“Bad Money” (S02E03)

Though his colleagues disapprove, Richard Hendricks reluctantly agrees to take Monica’s advice and let Hooli acquire Pied Piper. On the way to meeting with Gavin Belson, he is stopped by Russ Hanneman, a flashy billionaire who made his money by putting radio on the internet (a parody of Mark Cuban). Hanneman takes Richard to an expensive restaurant and offers him $5 million for equity in Pied Piper and two seats on its board. Monica tells Richard that Hooli is by far the safer option and that Hanneman is a terrible person, but Richard ignores her. Monica informs Bream of his decision, and Bream expresses disgust at the idea of being associated with Hanneman. With the knowledge that they are funded, Pied Piper begins creating a budget for the next 18 months, and negotiating how many new people they will hire. During the budget meeting, Hanneman visits Pied Piper and disrupts it by talking loudly on the phone and hanging out with his friend Cory. Erlich tries to befriend Hanneman but fails. Hanneman tells Pied Piper that revenue is a bad thing, explains that the check he gave them is just a “show check”, and buys several Pied Piper billboards without asking. Meanwhile, Belson compares the treatment of billionaires to the suffering of Jews in the Holocaust during an interview, manages the backlash, and gets his lawyers to figure out how to improve his case for suing Pied Piper.