HBO’s Silicon Valley Digs at ICO Mania in Latest Crypto-Themed Episode

[felixesteban]

HBO’s Silicon Valley is doing its part to usher in ICOs to the mainstream, as evidenced by the latest episode, which was entitled “Initial Coin Offering.”

The series, whose show opening includes a shot of US bitcoin exchange Coinbase in the corporate landscape, is all in, with fictional decentralized internet startup Pied Piper opting to pursue an ICO when their original plans for Series B funding go south.

The cryptocurrency community was abuzz about the new episode on social media, including Reddit where members mostly thought the episode did the market justice and provided “great exposure.”

Ratings for Season 5 of Silicon Valley have reportedly dropped versus Season 4, at least in the 18-49 demographic. But the two weakest episodes for that demo were earlier in the season and since then the numbers are gaining momentum, as evidenced by HBO’s decision to renew the series for a sixth season.

The storyline is ripe with cryptocurrency references and also features a seemingly premature purchase of a Tesla by one of the engineers.

Main character Bertram Gilfoyle, meanwhile, presents the ICO as a “win win” because the management team doesn’t have to dilute control with venture capitalists and despite any “cryptocurrency volatility.” Gilfoyle, who is Pied Piper’s chief systems architect, has been mining digital currencies since 2009 when bitcoin emerged, a scene he described as “underground” and “only true believers.”

Gilfoyle introduces the Pied Piper Coin, which was his idea, in a televised interview with Bloomberg Tech, where host Emily Chang makes a cameo.

https://www.ccn.com/hbos-silicon-valley-digs-at-ico-mania-in-latest-crypto-themed-episode/