Attending an elaborate launch party, Richard and his computer programmer friends - Big Head, Dinesh and Gilfoyle - dream of making it big. Instead, they're living in the communal Hacker Hostel owned by former programmer Erlich, who gets to claim ten percent of anything they invent there. When it becomes clear that Richard has developed a powerful compression algorithm for his website, Pied Piper, he finds himself courted by Gavin Belson, his egomaniacal corporate boss, who offers a $10 million buyout by his firm, Hooli. But Richard holds back when well-known investor Peter Gregory makes a counteroffer.

While Gavin Belson begins to hype Nucleus, a competing compression platform, Richard learns that the name Pied Piper is already registered to a sprinkler company, forcing him to negotiate. Meanwhile, Erlich goes on a vision quest for a new company name, and Peter Gregory proves elusive when one of his companies asks for money.

Erlich convinces a graffiti artist to create Pied Piper's logo; Jared works to make the company more efficient; Richard learns that he has eight weeks to prepare for a live demonstration.

Richard feels threatened when the team hires “The Carver” a hacker with a notorious reputation, to help with Pied Piper’s cloud. Jared finds himself taken for a ride when he seeks out Peter Gregory’s signature. Erlich and Dinesh compete for the attention of Tara, Gilfoyle’s visiting girlfriend. Later, Dinesh faces a sexual dilemma.

At TechCrunch Disrupt, Richard feels the pressure to finish his demo, but finds himself distracted by a girl he dated briefly, who’s now spreading rumors about him. Jared worries that Monica is taking his place in the company. Dinesh develops a crush on a girl at a neighboring booth. Erlich’s scandalous past connection to one of the judges threatens Pied Piper’s chances.

Poised to compete at TechCrunch Disrupt, the guys of Pied Piper become worried after an impressive presentation by Gavin Belson. As Jared tries to pivot the company, Richard is inspired to make big changes at the last minute.

The Pied Piper guys are wined and dined by every venture capitalist under the sun, while Monica adjusts to a new managing partner at Raviga as the company faces major changes.

While considering Gavin’s proposal, Richard is approached by Russ Hanneman, an image-conscious billionaire who wants to back Pied Piper, but may not be as “hands-off” as he claims. Gilfoyle and Dinesh play hardball to get what they want; Gavin finds a new strategy in dealing with the enemy.

Gavin continues to cause trouble for Pied Piper. Gilfoyle works on building servers. Jared becomes Richard's roommate.

Richard is faced with a tough decision, regarding the future of Pied Piper. Dinesh flirts with a woman online.

When Pied Piper and Hooli enter binding arbitration, Erlich demands to be put on the stand. Meanwhile, Big Head finds himself propped up, and Richard worries Hooli’s claim could have legs.

After being unceremoniously fired, an angry Richard faces a tough decision: accept the diminished role of CTO, or leave Pied Piper for good. Erlich takes a shine to Jack Barker, Laurie’s new choice of CEO, while Dinesh and Gilfoyle weigh their options in Richard’s absence. At Hooli, Gavin tries to improve his image by admitting failure, and Big Head gets wind of major changes.

Richard searches for a way around Jack. Gilfoyle opens himself up to recruiters. Dinesh draws unwanted attention from a recent purchase.

Richard's ego gets in the way during an interview. Erlich makes his pitch to Big Head. Dinesh, Gilfoyle and Jared lose track of some hardware.

A beta version of Pied Piper gets an unexpected reception as Dinesh's lack of friends worries him. Monica isn't sure she can dole out criticism. A strapped Erlich mulls a big decision. The Nucleus team tackles a difficult challenge from Gavin.

Shocking stats are revealed and prompt Richard to bridge the gap between Pied Piper and its users, but Jared must go to extremes to keep everything intact. Gavin tries to recapture his former glory by bringing in new talent after discovering secrets about the competition.

In the wake of Pied Piper’s clickfarm scandal, the guys struggle to find funding for Pied Piper’s video-chat app to keep up with their rapidly growing user base. Erlich faces resistance from Big Head’s dad, while Gavin balks after Jack steps on his toes at Hooli. Having a hard time adjusting to his company’s pivot, Richard gets sage advice from an unexpected source, leading him to a big idea that could change his future.

An overtired Richard pushes himself to the brink of sanity while trying to move ahead with his next big idea. Eyeing a comeback, Erlich pressures an uncooperative Jian-Yang. Monica sets a trap at Raviga to improve her standing with Laurie. Dinesh goes on a date. Big Head enters the world of academia. Gavin faces an unknown future.

When Richard decides to stand up to a patent troll, his defiance ends up coming back to haunt him. Gilfoyle goes to desperate measures to battle Jian-Yang's new smart fridge. Jared embraces multiple identities in his quest to reduce costs. Erlich tries to hang with the alpha males.

While Erlich goes on a trip to get his mojo back, the Pied Piper guys take to Hooli-Con to pull off a stealth operation. There, an ethically challenged Jared tries to keep himself in the dark, Gilfoyle and Dinesh get distracted by Keenan and Richard's obsession with an ex's new beau leads him to put their whole plan in jeopardy.

Now that Pied Piper has ample funding and new offices, the pressure to get things right stymies Richard and forces him to grow the company in a way he hadn't planned. A picky Dinesh and Gilfoyle question their ability to make good decisions. After returning to Hooli, Gavin worries about becoming antiquated.

Encouraged by Jared to strike up a friendship with Dana, a like-minded CEO, Richard instead finds himself charmed by Dana's COO, who challenges his loyalty to Gilfoyle. Facing limited housing options thanks to his impulse purchase, Dinesh searches for a new roommate.

Overshadowed by Jared in an on-camera interview, Richard’s confidence wavers further when Laurie and Monica force him to work with Eklow, a new artificial-intelligence company. Gilfoyle worries about the prospect of introducing AI into Pied Piper. Dinesh makes Jared self-conscious ahead of a second interview. Gavin questions his future beyond Hooli.

As the Pied Piper guys prepare to close on their Series B funding, Richard receives some unsettling news. Gilfoyle suggests a risky proposition and Monica gets blunt with Richard. Dinesh goes to great lengths to compete with a coworker, while Jared keeps close watch on Richard's new assistant. In search of a better deal, Gavin tries to charm small-town America.