“Girls wanna go with guys who go to Harvard.”
Por qué es buena
The whole pitch in one blunt line: they are selling the Harvard name.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
Tourists wanna go with guides who went to Oxford.
00:00 / 02:48
00:00 / 02:48
Winklevoss Twins Pitch Their Site, Explained
The Social Network · 2010
Capítulo 5 de 23 · 2'48"
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."
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 1:33–2:13
The Harvard Connection Pitch
40s
Winklevoss Twins Pitch Their Site, explained
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.
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.
Key lines & what they mean
- “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.
Theme
- Ambition — Mark agrees in two words, but the meeting hands him an idea that will grow far beyond the men pitching it.
- Class — The pitch rests on Harvard exclusivity, using the prestige of one university as the product itself.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel0/5
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“It was kind of a no-brainer.”
Por qué es buena
A throwaway line that shows how lightly they take the work.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
Choosing the cheaper plan was kind of a no-brainer.
“So, what can I do for you? Did I insult your girlfriends?”
Por qué es buena
He misreads their visit as a love quarrel, and it says everything about him.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
So, what can I do for you? Did I forget your birthday?
“Harvard. Edu is the most prestigious e-mail address in the country, man.”
Por qué es buena
It turns a school email into the country's most valuable badge.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
That certificate is the most prestigious credential in the industry.
Siguiente · 06in a stampedeLa escena: Mark Pitches the Facebook IdeaPreguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhat 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.