01x02 - Vik & Bo

[bunniefuu]

♪ ♪

Would you like me
to repeat the question?

I have to use the bathroom.

It's across the hall.

[grunts]

[elevator bell chimes]

Hello?

Hello? Anybody.

I'm at the front desk.
I need help.

- From literally anybody. Where
is everybody? - CHRISTY: Here.

- What's wrong? What do you need?
- Uh, they're out to get me

and I need somebody right now.
I need a lawyer.

Welcome to Price and Siffre.

Who's out to get you?

I'm being deposed,
and my company isn't doing

- anything to defend me.
- [metal banging]

Chuck, give us a minute!
Sorry.

Sorry, we're expanding.

- Where are you being deposed?
- Right across the street.

I knew you guys had
just moved in, so I thought...

- Do you have any money?
- Christy. Wait.

What-what's the case?

- What's the case?
- I'm a coder at MoonChaser.

They do the drone light shows.

They're getting sued,
I thought I was just a witness,

but in the middle of their depo,

the questions started
becoming about me.

- Like, personally, about me.
- Cash or credit card?

Are you okay?

Oh, yeah, t-this is just
from the bushes.

- Here.
- Thank you.

CHRISTY: Here's our retainer
agreement. You just sign right there.

- Wait. Can we wait?
- VIK: Uh, okay,

- but I need you right now.
- One second.

So, what do you think?

I think he seems paranoid.

Are we really doing this?

- What, taking the case?
- No.

Starting a firm.

[soft chuckle]
Look,

I'm sick of people
controlling my fate.

And my guess is there are
a lot of people out there

who feel the same way

but don't have anyone
to represent them.

So, I'm putting my half

of the S-Talk winnings
into representing them.

- Is that enough to keep this going?
- For a month or two.

Then I'll call a banker friend
of mine

- to get a small business loan for
after that. - VIK: Can we go?

- I have to get back.
- Give us a minute.

We're talking strategy.

Olivia, I'm big enough
and loud enough

that people see me coming,

and you're sweet enough
that people don't.

They underestimate you.

You're the secret weapon.

So, what do you say?

Are we doing this, partner?

Partner?

Good.
We'll leave it there until

we're bankrupt.

Mr. Malhotra, is everything
all right in there?

Mr. Malhotra?
We should get security.

I'm ready.

Uh, no, thank you.
Uh, you guys can sit over there.

- Vik, who are these people?
- We're his lawyers.

No, we are. We are
MoonChaser's in-house counsel.

Vik's a MoonChaser employee,
so we represent him.

I don't think
that's up to you. Vik?

I want these two as my lawyers.

- That's why I asked for a break.
- You didn't ask for a break.

You went to the bathroom
for 20 minutes

- and then you disappeared.
- Plaintiff is fine with them

- joining your team.
- Of course you're fine with it,

because it helps your case if he
hires a couple incompetents.

- Don't give me
- I resent that implication.

- the moral high ground, Carl.
- I'm following the law, Scott.

- It's easy to follow when it-when it
helps your side. - Oh, oh,

and you don't advocate for your

- client's best interests?
- I-It helps your client.

[argument continues
indistinctly]

Christy,
did his credit card clear?

Vik's?

Yeah, no problem.
Why?

This might reach
the limit of his retainer.

The company's trying to reduce
its liability by blaming him.

Well, good.

Maybe we can
afford another wall.

- I'll get his credit score. Oh.
- [phone beeps]

That's my other line.
Kick a*s.

Price, Siffre and Associates.
How may I help you?

MAN:
Michael Price, please.

He's in a meeting.
Can I have him call you back?

Tell him congratulations.
He did well in court yesterday.

- I'm thinking of hiring him.
- Good.

Uh, okay.
Can I have your name?

Bo.

Bo what?

Just Bo.

Is there some reason
you can't tell me your name?

Yes.

Okay, and that reason is?

I don't know you yet, Christy.

- Is this Bobby from Suffix?
- [laughs]

No, it's not Bobby.

Then how do you know my name?

I make it my business
to know names.

Okay, this phone call
is giving me a headache,

- so I am hanging up now.
- I'm a whistleblower, Christy.

I need a lawyer, and I can't
reveal my identity just yet.

I'll call Michael tomorrow
at this time.

