Got a little crew together of cool, like-minded, sober, predatory tech guys,
comedian Ben Marshall said during a recent broadcast.
During its Halloween broadcast, Saturday Night Live targeted artificial intelligence, corporate startup culture, and figures in the tech industry across multiple sketches. The episode featured a spoof of a startup founder channeled through Stephen King’s Pennywise, who pitched an artificial intelligence firm called WeAllFloat.ai.
Sketches Target AI and Tech Culture
Playing the malevolent clown, Marshall described the fictional venture by asking, Instead of trapping one kid with one balloon, what if you had hundreds of AI agents, each with their own digital balloons?
He also noted during the segment, I live in a loft in Austin with three other motivated young Christians.
The broadcast included additional artificial intelligence and corporate spoofs. During “Weekend Update,” host Michael Che targeted the stock price of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, joking that Today’s Google Doodle hung itself.
In another sketch parodying advertising executives attempting to promote a new Sprite flavor on a Latin telenovela, a representative admitted the beverage tasted bad because we used AI to make it,
adding sarcastically, For the first time in history, AI screwed up.
Focus on Texas Startups
While the show has previously lampooned artificial intelligence and buzzy startup culture, the Saturday broadcast specifically focused on Texas as a destination where techies are relocating to establish new companies. Since 2020, more than 200 companies have moved their headquarters to the state, with many organizations pointing to a business-friendly atmosphere and comparatively lax regulatory laws.
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