HBO dropped the first episode of Mike Judge's tech-satire Silicon Valley on YouTube for what is probably a limited time. Here it is:

I'm feeling hopeful for the show. I thought this episode was funny, and based on this Wired profile, it seems like Judge has done his homework. Centering the plot on a solution for a real tech problem—lossy compression—automatically makes the show seem more credible than if Judge had just come up with a jokey app. It's hard to tell how a TV show will go based on a single episode—this episode is just setting up the premise—but I'm hoping Silicon Valley will continue to mock the self-importance of the (mostly) young, (mostly) white men who effortlessly rake in millions of dollars and then have the gall to say that it's for the good of the world.

Judge has a great track record with this kind of satire, but there's always a concern that a show like this could just turn into a parade of tech superstars making cameo appearances to show they're hip and in on the joke. That could turn the show into a tepid survey of observations about hoodies and funny-sounding tech company names that accumulate into a loving portrait. I hope Silicon Valley turns up the heat instead, because there are plenty of puffed-up egos out there that need deflating.

And you?