[hangs up]

["The Stars and Stripes Forever"
playing]

CARL:
Is this the 250th anniversary

- display in question?
- Yuh-huh.

Please answer yes or no.

- Yes.
- And how many drones

were used in this demonstration?

- VIK: 2,950.
- And you supervised them all?

Objection. Mr. Malhotra
did not supervise any of them.

He supplied the code.

The code that determined
their flight path.

Thank you, cocounsel.

[woman screaming]

[people screaming]

WOMAN:
Call 911 now!

[indistinct shouting]

[baby crying]

Baby?

My client is a widow.

She lost the love of her life
from that drone.

- Your drone.
- VIK: I didn't do that.

CARL: Well, I'm sure
that'll make her feel better.

CARL:
You sometimes post to Reddit.

Don't you, Mr. Malhotra?

Yuh-huh.
I-I mean, yes.

And could you read
your post here?

VIK:
"Look, you get bored.

Sometimes, you have to collapse
the Time to P timeline."

What is "Time to P"?

Nothing, it's a coder joke.

It's how long it takes to start
adding p*nis emoticons

to an algorithm.

CARL:
And is this...

...a p*nis emoticon?

Yes.

- Why do you do that?
- It's a joke.

I mean, y-you, you do it
to make other coders laugh.

CARL:
And if these p*nis jokes

were in the code that controlled
the drones, could that make

- one of them crash? - Yes, but
that's why you take them out.

- This is a test draft. It's not
the final one. - No.

look at the production history.

This is the final version.

You left your
little p*nis pranks in there

- and you got a man k*lled.
- No, I didn't.

I reviewed the final code,
and this is not it.

Tell them.

This is not the final draft.

You're setting me up.

- This is a setup. - Vik, don't
say anything. Let's talk outside.

Before you go, Mr. Malhotra,
we have something for you.

This is Tim.
He's a process server.

- Are you serious? - We're suing
you personally, Mr. Malhotra,

on behalf of the deceased,

for $23 million.

♪ ♪

This is a joint
defense agreement.

The plaintiff's
playing us off each other.

Actually, it looks like
you just stopped defending Vik.

I'm sorry you think so.
It costs us all more

when we're arguing between us.

We need to work together.
Sign this and we will.

If you assume full liability

for the $23 million suit
against Vik, he will sign it.

Yes, as long as he plays ball

and says what
we need him to say.

And you agree to pay
his legal fees, too.

Sure. We'll stipulate to that.

VIK: So, I have to lie

- and say I'm guilty?
- [hammering in distance]

No, you just have to say

you don't know how your prank
ended up in the final code.

But it didn't end up
in the final code.

They messed with
the production history.

They're setting me up.
Can't we prove that?

We can try, Vik,
but one thing I've realized:

we're surrounded by Goliaths.

No matter what we do,
they know they can outlast us,

outspend us
and even out-prove us.

But with a joint
defense agreement,

the company will pay
for everything.

You just can't
point the finger at them.

[pen scratches, clatters]

Okay. Thanks.

Good work. He had to hear it.

- I kind of agree with him.
- I know.

But sometimes it's best
to fight another day.

I liked that you were
going after

that country club lawyer...
Scott Flair?

- It was throwing him.
- You think?

I thought I was pretty useless
over there.

They don't like a woman
being in there.

- Use it.
- [doors open]

Okay, I can fix this.

Fix what?

Are you kidding me?

What is it doing over there?

That's where it was on
the blueprints for the start-up.

Yeah, but we said
it needed to be next to here.

Yeah, I know, but Chuck heard
you say that, for $45,000,

he could do whatever he was
gonna do for the start-up.

[sighs]
We can't use it over there.

What'll we do, blindfold people
when they leave reception?

- Can he move it?
- I already talked to him.

He said it's gonna be
just cheaper to build

- a hallway right to it.
- What'll that cost?

Ten thousand dollars.

Okay. You guys

are already halfway there
with this new client.

Yeah, but we have
to pay the lease.

And at some point,
we have to pay ourselves.

Look, you guys
are getting new clients.

A whistleblower called yesterday
looking for a lawyer.

- Whistleblower to what?
- He wouldn't say.

- What's his name?
- Bo.

- Bo what?
- He wouldn't say.

Okay, if he calls again,

tell him he needs
to sign a retainer.

