Stories about Silicon Valley firms make for good entertainment because there is generally some backstabbing and last minute deals to make things more dramatic.

However, a new series from Showtime really makes the early days of Uber look more like an episode of Ozark than the story of a successful ride sharing firm.

The series is Super Pumped and each season will showcase a firm from Silicon Valley. The first season, The Battle for Uber, debuts on Showtime on 27th February.

https://youtu.be/eNn8YJYAyEo

The series stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as former Uber chief executive officer Travis Kalanick and is based on the non-fiction novel Super Pumped by Mike Isaac. Other heavy hitters in the cast include Uma Thurman who will portray Arianna Huffington, Kyle Chandler who plays Bill Gurley and Hank Azaria will play Tim Cook.

While Kalanick’s tenure at Uber was marred by controversy including – but not limited to – misogyny, toxic masculinity, bullying and even verbally abusing Uber drivers.

What we find intriguing however is the talk of making deals in the trailer and the laughter heard when the question “Is this legal” is asked.

Of course Uber hasn’t suddenly become a shining example of how a firm should behave or treat its employees / contractors and its woes didn’t disappear when Kalanick left the firm.

That having been said, Super Pumped could make for some interesting viewing, we just hope South Africans will be able to watch this at some stage.