Why Are You Ranking: Most Enlightening Business Moments in 'The Social Network' Listed from Foolish to Sage

Never mind (for the moment) the excellent scoring, editing, acting, writing, and directing (among other superlatives). The film The Social Network (2010) stands as one of the best business films to ever come out of Hollywood. Now, of course you might say that it damns money and the whole notion of identifying the founders (and co-founders) of one of the largest companies in human history. But the depiction of the inception of an idea, and that idea being monetized lies at the crux of the movie. While there exist poor fiscal decisions and a disastrous attempt to oust a certain co-founder, the film abounds in the steady progress of what now over two billion people clamor for on an almost minute-by-minute basis. Started by Harvard students, where Mark Zuckerberg vows, upon the formulation of the firm, to “never go back to that life” of pitiful dances at the Jewish fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Facebook has changed the face of the planet. At any given moment, somewhere around the globe, users are sharing stories on Instagram, chatting on Whatsapp, or engaged in virtual reality with Oculus VR (all properties of Facebook). And this is what is so tricky about films. Writer (now director) Aaron Sorkin perpetuates the thought that he is not framing a picture, but instead painting a portrait. With real people, it becomes ever more difficult to portray the “characters” just right. (This writing will only pertain to the actions in the film, not the book, and especially not actual life.) So, get your Gap hoodies and flip flops for Why Are You Ranking: The Social Network’s Most Enlightening Business Moments Listed from Foolish to Sage.

The chops it takes to make someone look so illogical, though...

3. Eduardo Saverin’s decision to close the bank account

This kink in the system could’ve caused the whole enterprise to go kaput. Because of emotionalism and irrationality, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) leaps to the first feeling and chooses to shut down the account associated with Facebook. This ill-thinking on his part incenses Mark and leads him to leave Saverin with a diluted stock and his name off of the masthead. Before the credits roll, it is stated in text that Saverin received an undisclosed amount and enjoys proper recognition as co-founder of Facebook. This is enlightening because it points out the mistakes that one can make in business and the will to correct them. Though he wins in the end, this stunt places him among the canon of blunder makers.

Rank: Foolish

The man proved himself to be a bonafide actor with this one....

2. The Entrance of Sean Parker

Rendered as a prodigal playboy, Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) lights up the screen with witticisms and adds value to a fledgling company all at the same time. One of his greatest “contributions” is the suggestion to drop the “The” and just call the company “Facebook.” It sounds “cleaner,” he says. A stunned Zuckerberg is amazed by this simple yet profound ideation. Parker explains how the founder of Victoria’s Secret, Roy Raymond, committed suicide as he puts it, because he settled and sold the company for a mere four million dollars. As it would turn out, Victoria’s Secret would be worth over five hundred million dollars after the sale. Imbued in this speech, meant to make you listen close as loud club music abounds, is the lesson that Zuckerberg should be in search of billions. Within the movie, the writer, Sorkin, plays with the metaphor of the marlin and the trout among other species (the chicken is a whole other story). By saying that Facebook should be a marlin, a game fish prized highly, rather than a trout—a runt of a fish that could never match the size of a marlin—he is explaining that Facebook could morph into the Internet juggernaut it is today. With Parker beside Zuckerberg, the company takes off and reaches over a million users at this point in the film. From the looks of it, Parker has it all together. Alas, cocaine and underaged girls almost befall the company (it’s always something) and Parker is seen delivering paranoid lines from the police precinct. Zuckerberg at long last lets go of Parker and embarks on running Facebook with Chris Hughes and Dustin Moskovitz.

Rank: Helpful at First, but Damning

He should've brought home Oscar gold, but....

1. The “The Facebook” Expansion

Twice during this picture, Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) is faced with the decision to sit back and let action happen or to step forward and make a change. His girlfriend at the time, Erica Albright, breaks up with him. What does he do? He creates a viral sensation involving his fellow Harvard students. The action of comparing two women’s Face Book profiles is crude and lands Zuckerberg in academic probation. But a fuse is lit. Upon a chance encounter some weeks ahead of this act, he runs into Erica. She further shuts him down and dismisses his plans to launch a “video game.” Once again, Zuckerberg is motivated by the negativity that Erica emanates toward him and he decides to expand (then The Facebook) to more Ivy League schools. While it may be said that Zuckerberg is childish, boorish, even conniving when it concerns his unrequited love, it is evident that he is one resourceful individual. He takes his own pains and turns them into profits. Now, that’s good business.

Rank: Sage