Willy Wonka - Funniest Clip: Machine

Excerpts4u · 540.3K views · 2015-02-08 · 1:16

Open on YouTube ↗

If playback is restricted in your region, try opening the original video. Use Mark watched to add it to your marked videos.

Overview

A one-minute clip from the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in which a computer refuses to reveal its results. It plays on machines giving unhelpful answers.

On Hacker News

Used purely as a joke reference when threads feature computers or AI giving unhelpful or evasive answers.

Discussed on HN; no positive recommendation is recorded in this export · HN mentions 2021–2025

Topics

Film & TV clips

What people said

jeffwass · 2025-03 · Joke / meme
Predicted way back in 1971 in the classic movie “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”! One of the many hysterical scenes I didn’t truly appreciate as a kid. [VIDEO]
Read the original HN comment ↗

semiquaver · 2023-10 · Joke / meme
This question reminds me of the computer scene from “Willy Wonka”. [VIDEO] I’m imagining the computer guru presenting his plan to Congress: “my 100% infallible computer model says here’s what the tax law should be. Please overhaul society now and make sure you don’t let any of your prior opinions cloud your judgement now that the computer has told you what’s best.” Computational models are models : they work best with systems we already basically understand the rules to or can at least approximate. Like weather or physics. Economics is a social science . Economies are incredibly dynamic systems because they’re made of people. Every change to the system causes the participants to change their behavior. People are significantly more complicated than Game Of Life gliders. A model that can correctly simulate the economy requires strong AGI or magic, neither of which have been invented yet.
Read the original HN comment ↗

yeuxardents · 2021-12 · Joke / meme
It reminds me of the scene from the original willy wonka from that era, where they are trying to use a computer to predict where the next winning ticket will be. [VIDEO]
Read the original HN comment ↗

Sources

Video by Excerpts4u, played through YouTube.

HN Library · Source license

Data and selection notes

HN summaries and labels may contain AI errors. HN dates refer to discussions, not video publication.

HN Library: HackerTube export (2026-10-31) and open-index/hacker-news. Upstream summaries and classifications may contain AI errors.

Views, duration and playback status refresh separately from the published catalog. When an update fails, existing data remains visible.

Selection checks

SaaS & AI candidates: Topic keywords do not match
Editor-approved picks: Editorial review is required

Rule matches identify candidates. They do not guarantee video quality or financial results.

About the library and its sources