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The Social Network · 2010 — Chapter 5 of 23 · 2'48" · B2

Winklevoss Twins Pitch Their Site, Explained: a no-brainer

The Winklevoss twins and Divya Narendra buy Mark a sandwich and pitch their site, the Harvard Connection. Their selling point is exclusivity: only a Harvard email gets you in, and "Harvard. Edu is the most prestigious e-mail address in the country, man." Mark listens, then answers flatly: "I'm in."

What happens

At the Porcellian club, the Winklevoss twins and Divya pitch Mark on the Harvard Connection, a site built on the exclusivity of a Harvard email address. They flatter his earlier projects and offer him the coding work, suggesting it could repair his reputation. He says he is in.

MeetingsNegotiationPersuadingInvitingStrangersB2fastamericanClean
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a no-brainertaking it in the shinsrehabilitate your imagechecked you out

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Phrase of the scene

a no-brainer

An easy, obvious decision

Winklevoss 兄弟介绍 CourseMatch 时，说做它 It was kind of a no-brainer，轻描淡写地夸。

At that price, buying the used one is a no-brainer.

Also in this scene

  • taking it in the shins

    Taking repeated blows

  • rehabilitate your image

    Repair one's public image

  • checked you out

    Looked you up thoroughly

  • the most prestigious

    The most respected

Everything marked in this scene

27 notes across 68 lines

Phrase · B1never heard that beforeWe never heard that before.
Phrase · B1what can I do for youSo, what can I do for you? Did I insult your girlfriends?
Phrase · B1have an ideaWe have an idea we want to talk to you about.
Phrase · B1got a minuteYou got a minute?
Soundgot a minute

flap

You got a minute?
Phrase · B2spend time at somethingYou guys look like you spend some time at the gym.
Phrase · B1ever been inside something- So, you ever been inside the Porcellian? - No.
Phrase · B2take someone past somethingYou understand we can't take you past the bike room,
Phrase · B1be impressed with somethingWe were really impressed with Facemash.
Soundimpressed with

liaison

We were really impressed with Facemash.
Phrase · B2check someone out

Looked you up thoroughly

When we checked you out, you also built CourseMatch.
Phrase · B2a no-brainer

An easy, obvious decision

It was kind of a no-brainer.
Phrase · B1for freeDidn't sell it. Uploaded it for free.
Phrase · B1different from somethingYeah, how is that different from MySpace or Friendster?
Grammar · B2how is that different from MySpace or Friendster

question with different from: The question quietly accuses them of being unoriginal.

Yeah, how is that different from MySpace or Friendster?
Phrase · B2the most prestigious something

The most respected

Harvard. Edu is the most prestigious e-mail address in the country, man.
Phrase · B2be based on the idea thatI mean, the whole site's kind of based on the idea that girls...
Grammar · B2who go to Harvard

relative clause: The relative clause pins the whole pitch on one group.

Girls wanna go with guys who go to Harvard.
Phrase · B2the main difference between A and BThe main difference between what we're talking about and MySpace or Friendster,
Grammar · B2what we're talking about

nominal what-clause: The what-clause acts as a single noun inside the comparison.

The main difference between what we're talking about and MySpace or Friendster,
Phrase · B2take it in the shins

Taking repeated blows

And we know that you've been taking it in the shins.
Slang · C1fatwaWomen's groups are ready to declare a fatwa.
Phrase · B2rehabilitate one's image

Repair one's public image

But, you know, this could help rehabilitate your image.
Phrase · B2be overwhelmed with somethingOur second programmer just got overwhelmed with schoolwork.
Phrase · B1build the siteWe would need you to build the site and write the code, and we'll provide all the...
Grammar · B2We would need you to build the site

would need someone to: would softens a demand into a plan.

We would need you to build the site and write the code, and we'll provide all the...
SoundI'm in

liaison

I'm in.

Winklevoss Twins Pitch Their Site, explained

What's really going on

The scene is a seduction disguised as a business meeting, and Mark sees through it immediately. The twins flatter him, buy him a sandwich, and explain why their site is different: exclusivity, because "Harvard. Edu is the most prestigious e-mail address in the country, man." Mark's flat "It was kind of a no-brainer" about his own CourseMatch quietly refuses the flattery, and his even flatter "I'm in" closes the pitch before they have finished. The comedy is in the mismatch: they think they are recruiting a hired coder, while Mark has already filed the idea away. Everything that follows grows from this meeting.

Theme

AmbitionMark agrees in two words, but the meeting hands him an idea that will grow far beyond the men pitching it.
ClassThe pitch rests on Harvard exclusivity, using the prestige of one university as the product itself.

Listen for

  • got a minute — flap
  • impressed with — liaison
  • I'm in — liaison
Girls wanna go with guys who go to Harvard.

The blunt pitch behind the site: dating status is the real product, and Harvard is the badge that sells it.

It was kind of a no-brainer.

Mark's dismissive self-review, brushing off praise by calling his own work obvious.

So, what can I do for you? Did I insult your girlfriends?

Mark's opening, half joke and half guard: he assumes he is being accused of something.

Harvard. Edu is the most prestigious e-mail address in the country, man.

The claim that carries the whole pitch, turning a school email into a status symbol.

Questions about this scene

What is the Harvard Connection?

The Winklevoss twins' social networking idea: a Harvard-only site where students make a page and connect with each other. The pitch stresses exclusivity as the thing that sets it apart.

Why do the Winklevosses want Mark to join?

They need a strong programmer to build the site. They flatter his earlier work, offer him the coding, and hint that the project could repair his reputation after Facemash.

Why does Mark agree so quickly?

He answers in two words, I'm in, with almost no discussion. The rushed agreement is the seed of the later lawsuits, since each side remembers the meeting differently.

Where does the meeting take place?

At the Porcellian club at Harvard, which the twins belong to. Mark cannot go past the bike room because he is not a member, a small reminder of the social world he is outside of.

The Social Network · 23 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 6in a stampedeMark Pitches the Facebook Idea
Chapter 1speak in codeErica Dumps Mark at the BarChapter 2take my mind offMark Builds FacemashChapter 3an awful lot ofMark Crashes Harvard's NetworkChapter 4make an example out ofZuckerberg Faces the Ad BoardWatching · Chapter 5a no-brainerWinklevoss Twins Pitch Their SiteChapter 6in a stampedeMark Pitches the Facebook IdeaChapter 7off the recordEduardo's Deposition Turns on EmailsChapter 8bounce aroundFacebook Launches Relationship StatusChapter 9give someone the fingerThe Winklevosses Debate Suing MarkChapter 10Facebook meEduardo Recalls Facebook's LaunchChapter 11monetizeMark and Eduardo Argue About MoneyChapter 12the minimum amountMark Answers with Minimum AttentionChapter 13written in inkErica Confronts Mark Over the InternetChapter 14the shoe's on the other footSean Parker Wakes Up at StanfordChapter 15make that callThe Winklevosses Meet President SummersChapter 16a dog in this fightSean Parker Wins Over MarkChapter 17stir the potEduardo's Chicken Deposition StoryChapter 18once-in-a-generationSean Parker Meets Mark in Palo AltoChapter 19at our disposalThe Winklevosses Decide to Sue MarkChapter 20get left behindEduardo Confronts Mark Over SeanChapter 21let bygones be bygonesEduardo Freezes the Company AccountChapter 22in all honestyEduardo Signs Away His SharesChapter 23lawyer upMark Dismantles Eduardo at Facebook
Chapter 5 of 23 · about 56 min to go