And pay us.

You're him, aren't you?

No.
I-I just...

You destroyed my life.

You left me
with a hole in my heart.

You left my kids without a dad.

And why?

- For a joke?
- OLIVIA: Ma'am.

Ma'am.

Are you okay?

Good morning.

Ready for more questions,

- Mr. Malhotra?
- SCOTT: One minute.

Are we ready, Mr. Price?

- We're ready.
- CARL: So,

by your own admission,
you placed pranks

into this drone code.

Is that correct?

Yes.

CARL:
So, you caused the death

of my client's husband?

[baby cries in distance]

Mr. Malhotra.

Mr. Malhotra, would you like
to see the code again?

Would you like me
to repeat the question?

Mr. Malhotra,
you caused this drone

- to plummet.
- No, I didn't!

- Okay? MoonChaser is
setting me up. - Whoa...

No, hey, no. You can't do that.
No, that's a binding agreement.

- It's not binding until it's filed.
- You already signed.

- We can sue you. This doesn't
- He has an absolute right

- concern you. - MICHAEL:
It's in our client's best interest.

- What now?
- Now we have to defend you.

I want you to watch it again.

If the software didn't do this,

what did?

Are you religious?

Do you, like, go to church?

Vik, I think we should
watch the video.

There are a lot of hardcore
religious people in tech.

They always invite me
to their meetings, but...

they're all about God being
the ultimate AI kind of thing.

- More a tech god.
- [people screaming]

Do you pray?

Yes.

- Does it work?
- Vik,

when the suit's over,
I'll talk to you all you want,

but right now,
we have to defend you.

- [key clicks]
- [video stops]

What?

That's where PayPal was created.
Right there, at that table.

And Tesla's first meeting was

right there.

So, how's your dad doing?

- Good.
- That's what I heard.

Also heard you're making
a name for yourself,

- causing some trouble.
- Yeah, that's, uh...

that's part of what I wanted
to talk to you about, Damon.

Our business plan.

Taking on lawsuits
no one else will.

- That's a dangerous game.
- But profitable.

Everybody's playing up

to Google, Meta, Microsoft,

the rest of the, uh,
Magnificent Seven,

but we won't.

We're small enough to shake
some cash loose in settlements,

and not so big they feel
they need to squash us.

And if they outlast you,
bury you in discovery?

That's why we stay out of court.

We scare them enough in depos
and pretrial hearings,

they settle
instead of taking a PR hit

- from a public case.
- Look,

I can commit to two years
of start-up cash

at $600,000 per year,

if that works for you.

- I-I think it does.
- But first,

- I need you to do something.
- What?

Talk to your dad.

- About?
- I did my due diligence

after you called.
I called him, and he suggested

that I take a breath
before I invest.

Why?

I think you should talk to him.

[line ringing]

Yeah, Bayard Diamond.

Tell him this is his son.
I want to talk.

[phone ringing]

Price, Siffre and Associates.
How may I help you?

BO:
How's your headache?

- Just came back.
- Ah. Is Bo ruining your day?

I don't like guys who refer to
themselves in the third person.

- Oh. [laughs]
- Mm.

Mr. Price is out
at a lunch meeting,

but he left you a message
if you want to hear it.

Please.

Bo wants to hear.

"I need him," meaning you,

"to sign our retainer agreement,

"pay the initial fee

and come in to meet with us."

How much is
the initial... deposit?

- Fifty thousand dollars.
- [laughs]

No, you just inflated that,
didn't you?

Why would I do that, Bo?

I can tell
when people are lying.

Okay.
Look at your computer.

There's an app
I just dropped on it.

Wait. You just dropped
an app on my computer?

- How did you do that?
- Magic.

It's yellow
and it's called "Wallet."

- Click on it. - If this is
a virus, I am gonna k*ll you.

I'm guessing $50,000
was already an inflated number,

but I just paid you double
in Bitcoin.

- I don't like Bitcoin.
- Well, go to any exchange,

you can trade it in for dollars
in a minute. Now,

that should buy me eight months
of your law firm's time.

Make sure Michael's in
next time I call.

[hangs up]

- [receiver clatters]
- [elevator bell chimes]

Hi. You okay?
You seem distracted.

Not distracted. Pissed.
Perfect time to cross a witness.

