A wave of 2026 films from Sorkin, Fielder, Gibney and Guadagnino casts tech leaders in a harsher light, The Verge reports

What happened

The Verge reported that 2026 has brought an unusually large number of films that take a critical look at how Silicon Valley is reshaping everyday life. In an analysis by film and TV reporter Charles Pulliam-Moore, the outlet pointed to four projects: The Social Reckoning, You Can See Everything, Musk and Artificial.

According to The Verge, some of these are fictionalized dramas, but each draws on critical reporting about its subject. The outlet argued that major studios now appear to accept that public frustration with Big Tech is not fading. It also noted that some of the films have been box office flops.

The four films

The Social Reckoning

Aaron Sorkin's film portrays Facebook and Meta head Mark Zuckerberg as a robotic villain, The Verge reported. The story centers on allegations made by whistleblower Frances Haugen, whose warnings The Wall Street Journal began reporting in 2021.

The Verge said scenes about Instagram's effects on teens' mental health and the link between Facebook's algorithm and the spread of misinformation tie into current concerns about Meta's influence. The outlet contrasted the film with David Fincher's 2010 film The Social Network, starring Jesse Eisenberg, which it said presented Zuckerberg as a complicated and misunderstood figure.

You Can See Everything

Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's documentary focuses on Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. Production started after Holmes had been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison, and The Verge reported that Fielder lived with Holmes and her partner William Evans in a rental home during the month before her sentence began.

Fielder questions Holmes about why she does not believe she defrauded Theranos investors, according to The Verge. The outlet said the film repeatedly raises whether Holmes is using Fielder as part of a public relations effort and leaves viewers to decide.

Musk

Alex Gibney's documentary about Elon Musk, head of xAI and SpaceX, looks at his past and at why the public allowed him to gain so much power within governments around the world, The Verge reported. The film is currently screening in select theaters.

Artificial

Luca Guadagnino's Artificial is a dark comedy and character study that, in The Verge's view, makes OpenAI's Sam Altman look like a manipulative sociopath. The outlet reported that the film will release widely on December 25th.

Studio decisions and distribution

Amazon was originally set to release Artificial but backed out of the deal this past June, The Verge reported. That came months after Amazon announced it was investing $50 billion in OpenAI. The Verge wrote that the move made it seem that studios with financial ties to AI companies might be cooling on projects critical of those companies' leaders.

The Verge also said Musk faced an unusual amount of outside interference in the weeks before its release. Skydance Corporation CEO David Ellison has reportedly promised Gibney that the documentary will air on HBO, now part of Skydance, sometime next January. Ellison's father, Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, is a longtime Donald Trump supporter and was among the billionaires who led the investor group that bought TikTok's US business late last year, according to the outlet.

Why it matters

The Verge framed the films as a sign of a broader cultural shift in how people view modern technology and the people behind it. It noted that Hollywood spent years poking fun at and mythologizing founders, and that parts of the industry are now taking a more critical view. More coverage of the industry is on our AI and tech page.

The outlet connected audience interest to issues such as Musk's tenure at DOGE and OpenAI's push to build generative AI into many parts of daily life. It also said OpenAI's impending IPO could make the messages in Artificial about Altman feel more relevant.

What to watch next

• Artificial is scheduled for a wide theatrical release on December 25th, according to The Verge.
• Musk is expected to air on HBO sometime next January, based on a promise David Ellison reportedly made to Gibney.
• OpenAI's impending IPO, which The Verge said could make Artificial's portrayal of Altman feel more relevant.