Pirates of Silicon Valley
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Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999) is a made-for-television docudrama written and directed by Martyn Burke. It tells the trials and tribulations of two small time start-ups that would later become Apple Computer and Microsoft. Stars Anthony Michael Hall as Bill Gates, Noah Wyle as Steve Jobs, and Joey Slotnick as Steve Wozniak.
Director Martyn Burke views his film as an "unauthorized biography" and claims every scene in the film can be verified by at least two people. Regarding his film, Burke says:
- Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are the true revolutionaries of our time. Not the students who occupied the dean's office in the late '60s. Not the anti-war marchers who were determined to overthrow the establishment. Jobs and Gates are the ones who changed the way the world thinks, acts and communicates.
Steve Wozniak has stated on his website (http://www.woz.org/) that the film is mostly accurate, though some details and events are occasionally simplified or slightly edited. He also notes that the personalities of the film's subjects are true to life.
The soundtrack consisted largely of 80s pop music. One of the main songs was "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears. The song was once played by Bill Gates during a technology demonstration involving an intelligent 3D personal agent.
Pirates of Silicon Valley was originally aired on Turner Network Television in the summer of 1999 and subsequently released on VHS. It is scheduled to be released on DVD on August 30, 2005.