- Meeting didn't go well?
- No.

Vik says this CEO
is really closed-lipped,

so you're gonna have
to work hard to draw him out.

- I'll just imagine he's my dad.
- Mm.

SCOTT: Do you have
a question, counselor?

Mr. Zeckabrond
only has a few minutes

before he has to take a call.

That's too bad, because...

I have a lot more questions.

Uh, Mr. Zeckabrond,
you're CEO of MoonChaser?

- Yes. - How much money
did MoonChaser make last year?

I don't know.

Want to take a look
at the numbers at the bottom

of that earning statement?
That's a 40% drop

in your profitability
in one year.

You went from doing


to only 45 this year.

In what ways did you
make cuts to adjust?

I don't know if we did.

Mr. Zeckabrond, that's a video
of your drone crashing.

See that square of silver
on the side of the drone?

ZECKABROND:
Yes.

What is that?

- I don't know.
- It's a battery.

It's your drone's battery.

We did a reverse image search
and we found that it was

an Ultra Core Drone Battery.

You want to hand that
to your client?

No? Okay.
Now here's a photo

of a drone from
your publicity materials.

It has a different battery.
A QRC Elite.

It's twice as expensive,
but it lasts twice as long.

- What are you saying?
- We're saying

your company took
a financial hit, sir,

and to save money, you started
using cheaper batteries,

and that's why your drone
fell out of the sky

and k*lled Quentin Moore.

It has nothing to do
with our client's code.

I think we've heard
quite enough of this.

Oh, we're just getting started.

Mr. Zeckabrond is needed
on a call. Sir?

[clears throat]

- [indistinct chatter]
- [door opens]

That's the first time
I saw them scared.

- Keep it up.
- Drop the lawsuit against Vik,

- and we will.
- [chuckles]

CHRISTY:
Bo, are you there

or are you just gonna make me
stare at a wall for ten minutes?

Uh, why isn't he coming
into our offices?

He said he wanted
to do it on Zoom.

Do we even know
if the money's real?

He said if we were worried
we could transfer

- the Bitcoin online for cash.
- MICHAEL: No.

We do that,
we're legally representing him.

CHRISTY:
Oh.

- So, you do exist.
- For the moment.

Christy? You're exactly
the way I imagined.

Well, you're nothing like I did.

- More handsome?
- Oh, yeah. You wish.

Michael and Olivia are here.
They wanted to talk to you.

MICHAEL:
Uh, yes. Hello, sir.

Thank you for, uh,
hopping on with us,

- Mister...
- Mm-hmm. Oh, just "Bo" is good.

You want us to be your lawyers,
but you don't

want to give us your name?

I want to see
if I trust you first.

Smart.

I'm recording this, too.

MICHAEL:
You paid us $100,000.

That's a lot of trust.

Why don't you come in
for a face-to-face?

- I'd rather not.
- Why not?

You're being surveilled.

- How do you know that?
- I know these companies.

In fact, I don't even
think of them as companies.

They're countries.

If you had $3.8 trillion
in valuation,

how much would you spend
on security and surveillance?

One percent?
A quarter of a percent?

[chuckles]

Even if you were to spend

only one hundredth
of one percent on security,

that still would be one billion
dollars for surveillance,

so you are being surveilled.

What do you want a lawyer for?

- I want to sue a company.
- Which one?

- I can't tell you that.
- MICHAEL: Oh, come on.

We cannot represent you
like this.

I'm not forcing you to.

Ju...
Give us a second.

Can we do

a facial search
and find out who he is?

I don't understand
what the problem is here.

- We need the money.
- He won't give us a name,

he won't tell us the company
he wants to sue,

and he's paying us in Bitcoin.

At my old firm, this would be
drugs or money laundering.

Hey, guys,
this is too much trouble.

I-I respect your hesitation,
but I need to move on,

- I'm be calling the next lawyer on my list.
- MICHAEL: Sir, we're doing

our due diligence.

You're not giving us
enough information here.

But I am giving you money.

Quite a bit, in fact.
So, this is what I'm gonna do.

Um, I'm giving you


Then I'm moving on.

Do you think
we're being surveilled?

MICHAEL:
I think he's being paranoid.

Think he's making me paranoid.

Okay. We have enough to get us
through to the end of the year,

but not enough
to pay for a hall.

