Is Severance’s Lumon based on a real company? Explained

Apple TV's Severance revolves around a memory-splitting process that a biotech company called Lumon Industries sanctions their employees to undergo. Adam Scott's Mark Scout is one of the company's employees who agrees to have his personal memories separate from his professional memories, creating different personalities depending on what memory he has.

For those wondering if Severance's Lumon Industries is based on a real company, it doesn't appear to be, despite Apple TV's marketing that somehow blurs fiction and reality. For one, Lumon has a LinkedIn account and a company website, making people think that it's the real deal.

That said, the "About" section on LinkedIn specifically notes that it's "fictitious" company. However, the Lumon Industries building exists in real life. Created by Dan Erickson, besides Scott, the dystopian sci-fi drama also stars Britt Lower and Zach Cherry.

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Severance's Lumon Industries is imaginary

The Lumon Industries, the biotech company in Severance, is fictional and doesn't appear to be based on a real-life company. After all, it would cause a major stir if a company that does the same experimental stuff as Lumon does in the Apple TV+ series exists in real life.

Screenshot of LinkedIn page (Image via Lumon Industries/LinkedIn)

However, the confusion for some is warranted by how Apple TV tried to reportedly market the show. Besides bringing Lumon Industries to life in a pop-up event in New York in January 2025, production has also made several promotions that extend the fictional world beyond the screen. Apple TV seemingly found multiple ways to make Lumon feel like a real company.

For example, like a real-life giant corporation, it has an official company website, complete with an "About" page that lists its previous CEOs and a "Careers" page for those who want to join their workforce. Moreover, it has a LinkedIn account. Using a platform typically reserved for serious professional networking makes it seem like it's a real one.

It has all the workings of a LinkedIn profile, ranging from the company page down to corporate messaging and job postings. On the "About" section, the statement reads:

"Lumon is a fictitious company from the Apple Original Series, Severance, streaming on Apple TV+."

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Lumon Industries in Severance may be fictional but the building is not

While the company featured on the show may be fictional, the building that serves as the Lumon Industries in Severance exists in real life. The Bell Works, formerly Bell Laboratories, in Holmdel, New Jersey serves as the backdrop of the eerie corners of the headquarters in the Apple TV+ psychological thriller.

Fans of the series have shared their experience of visiting the real-life Lumon Industries building on social media, featuring its glass-and-steel exterior that fans would quickly recognize from the show. Bell Works is a 1958 2-million-square-foot building, per Business Insider, and was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen.

Once a hub for technological innovation, Bell Works is now a complex of modernized offices, shops, restaurants, bars, and more. The building reportedly still looks huge and monolithic like in the show, but unlike its interiors in the series, Bell Works is alive and bustling in real life, especially now that it has become a travel destination for Severance fans.

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Catch the complete season 1 of Severance on Apple TV+, as well as several episodes of season 2, with new episodes coming every Friday until March 21, 2025.