Ben Feldmanjpg Ron LaFlamme portrayed by Ben Feldman. Ron LaFlamme served as lawyer for Peter Gregory before being served as outside counsel for Pied Piper. His first appearance was in the Season One episode "Fiduciary Duties". He is portrayed by actor Ben Feldman.
6Silicon Valley (V.O.S) / Number of seasonsSilicon Valley is an American comedy television series created by Mike Judge, John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky. It premiered on HBO on April 6, 2014, running six seasons for a total of 53 episodes. The series finale aired on December 8, 2019.
Gavin is based on two real-life CEOs, Sergei Brin (formerly of Google) and Jeff Bezos (Amazon), as well as Gavin Newsom, the current Governor of California and former Mayor of San Francisco. The role of Gavin Belson was given to Matt Ross after he auditioned for the role of Peter Gregory.
T.J. Miller, who played Erlich, initially auditioned to play Richard. Mike Judge, the series' creator, claims that Richard is partially based on Mark Zuckerberg.
Peter Gregory, portrayed by Christopher Evan Welch (season 1), is the billionaire founder and CEO of Raviga Capital as well a 5% equity owner of Pied Piper after his $200,000 investment. Gregory is extremely intelligent, but socially awkward, eccentric and fastidious. Historically, Gregory and Gavin Belson were friends, however their relationship soured as each went to run their own competing tech companies, making interactions between them awkward. Welch died after the fifth episode of season 1 was completed, but the character remained present off-screen for the remainder of the season. Gregory later died in the season 2 premiere. Monica is saddened by Gregory's death and still highly reveres him, becoming very disappointed whenever the values Gregory believed in and instilled in the Valley are dishonored, notably by Laurie Bream's profit-motivated approach to business.
Erlich Bachman, portrayed by T.J. Miller (seasons 1–4), is an arrogant entrepreneur who founded an innovation incubator in his home after the purchase of his airfare collator Aviato. Erlich still holds on to his glory days in the valley, wearing Aviato T-shirts and driving a Ford Escape adorned with Aviato logos. Under the incubator agreement, Erlich owns 10% of Pied Piper, and is later appointed to the company's board of directors after Richard realizes how important Erlich is to the business. Erlich is a frequent user of marijuana. It is revealed in the season 2 finale that Erlich no longer codes because of severe carpal tunnel syndrome. Despite being relatively unsuccessful in his own entrepreneurial ventures, he is a charismatic public speaker and negotiator, and is often seen as the "face" of Pied Piper. In season 3 he begins to have a less active role in Pied Piper. He begins to start his own VC firm with Big Head but then declares bankruptcy.
In season 6, Richard once again struggles between executing business tactics and not compromising his own moral values. He proclaims in front of the United States Senate that Pied Piper will not collect user data and the implementation of a decentralized internet will prevent such actions from taking place, but soon finds that one of Pied Piper's developers, Collin, is actively mining user data. He attempts to blackmail Collin by using APIs to collect his phone calls, but the plan backfires when Collin shows off the technology to interested investors. Collin would later join Chilean billionaire Maximo Reyes's alliance with YaoNet, Pied Piper's main competitor after Richard turned down an offer from Reyes to purchase a $1 billion stake in Pied Piper because Richard refused to collect user data. Pied Piper is able to fend off YaoNet when they purchase the cash-striped Hooli by going around Gavin Belson and convinces his board to sign on. Later, Belson, forced into retirement, publishes a code of conduct known as "Tethics" for all major companies to sign on. Richard refused initially out of anger at Belson's blatant hypocrisy, but soon discovers that Belson had plagiarized from the mission statements of companies such as Applebee's and Starbucks. Richard then attempts to close a deal with AT&T but was turned down initially. While running the internet service at Russ Hanneman's RussFest, Richard discovers YaoNet's presence at the festival. He and the team initially fend off YaoNet, but soon learns from Laurie Bream that YaoNet was only observing the performance of PiperNet and that it is not more advanced compared to YaoNet. Richard initially breaks down at the revelation, but later reverts the system with artificial intelligence, leading to success at RussFest and a $100 million deal with AT&T. However, days before PiperNet's launch, Richard discovers that the network's AI has become so advanced that it can bypass advanced encryptions, meaning that it can potentially end privacy if implemented on a large scale. Although initially reluctant, Richard agrees to intentionally sabotage PiperNet in order to prevent the AI from potentially ending internet privacy. After PiperNet's launch caused thousands of rats to emerge onto streets all over the country, Richard shuts down Pied Piper in shame. He would later travel the world and is revealed to have become a "Gavin Belson Professor of Technology Ethics" at Stanford University ten years after the initial PiperNet launch.
