Richard Hendricks — incubator farce, algorithms, board-room humiliation, an engineer who cannot talk to humans running a company that cannot stop sabotaging itself. Mike Judge anthropology…
- T.J. Miller as Erlich Bachman
T.J. Miller incubated Silicon Valley as Erlich Bachman — incubator farce, compression algorithms, board-room humiliation, a guru who cannot talk to humans any better than the engineers. Mike Judge anthropology of tech-bro boom years. TV…
- Kumail Nanjiani as Dinesh
Kumail Nanjiani's Dinesh made Silicon Valley an incubator farce with a human glitch — Mike Judge's compression-algorithm humiliation, engineers who cannot talk to humans, Pied Piper's endless self-sabotage. Anthropology of tech-bro boom…
- Martin Starr as Gilfoyle
Martin Starr deadpanned the server rack as Gilfoyle on Silicon Valley — Mike Judge’s incubator farce, compression algorithms, board-room humiliation, engineers who cannot talk to humans. Pied Piper’s endless self-sabotage. TV Flash files…
- Zach Woods as Jared Dunn
Zach Woods’s Jared Dunn practiced toxic positivity on Silicon Valley — Mike Judge’s incubator farce, compression algorithms, board-room humiliation, engineers who cannot talk to humans. Gilfoyle’s deadpan, Pied Piper’s endless…
- Amanda Crew as Monica
Amanda Crew’s Monica walked Silicon Valley as the rare human who could talk to engineers — Mike Judge’s incubator farce of compression algorithms, board-room humiliation, and Pied Piper self-sabotage. Tech-bro boom years as anthropology.…