“Mountainhead” and the Age of the Pathetic Billionaire

“Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong’s latest work, a ripped-from-the-headlines sendup of tech billionaires called “Mountainhead,” is arguably an extension of his over-all project: making the ultra-wealthy look fallible, unglamorous, and often flat-out amoral. On this episode of Critics at Large, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz discuss how the new movie draws on the tech oligarchs we’ve come to know in real life, and consider the special place that the über-rich have held in the American imagination since the days of Edith Wharton and Upton Sinclair. How has the rise of such figures as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg changed our conception? And, as they’ve become more present in our daily lives—and more cartoonishly powerful—is it even possible to satirize them? “I think now that job is more important and also harder to do for artists,” says Schwartz, “simply because the culture is so enraptured with wealth."

Read, watch, and listen with the critics:

“Mountainhead” (2025)

“Succession” (2018-23)

“Oil!,” by Upton Sinclair

“There Will Be Blood” (2007)

“Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” (1984-95)

“Three Faces of American Capitalism: Buffett, Musk, and Trump,” by John Cassidy (The New Yorker)

“Joe Rogan, Hasan Piker, and the Art of the Hang” (The New Yorker)

“On the Campaign Trail, Elon Musk Juggled Drugs and Family Drama,” by Kirsten Grind and Megan Twohey (The New York Times)

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Critics at Large is a weekly discussion from The New Yorker that explores the latest trends in books, television, film, and more. Join us every Thursday as we make unexpected connections between classic texts and pop culture.

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