• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

2

Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that

3

Nearly 50,000 Lake Tahoe residents have to find a new power source after their energy source looks to redirect lines to data centers

1

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

2

Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that

3

Nearly 50,000 Lake Tahoe residents have to find a new power source after their energy source looks to redirect lines to data centers
TechHalt and Catch Fire

Startup Founders Fight for Control in AMC’s ‘Halt and Catch Fire’

By
Kia Kokalitcheva
Kia Kokalitcheva
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Kia Kokalitcheva
Kia Kokalitcheva
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 21, 2016, 1:59 AM ET
Lee Pace as Joe MacMillan - Halt and Catch Fire _ Season 3, Episode 6  - Photo Credit: Tina Rowden/AMC
Lee Pace as Joe MacMillan - Halt and Catch Fire _ Season 3, Episode 6  - Photo Credit: Tina Rowden/AMCPhotograph by Tina Rowden/AMC

Mutiny, the fictional chatroom startup in AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire television series, continues to grow, but its founders are growing apart.

As the sixth episode of the series’ new season opens, co-founders Donna Clark and Cameron Howe’s strained relationship continues. They’ll have to fix it before it’s too late. Cameron also needs to finally come clean to Donna about her rekindled relationship with Tom Rendon, her ex-boyfriend and a former employee at Mutiny who remained in Texas when the startup moved to San Francisco.

Meanwhile, Joe MacMillan and his protege Ryan Ray continue to push MacMillan Utility, Joe’s new software company, forward as they ink deals with more and more customers. But Joe continues to be interested in bigger ideas, like network computing. Here are some notable moments in this latest episode:

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Donna and Cameron make up. “Whatever you have going on here, you need to deal with it,” Diane tells Donna and and Cameron before leaving a meeting with them, signaling that their building tension is now obvious to everyone around them.

Though only Donna takes up Diane on her offer to spend the weekend at her house in Sonoma, Northern California’s wine country, Cameron eventually drives up later on. As she finds a not-so-sober Donna lying on the grass (a friend of Diane’s daughter had offered her drugs), the two finally discuss their problems.

To Cameron, Donna had lied about her conversation with Diane about firing the founders of the startup they acquired, for which she apologizes. But Donna has also harbored her own resentment about her leadership and contributions being overshadowed by Cameron’s image as a genius founder. “I’m just as good at this as you are,” says Donna, quickly reassured by Cameron that she wouldn’t have been able to build Mutiny without her.

Read Fortune’s recap of the previous episode: Partnerships Erode in AMC’s ‘Halt and Catch Fire’

The price of Diane’s success. Diane Gould is a female investor in Silicon Valley and her experiences are familiar to any working mother with a high-powered job. “Everybody says it passes so fast,” she tells John “Bos” Bosworth, Mutiny’s business guy, as they discuss their children over a late night drink.

“Working as much as I do, I miss a lot,” she adds.

It’s no secret that women have been underrepresented in Silicon Valley, making Diane one of the few of her kind in the industry. Though Diane has worked her way up to her position as an investor, it’s not been without sacrifices. Along with not being around her children as much as she would have liked, her love life is also a casualty. We see Diane ditch her presumably uninteresting date to the opera to hang out with Bos, just to be later rejected when she invites him over for a drink after they have sex in his car.

Joe vs. his board of directors. Joe learns a hard lesson about having a board of directors: they may have more control than the founder and CEO. After Joe signs a deal to invest in NSFNET, a non-profit network that provided research institutions with access to supercomputers, one of his investors and board members announces to him that the board has voted to strip him of any real power he has. Should he choose the quit, his non-compete agreement would keep him from building anything similar (it should be noted that in California, these agreements are much harder to enforce, though trade secrets could certainly become a problem).

But Joe won’t let his board get away with taking control of the company. In the episode’s closing scene, he’s seen giving a deposition for the lawsuit Gordon filed against him for stealing the antivirus software he wrote. To the shock of his lawyer, Joe admits that he stole the software.

Presumably, this will create a number of complications for the company, complications that the board of directors will now have to deal with without his help. In short, it’s Joe’s revenge. But he’s also finally giving Gordon the credit he’s due.

About the Author
By Kia Kokalitcheva
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., left, and US President Donald Trump during a dinner with tech leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. US President Donald Trump said he would be imposing tariffs on semiconductor imports "very shortly" but spare goods from companies like Apple Inc. that have pledged to boost their US investments. Photographer: Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Big TechDonald Trump
How Trump’s ‘unusual’ brokerage account traded around his own market-moving decisions—selling hyperscalers and buying energy stocks during the war
By Eva RoytburgMay 15, 2026
6 hours ago
Berkshire triples Alphabet stake and buys Delta stock while dumping Amazon in Greg Abel’s first quarter as CEO
InvestingBerkshire Hathaway
Berkshire triples Alphabet stake and buys Delta stock while dumping Amazon in Greg Abel’s first quarter as CEO
By Josh Funk and The Associated PressMay 15, 2026
7 hours ago
SpaceX said to plan public IPO filing as soon as Wednesday
Big TechIPOs
SpaceX said to plan public IPO filing as soon as Wednesday
By Anthony Hughes, Bailey Lipschultz and BloombergMay 15, 2026
7 hours ago
America’s productivity boom started before AI, and a Stanford economist who decoded the Great Resignation says working from home is the reason why
Future of Workremote work
America’s productivity boom started before AI, and a Stanford economist who decoded the Great Resignation says working from home is the reason why
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 15, 2026
9 hours ago
A man stands looking out over his front porch where a sign reads, "No data centers."
EnvironmentData centers
Startups are installing tiny data centers in people’s homes to reduce strain on the beleaguered electrical grid
By Sasha RogelbergMay 15, 2026
10 hours ago
US hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, speaks during the 29th annual Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on May 4, 2026.
InvestingMicrosoft
Bill Ackman has been quietly buying Microsoft since February, when AI fears were dragging the stock
By Eva RoytburgMay 15, 2026
15 hours ago

Most Popular

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
3 days ago
Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that
Success
Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that
By Preston ForeMay 13, 2026
3 days ago
Nearly 50,000 Lake Tahoe residents have to find a new power source after their energy source looks to redirect lines to data centers
Travel & Leisure
Nearly 50,000 Lake Tahoe residents have to find a new power source after their energy source looks to redirect lines to data centers
By Catherina GioinoMay 12, 2026
4 days ago
The airplane fuel shortage is a myth propagated by airlines who want to cancel unprofitable flights, says private jet CEO
Energy
The airplane fuel shortage is a myth propagated by airlines who want to cancel unprofitable flights, says private jet CEO
By Jim EdwardsMay 14, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 15, 2026
17 hours ago
Top economist says $39 trillion national debt leaves government worse prepared for recession than ever
Economy
Top economist says $39 trillion national debt leaves government worse prepared for recession than ever
By Eva RoytburgMay 14, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.