Richard quits his job to pursue his compression application Pied Piper. The company initially starts out as a simple data compression platform, but when this, and a videochat that Dinesh created with the algorithm fails, Richard pivots toward creating a new, decentralized internet, called PiperNet.
Erlich is never heard from again afterward, although Richard reveals in " Exit Event " that he tried to look for Erlich in Tibet.
Nelson "Big Head" Bighetti, portrayed by Josh Brener, is a former tenant of Erlich's incubator and Richard's best friend who also works at Hooli. He is unintelligent and naĂŻve, but still manages to acquire significant influence as a result of the struggle between Hooli and Pied Piper.
Gregory later died in the season 2 premiere. Monica is saddened by Gregory's death and still highly reveres him, becoming very disappointed whenever the values Gregory believed in and instilled in the Valley are dishonored, notably by Laurie Bream's profit-motivated approach to business.
1. Christopher Evan Welch (September 28, 1965 – December 2, 2013) was an American TV, film, and stage actor. He is best known as the narrator in Woody Allen 's Vicky Cristina Barcelona and his role as Peter Gregory in the HBO series Silicon Valley. Welch died due to complications from lung cancer in Santa Monica, California, in 2013.
In 2009, he appeared in the film Whatever Works and the television series Nurse Jackie. In 2010, he appeared as Grant Test in the AMC series Rubicon. In 2012, he appeared in the films The Master and Lincoln as Clerk of the House Edward McPherson, as well as a role in the television series Elementary.
Welch had an extensive stage career. He appeared in several noted Off-Broadway productions, as well as in three Broadway shows.
Welch sang in a rock band, the Ottoman Bigwigs.
Welch's character was not written out of the show until the second season. When Silicon Valley won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Comedy Series, creator Mike Judge dedicated the award to Welch, at the request of Welch's co-star T.J. Miller .
Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, and independent filmmaker. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant, covering Mando, Melville, Mad Max, and more. He's currently in pre-production on his first feature film, and has been for a while because filmmaking is expensive. In the meantime, he's also in pre-production on various short films. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop. You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time.
Gavin Belson’s head of security, Hoover, will go to absurd lengths to make his boss happy. Gavin doesn’t appreciate him, but Hoover puts up with that because he believes in Gavin.
When Pied Piper really takes off and Richard can afford to employ a real assistant to relieve Jared of some of his duties, he hires a well-meaning young man named Holden.
In the final season of Silicon Valley, Richard meets an eccentric billionaire named Maximo Reyes, who buys a stake in Pied Piper. He challenges Richard’s ethics because he wants PiperNet to go against its own ethos for profit.
Today, Sonsini , 62, heads Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the firm he joined on the cusp of the technology revolution. Only now, the firm's a powerhouse. Officially, Sonsini specializes in securities and in mergers and acquisitions. Unofficially, he's the Godfather of Silicon Valley.
At 57, Ruby is considered one of the most effective trial lawyers around. He's also the most modest, with only a dated, one-page resume that he typed himself on a trusty IBM Selectric. In deference to his Silicon Valley clients, his firm has computers now - but still no Web site.
Brosnahan became intrigued with the law when he was a boy watching the Army- McCarthy hearings on TV. A jock through college, Brosnahan says that it was the competitiveness of trial work that drew him in. Yet, Brosnahan's manner is of wit and charm. Someone once called him "avuncular, with an edge.".
After graduating from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1970 and Golden Gate law in 1977, Van Der Hout stumbled on immigration law because he wanted to use his Spanish. He soon started Van Der Hout, Brigagliano & Nightingale.
At 63, the Burlingame attorney has had a star career that's not only talked about in legal circles but has made headlines around the country. Known mostly as a plaintiffs lawyer, many of his cases are filed on behalf of fraud victims,
Ruby's not sure why he decided to make the courtroom his ring, but he found himself at Stanford Law School, and in 1970, a year after getting his degree, opened a solo practice in San Jose, where he is based.
Now most people who make a zillion dollars by the time they're 40 would shout "Yippeee!" and run off to retirement bliss.
