"Silicon Valley" Stars Recount Tense Encounters with Tech Titans Musk and Zuckerberg

According to a recent podcast interview, the stars of the hit HBO comedy series "Silicon Valley" have had some tense encounters with some of the biggest names in the tech industry. Kumail Nanjiani, who played Dinesh Chugtai on the show, revealed that billionaire Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, was not a fan of the series' portrayal of tech parties.

Nanjiani explained that when he met Musk, the tech mogul took issue with the show's opening scene, which depicted a tech party with "seven nerdy dudes standing there, and nobody's paying attention" while Kid Rock played in the background. Musk reportedly told Nanjiani that the parties he attends are "much cooler" than the ones shown on the series.

The actor quipped that Musk's reaction was understandable, given that "he's one of the richest people in the world" and the characters on the show were "like losers." Nanjiani also recalled a similarly awkward encounter with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during an awards show appearance. He and co-star Martin Starr had decided to make a callback to a NSFW moment from the show's first season, but Zuckerberg was not amused, asking, "What the f--- was that?"

"Silicon Valley," which ran for six seasons from 2014 to 2019, was a critical darling, earning a total of 40 Emmy nominations, including five consecutive nods for Outstanding Comedy Series. The series, which satirized the culture of the tech industry, ultimately took home two Emmy wins for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing and Outstanding Art Direction.