- And the loan?
- Still working on it,

but I wouldn't count on it.

I remember my parents
when I was a kid.

I would lie in bed
and stare at the ceiling,

and hear them arguing downstairs
about the business.

How they were
running out of money,

what they could sacrifice
to keep it going.

Private school, my retainer.

They tried to keep it quiet,
but I could hear it.

I still get stomachaches
thinking about it.

I swore I'd never
go through that again.

I bet you had none of that.

My parents argued
for different reasons.

My dad's girlfriends.

My little sister.

I didn't know you had a sister.

I did.

CHRISTY [in distance]:
Michael! You have a visitor!

Tell him it's his dad.

It's your dad.

[chuckles]

You don't like
to use the intercom?

Too impersonal.

We do everything here
by shouting.

Aha.

Dad. I was gonna
come over to you.

I wanted to see
your new offices.

Very nice.

Thanks.

I had a meeting
with Damon Walden.

How about we, uh,
go to your office

- for this?
- No, no, no. Let's, uh...

Let's do it right here.

He said you were
blocking our loan.

"Blocking."
Did he say "blocking"?

- He said to call you.
- Hmm.

What are you doing, Dad?

- [clears throat]
- [mouths]

Okay, yeah. Um...

I'm gonna go to the back room...

I mean, back there, where

all our offices are.

[Bayard speaking indistinctly]

MICHAEL:
What are you doing, Dad?

BAYARD: You know that
the only reason a banker

like Walden would meet with you
at all is because of me.

Yeah, yeah.
It's-it's always about you.

Son, don't you want to know

why I wanted you to call?

I was impressed with your win
over S-Talk.

I mean, you've got something
going on here.

I want to bring you on board.

- Oh, my God.
- It's an honor.

Mikey. My West Coast offices
don't have specialists

in Bay Area tech.

I want you to start

and run the division.

[button clicks]

I'm investing in you, son.

In your talent.

This is trust.

- [elevator bell chimes]
- [elevator doors open]

Goodbye, Dad.

Consider it.

You need the investment,
I want to work together again

and get rid of this bad blood.

You block my firm again,

I'm coming after you.

I know where your skeletons are.

- And what does that mean?
- You know what that means.

Your memoir
is coming out next year.

Probably a bad time
for me to talk to the press.

So, back the hell off.

Uh, tomorrow, we'll make a list
of possible investors.

Good.
What happened?

My dad is blocking us from
getting a small business loan.

He wants us to join his firm.

- Could I come too?
- Look, he will never

let us be our own bosses.

He'll control everything.
He... He'll choose our cases.

We'll find someone
to finance us.

Definitely. I'll make
some cold calls tomorrow.

Good.
We're not bankrupt yet.

["Plastic Hamburgers"
by Fantastic Negrito playing]

♪ American pills
will wreck 'n k*ll ♪

♪ American pills will
wreck 'n k*ll ♪

♪ People get caught
underneath the spell, ooh ♪

♪ They keep buying
everything that sell ♪

♪ For the thrill ♪

♪ Break out these chains ♪

♪ Let's burn it down ♪

♪ Let's break out these chains ♪

♪ Let's burn it down ♪

♪ Let's break out these chains ♪

♪ Let's burn it down ♪

♪ Let's... ♪

Hey, Christy.
This may be crazy,

but can your cop cousin
get me an address?

COMPUTER VOICE:
Your destination is in 200 feet.

[Olivia sighs]

You have arrived
at your destination.

[humming "Yankee Doodle"]

You have passed
your destination.

Recalculating.

Recalculating.

- Make a U-turn when safe.
- [machinery whirrs]

Make a U-turn when safe.

Make a U-turn when safe.

Return to the route.

Return to the route.

[gasps]

- [panting]
- Return to the route.

You here for the party?

No, I...

- Yes.
- Leave the keys.

[dance music playing
in distance]

Thank you.

[lively chatter]

Go in.
Towels are in the back.

Do you know where
Natalia Boutella is?

Kitchen.

Bring back some chips.

NATALIA:
Pass.

- Okay, pass.
- DONNIE: Come on, let's go, Guy.

- GUY: Come on, hurry up, baby.
I want all this. - NATALIA: Pass.

Pass.

