There was nothing to hack.The Social Network · 2010 — Chapter 7 of 23 · 3'29" · B2
Eduardo's Deposition Turns on Emails, Explained: off the record
In the deposition, lawyers press Eduardo about how Mark recruited him and whether money was the motive. His patience snaps — "Stop typing. We're off the record." — and the questioning shifts to the emails that show Mark stalling the Winklevosses while building his own site.
What happens
This is a deposition scene. A lawyer questions Eduardo about Mark's early offer — the share, the CFO role, the promise to handle business — and about why Mark came to him rather than his programmer roommates. The talk turns to whether Mark schemed to push a partner out of the company.
Listen for
screw someone out ofoff the recordthumbed his nose atat the moment
00:00 / 03:29Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
off the record
Not for attribution
Gretchen 突然说 Stop typing. We're off the record，要求接下来的话不留记录。
Off the record, the deal is already dead.
Also in this scene
- screw someone out of
Cheat someone out of something
- thumbed his nose at
Openly showed contempt for
- at the moment
Right now
- a little start-up cash
A small amount of seed money
Everything marked in this scene
25 notes across 65 lines
And people had the ability to invite, or not invite, their friends to join.See, in a world where social structure was everything,It was a big project, and he was going to have to write tens of thousands of lines of code,A small amount of seed money
We're gonna need a little start-up cash to rent the servers and get it online.flap
We're gonna need a little start-up cash to rent the servers and get it online.So that was why.It probably was a diversity thing.But so what?That I was jealous of Eduardo for getting punched by the Phoenixand began a plan to screw him out of a companyinfinitive of purpose: The infinitive spells out the goal of the plan.
and began a plan to screw him out of a companyNot for attribution
Stop typing. We're off the record.stress
Stop typing. We're off the record.Ma'am, I know you've done your homework, and so you know that money isn't a big part of my life.Right now
But at the moment, I could buy Mount Auburn Street,I'll let you know how the party is.past perfect: The past perfect stacks up actions finished before the testimony.
With Facemash, he'd hacked into the Harvard computers,Openly showed contempt for
he'd thumbed his nose at the Ad Board, he'd gotten a lot of notoriety.he'd thumbed his nose at the Ad Board, he'd gotten a lot of notoriety.while-clause: The while-clause sets up the damaging overlap in time.
Were you aware that while Mr. Zuckerberg was building The Facebook, he was also communicating with the plaintiffs?We are about to find it in evidence.liaison
We are about to find it in evidence."And it seems like it shouldn't take too long to implement."so I think it's probably best to postpone the meeting."Eduardo's Deposition Turns on Emails, explained
What's really going on
The deposition is a duel over wording. Every answer is pulled and weighed, and the lawyers keep objecting to what they call speculation rather than evidence: "You're offering a conclusion not found in evidence." The scene also lets Eduardo defend Mark's motives, insisting that money was not the point, while the questioning keeps pushing toward jealousy. What the emails finally reveal is the quiet betrayal the film was built around — Mark sounding friendly to the Winklevosses while taking his time and building something of his own. A casual line about the Ad Board, "he'd thumbed his nose at the Ad Board," captures Mark's attitude exactly: rules are just obstacles.
Theme
BetrayalThe deposition exposes how a partnership collapsed, with emails showing one friend quietly stalling the other.
JusticeLawyers fight over evidence and conclusions, trying to decide who wronged whom in the birth of a company.
Listen for
- get it online — flap
- off the record — stress
- about to find — liaison
You're offering a conclusion not found in evidence.A lawyer's objection: the other side is arguing a conclusion the documents do not support yet.
Stop typing. We're off the record.A demand to go private mid-testimony, cutting off the record before something damaging is written down.
There was nothing to hack.Eduardo's point that the site was harmless by design: users would supply their own photos and information.
I said, "Let's do it."A flat confirmation of how quickly he agreed, which the lawyer will use to show he was an equal partner.
take the Phoenix Club and turn it into my ping-pong room.A boast that turns a prestigious club into a toy, showing how little Mark cares about old status.
Questions about this scene
What is Eduardo being asked about in the deposition?
The lawyers press him on how Mark brought him into the company, what he was promised, and whether jealousy or money drove the split. They also ask when he learned about the other lawsuits.
Why do the lawyers keep objecting to each other?
Because one side is presenting conclusions the evidence does not yet show. The objection "You're offering a conclusion not found in evidence" is answered by producing Mark's emails.
What do Mark's emails to the Winklevosses reveal?
They show him promising to review their site and then repeatedly postponing meetings, while he was already building his own project. The emails are the evidence of the stalling.
What does off the record mean here?
It means the next remarks are private and must not be written down. The demand is meant to stop damaging testimony from entering the record.
The Social Network · 23 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 8bounce aroundFacebook Launches Relationship Status
Chapter 1speak in codeErica Dumps Mark at the Bar
Chapter 2take my mind offMark Builds Facemash
Chapter 3an awful lot ofMark Crashes Harvard's Network
Chapter 4make an example out ofZuckerberg Faces the Ad Board
Chapter 5a no-brainerWinklevoss Twins Pitch Their Site
Chapter 6in a stampedeMark Pitches the Facebook Idea
Watching · Chapter 7off the recordEduardo's Deposition Turns on Emails
Chapter 8bounce aroundFacebook Launches Relationship Status
Chapter 9give someone the fingerThe Winklevosses Debate Suing Mark
Chapter 10Facebook meEduardo Recalls Facebook's Launch
Chapter 11monetizeMark and Eduardo Argue About Money
Chapter 12the minimum amountMark Answers with Minimum Attention
Chapter 13written in inkErica Confronts Mark Over the Internet
Chapter 14the shoe's on the other footSean Parker Wakes Up at Stanford
Chapter 15make that callThe Winklevosses Meet President Summers
Chapter 16a dog in this fightSean Parker Wins Over Mark
Chapter 17stir the potEduardo's Chicken Deposition Story
Chapter 18once-in-a-generationSean Parker Meets Mark in Palo Alto
Chapter 19at our disposalThe Winklevosses Decide to Sue Mark
Chapter 20get left behindEduardo Confronts Mark Over Sean
Chapter 21let bygones be bygonesEduardo Freezes the Company Account
Chapter 22in all honestyEduardo Signs Away His Shares
Chapter 23lawyer upMark Dismantles Eduardo at FacebookChapter 7 of 23 · about 51 min to go