Dave Grossblatt is the 43 year-old owner of Founder’s Dojo, a free incubator in San Francisco for young, wayward startup founders. Dave, like Bachman, is loud, opinionated, hilariously unfashionable, and at times, wildly inappropriate. He’s more doofus than douchey, but it’s understandable why he’s been called the latter.
If you’ve seen the HBO show Silicon Valley, you know that the characters are loosely based on real Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Peter Gregory is PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. Gavin Belson is a mixture of the two Google founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page. But what about Erlich Bachman — the lovable, obnoxious, ...
When compared to the typical startup entrepreneur, the members of the Founder’s Dojo aren’t black sheep, they’re goats. But Dave likes it that way, and it works.
Over the years, the Founder’s Dojo has become Neverland for 20-something, anti-establishment computer geeks (or as Dave calls it, Neverland’s strip club). Since 2007 Dave has given free office space to over 200 early-stage founders who couldn’t afford rent.
A chastened Richard visits dude-bro lawyer Ron LaFlamme, who makes a warped Thelma & Louise analogy to convince him to sell Pied Piper to Maximo. Richard stands on principle over profit, but he’s only thinking of himself. “You wanna go over the cliff, that’s fine,” says Ron, “But remember you have 500 people in the trunk who will burst into flames with you. And for what? Computers?” Just when Richard is convinced to sell, that aforementioned hostile ally shows up with a plan.
Dinesh hooks his cousin into a scam to buy enough Pied Piper stock to fund Hooli’s purchase. He risks the wrath of karma, because this deal will bankrupt his cousin. Bernie Kopell returns as board member Lex, whom Richard calls with the deal. Lex sets up a board meeting minus Gavin, who is indisposed at Hooli Cares.
Meanwhile, Dinesh whines to Gilfoyle about his finances. “I should be a golden millionaire,” he says, which sounds like a rich guy into golden showers, but it’s actually someone whose number of millions matches their age. Gilfoyle brings up karma, a concept I would have expected him to reject. But he has a great explanation, made greater by Martin Starr’s droll, matter-of-fact delivery: “In my youth, I would have argued that life is just a series of random events devoid of any meaning. But as a data scientist, I have to recognize that sometimes patters emerge. Undeniable patterns.”
Bernie Kopell returns as board member Lex, whom Richard calls with the deal. Lex sets up a board meeting minus Gavin, who is indisposed at Hooli Cares. The entire board immediately agrees to sell, but Gavin has two hours to dispute this sale. The triathlon won’t be over by then. Thankfully, Gavin is being tracked by Gilfoyle, who has hacked into Gavin’s Hooli watch to keep tabs on him during the triathlon.
Before Richard can hit the road, he has to explain to Dinesh, Gilfoyle, and Monica why he turned down Maximo’s billion-dollar offer. “He was a bad man,” explains Richard. “You can’t put a price tag on ethics.” “But you just did,” counters Gilfoyle. “One billion dollars.” Dinesh reminds Richard that he turned down Gavin Belson’s original $10 million offer for Pied Piper 1.0. “Did that start some sick addiction to turning down money?” asks Dinesh angrily.
Joe Lo Truglio was born in Ozone Park, Queens and was raised in Margate, Florida. He is the son of Helen (Lynch) and Joseph Lo Truglio, and is of Italian and Irish descent. His childhood revolved around collecting Mad magazines, shooting horror movies on a Super 8, fishing in his backyard canal, ...
Matt Walsh was born on October 13, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Veep (2012), Into the Storm (2014) and Ted (2012). He has been married to Morgan Walsh since March 21, 2009. They have three children.
Born in Manila, Philippines, Bryan Callen made his television debut as a series regular on MADtv (1995) and the HBO prison series Oz (1997). He was recently seen as Kirstie Alley 's wisecracking assistant on Showtime's comedy series Fat Actress (2005). Callen has appeared on several television ...
Ken Marino was born on December 19, 1968 in Long Island, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The State (1993), Wanderlust (2012) and The Ten (2007). He has been married to Erica Oyama since October 8, 2005. They have two children.
Rob Huebel was born on June 4, 1969 in Columbia, South Carolina, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Descendants (2011), I Love You, Man (2009) and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012). He has been married to Holly Hannula since 2016. They have one child.
Bill Hader was born on June 7, 1978 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Skeleton Twins (2014), Inside Out (2015) and It Chapter Two (2019). He was previously married to Maggie Carey.
Tyler Labine was born on April 29, 1978 in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and Flyboys (2006). He has been married to Carrie Ruscheinsky since June 2, 2007. They have three children.