Movies

In ‘Mountainhead,’ billionaire tech bros watch the world burn

BBG News

In the opening scenes of “Mountainhead,” penned and directed by Jesse Armstrong from “Succession,” airing Saturday on HBO, three ultra-wealthy tech entrepreneurs arrive separately via private jet, helicopter, and a convoy of luxury SUVs, to a contemporary house atop an isolated snow-covered mountain for a weekend filled with poker, drugs, and no business discussions, meals, or high heels. One could even hope for a landslide, if there was anything larger to collapse on them.

Character named Venis (portrayed by Cory Michael Smith), who resembles a blend of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg in wealth, controls a social media platform with an astounding 4 billion subscribers. He recently unveiled innovative “content tools” capable of creating ultra-realistic deep fakes that cannot be disputed. This development has sparked global chaos due to the spread of misinformation.

However, Jeff (Ramy Youssef), a competitor who had recruited some members from Venis’ team, possesses an AI system designed to sift through false information. With the damage already done, Venis now seeks to acquire this algorithm. Yet, Jeff, driven by motives of profit, power, or ego, refuses to relinquish it.

Randall, affectionately referred to as “Papa Bear” or “Dark Money Gandalf,” is a seasoned mentor with gray hair who oversees significant international infrastructures, including military operations. His health is a concern, as his latest doctor has informed him that his cancer is incurable. In response, he sarcastically remarks, “You’re not very intelligent.” He dreams of transferring his consciousness to the grid, an idea Venis assures him will be feasible within five years if only they can obtain Jeff’s AI.

Hugo, whose residence serves as their gathering place, is aiming to expand his meditation app into a comprehensive lifestyle platform, branded as a “super app.” This expanded version would provide features such as posture correction, therapy services, and a fresh color palette. His friends jestingly call him “Souper,” a nickname derived from the term “soup kitchen,” due to his net worth of $521 million. Despite being the least wealthy among them, he serves as comic relief in their group.

Without any apparent cause, they refer to themselves as the Brewsters – maybe it’s just a way for them to boast “cock-a-doodle-brew”. They are self-absorbed individuals – “The remarkable aspect about me,” says Randall, “is that I know everyone and can do everything” – and fundamentally insecure.

They transform their deep-rooted nihilism into the conviction that their business benefits humanity, regardless of the real human toll. As Randall puts it, “You’ll always find some people dying.” Venis remarks, “Nothing has any significance,” and finds humor and coolness in everything. (However, he does lament his mother and in a chilling sequence, his baby is briefly brought up the mountain, creating an awkward moment.) The only scene outside their home shows them visiting the peak of a mountain. There, Hugo writes each man’s net worth on their chest with lipstick, they don ceremonial headgear, and shout “Mountain god accelerator legacy manifestation!” into the valley, adding personal wishes. It appears as though this is a ritual they have performed before.

Randall casually mentions philosophers like Hegel, Kant, Nietzsche, Plato, and Marcus Aurelius; he twists their ideas to his benefit and brings up the Catiline Conspiracy and Battle of Actium to make trivial actions seem significant and noble. He labels the president a “dimwit” – presumably referring to the current one – but despite their wealth, power, and influence, they all lack wisdom. And if the last few years have shown us anything, it’s that those qualities don’t necessarily exclude each other.

Venis believes that the widespread violence happening across the world, which won’t affect him personally, might serve as a release; Randall appears to be enthusiastic about these terrible events. They contemplate seizing control of struggling countries to demonstrate their methods. (In one of the film’s most humorous lines, Hugo, who has been working on his house, ponders, “I’m not sure I want to govern Argentina single-handedly — not based on a large construction project.”) They often use vague expressions such as “AI leading to doom and decelerationist alarmism,” “the compound distillation effect,” and “transitioning to a corporate monarchy, cyber-state it towards the singularity, consume the chaos.” It’s plausible that Armstrong is simply quoting phrases commonly used by people of this type.

Among this group marked by toxicity, Jeff stands out as the most relatable due to his wit and balanced perspective. He follows global turmoil with compassionate worry, yet despite possessing the power to halt the chaos, he appears unhurried to act upon it. His primary concern, however, is not the unrest itself, but rather the possibility that his girlfriend, who’s in Mexico, might be engaging in romantic encounters. This indifference may prove detrimental for him.

Initially, the movie unfolds like a stage production featuring four characters. Except for occasional requests for help with sandwiches or checks about everyone’s comfort using the same dishes, the dialogue rarely feels genuine; it’s more like dramatic proclamations. This mirrors the frostiness of the group – they show affection through hugging and cheering, occasionally revealing a hint of emotion, but their friendship is competitive, based on transactions, and seems more illusion than reality. They are not pleasant company for many, especially those unimpressed by the “move fast and break things” mentality or unwilling to worship at the altar of tech giants like ChatGPT, OpenAI, or real-world tech billionaires who are reshaping the world in problematic ways. However, there’s a certain enjoyment in watching them unravel. In many ways, “Mountainhead” (similar to “Fountainhead”) serves as much as a public service as it does entertainment. So, thank you, Jesse Armstrong, for that perspective.

In the comedic, fast-paced segment that follows, characters stumble and squabble while attempting to carry out a … scheme. This is reminiscent of traditional slapstick comedy, and it succeeds admirably in bringing laughter to the audience.

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2025-05-30 13:32

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