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Silicon Cowboys

They risked their future to create ours...

2016 · 1h 17m · UNRATED Documentary
Directed by Jason Cohen

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Overview

Launched in 1982 by three friends in a Houston diner, Compaq Computer set out to build a portable PC to take on IBM, the world’s most powerful tech company. Many had tried cloning the industry leader’s code, only to be trounced by IBM and its high-priced lawyers. Explore the remarkable David vs. Goliath story, and eventual demise, of Compaq, an unlikely upstart who altered the future of computing and helped shape the world as we know it today.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
100%
Tomatometer
Fresh

You won't walk away with a degree in business or psychology after watching "Silicon Cowboys." But this documentary leaves you with a curious feeling that you've earned college credit in both, and gotten a few laughs as well.

Ken Jaworowski, New York Times
Fresh

A zippy, compact history of the rise and rise of Compaq Computer Corp.

Michael Rechtshaffen, Los Angeles Times
Fresh

Cohen solicits commentary from a range of tech entrepreneurs and aficionados (including Chris Cantwell, creator of Halt and Catch Fire); their excitement is contagious, fueling a dramatic rise-and-fall business tale.

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
Fresh

Although we know the outcome, "Silicon Cowboys" feels like a suspense thriller.

Leba Hertz, San Francisco Chronicle
Fresh

These former-Texas Instruments-employees-made-good are a likable bunch, especially in their particularly Texan way of recalling every major milestone in terms of what they were eating or drinking at the time.

Luke Y. Thompson, Village Voice

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