Silicon Valley: the untold story

Around the world, people want to know what it is about Silicon Valley that has made it a hotbed of innovation and entrepreneurship for decades. Silicon Valley: The Untold Story, a new three-part documentary airing January 28 on the Science Channel, will uncover the story. The Computer History Museum is hosting a premiere event with a panel discussion featuring participants in the film, including WhatsApp cofounder Jan Koum, technology entrepreneur Kim Polese, DFJ venture capitalist Heidi Roizen, and award-winning director Michael Schwarz. They will provide their own unique takes on the Valley, discuss brief clips from film segments, and answer questions from the audience. A screening of the first segment in the series, "Secret Sauce", will follow the panel. The series provides television's first comprehensive look at the century-and-a-half history of this fascinating region. It includes interviews with such key Valley figures as Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, and Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt, as well as with leading historians. The first hour explores the unique mix of ingredients-the secret sauce-that fueled the Valley's rise to becoming the world's technological and economic powerhouse. The second hour examines the forces-including government and military funding-that have made the Valley a magnet for innovators from all over the world. And the third hour charts the circuitous paths and lucky accidents that lie behind some of the Valley's greatest success stories, and reveals that even in a place celebrated for inventing the future, no one can really predict it. The series is supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The Computer History Museum is the community and educational outreach partner for the project.