The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
This HBO documentary chronicles the spectacular rise and precipitous fall of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. Like McAfee, Holmes was a charismatic tech visionary who promised to change the world. She commanded a cult-like following and amassed a fortune
based on a revolutionary blood-testing technology that, as it turned out, never actually worked. The film is a chilling look at the “fake it ‘til you make it” ethos of Silicon Valley, exploring how unchecked ambition and a compelling narrative can mask a massive fraud. If you were fascinated by McAfee’s ability to sell a fantasy, Holmes’s story is a required viewing.
Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
Before there was Fyre Festival, there was Billy McFarland: a slick, fast-talking entrepreneur with a knack for selling dreams. This Netflix film documents the absolute disaster of what was hyped as a luxury music festival on a private island. What attendees found instead were disaster-relief tents and sad cheese sandwiches. The documentary offers a front-row seat to the chaos, showing how McFarland’s charm and social media savvy duped investors, employees, and thousands of ticket-buyers. It's a masterclass in modern grift and the Dunning-Kruger effect, perfectly scratching that itch for watching a charismatic con-man’s empire spectacularly implode.
WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn
Another tale of a messianic founder, this film dives into the story of Adam Neumann and WeWork. Neumann wasn't just leasing office space; he was selling a global community, a new way of life, fueled by free-flowing kombucha and his own erratic energy. The documentary explores how he built a $47 billion valuation on charisma and cult-like corporate culture before it all came crashing down under the weight of his bizarre behavior and questionable financials. For those who see a parallel between McAfee's anti-establishment guru persona and the modern tech prophet, Neumann’s story is a fascinating, and often cringeworthy, companion piece.
The Imposter
This film is less about tech and more about the sheer audacity of a lie. It tells the incredible true story of Frédéric Bourdin, a French con artist who, in the 1990s, convinced a Texas family that he was their teenage son who had gone missing three years earlier. The documentary blends interviews with Bourdin himself and the family, creating a tense and unsettling portrait of deception and self-delusion. How could anyone believe him? And why did they want to? If the psychological puzzle of McAfee—the master manipulator who could make people believe anything—is what hooked you, then the mind-bending narrative of The Imposter will have you captivated from start to finish.
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
No list of documentaries about chaotic, larger-than-life American figures would be complete without Tiger King. The series follows the unbelievable world of big cat breeders, focusing on the eccentric and paranoid Joe Exotic, a private zoo owner who harbors a venomous hatred for his rival, animal rights activist Carole Baskin. Much like McAfee, Joe Exotic is a gun-toting, anti-government personality who craves the spotlight and descends into a world of crime. The story has it all: polygamy, a potential murder mystery, and a failed presidential campaign. It’s a pure shot of unfiltered madness that shares the same “you can’t make this up” energy that defined McAfee’s life on the run.