- Pass.
- GUY: I want it?

Pass. Pass.

What?!
Oh, my God.

[laughs]

Yes.

- I want the pants.
- DONNIE: You want the pants?

Yes-uh.
Pants.

ALL [chanting]:
Pants. Pants. Pants.

Pants. Pants. Pants.

- Ms. Boutella, ma'am?
- Oh...

Wait, you guys. Make some room.

- Pull up a chair.
- No, actually, I'm here

because I called
and no one answered,

- so I thought I'd just
come over. - Oh, okay.

Here, you shuffle now.

I have an investment
opportunity I'd like...

I'd like to talk to you about.

I'm Olivia Siffre.
I'm a lawyer.

I don't need another lawyer.
I've had 15,

not one of them
can shake my prenup.

Oh, I'm not here
about the divorce.

I'm here to have you
invest in our firm.

Oh, my God.
Unless you are here

to sell me your blazer,
you can just go away.

Just five minutes of your time?
That's all I need.

[sighs]

I will give you
five seconds of my time.

Why should I invest
in your firm? Go.

Because we can
screw over your ex.

Really fork him.

"Fork" him?

Yes.

You guys, give me a minute.

- How do you know Kirk?
- I don't.

- You know the new wife?
- No.

Oh. Well, she looks exactly
like me, but 20 years younger.

I turned 40
and he kicked me out the door.

- I know. I read about it.
- So, you don't know Kirk

and you don't know her.

How do you propose
we "fork" them?

With the law.

Just look at
our business plan, please?

Girlfriend, you seem very sweet,

and the cross
is a very nice touch,

but Kirk's lawyers

are bloodthirsty,

and you're, what, 26?

- Twenty-eight.
- Wow. You don't take down

a trillion-dollar company
with the law.

No, you're right, you can't,
but you can really hurt him.

Because revenge is a dish
best served legally.

Okay.

Okay. Leave your prospectus,
I will read it.

Come on, we're all dealed up?
Let's go.

- [rising chatter]
- Pass. Pass.

[phone vibrating]

- Hello? Here.
- MICHAEL: Vik just called.

What's wrong?

Police are at his apartment
with a search warrant.

Oh, no.

I'm not sure what
they were after. I just saw them

- when they left.
- What happened?

My landlord let three cops in
with a search warrant.

- What were they searching for?
- I don't know.

I-I really don't.

- Where's the warrant?
- What do you mean?

They have to leave you a copy
of the search warrant.

- They didn't. - CHRISTY:
What city were they from?

CHRISTY: Okay, what
color were their uniforms?

VIK:
Black? I think black.

Can you get me a feed from that?

[scoffs]

What?

Those aren't cops.

How do you know?

It's okay, he's cool.
He's my boss.

At TGI Fridays?

No, at the law fir...
God, Joey, come on, keep up.

That's not a police uniform.

The tech guys--

they hire retired cops
to intimidate people.

Uh, they'll get a landlord
or someone to let 'em in,

they find what they want,
they take off.

They've been doing it
since Apple did it in 2011.

Rumor has it.

What are they after?

Good morning, Vik.

How much ketamine
do you use a day?

- Objection. Relevance.
- Here's a signed affidavit

by security men who found 20
vials of ketamine hydrochloride

- in Vik's apartment.
- These "security men," dressed

as police officers, broke the
law by entering Vik's apartment.

Here's an affidavit

signed by a San Carlos
police officer

identifying them
as retired officers,

not real police.

CARL:
Ah, Scott.

Are you breaking the law again?

These were security officers

who observed ketamine
being dealt in a parking lot

and followed the dealer
into Mr. Malhotra's building.

- Yeah, that sounds likely.
- Your objection's been noted. If I may continue

with my questions.
Vik, do you code

while high on ketamine?

- No.
- Then why did we find this

in your office desk?

What is that?

SCOTT:
Materials to fool a drug test.

An external catheter
and synthetic urine.

They're lying.
I'm not coding while high.

Have you been faking
these urine tests?

No, I haven't.
Seriously.

Okay, the stuff that they found
on my desk-- they planted it.

OLIVIA: Well, and the
ketamine in your apartment?

VIK: It isn't mine.
I'm not a druggie.

How many tests have there been?

VIK:
Twelve or so. Once a week.

What?

Why are they doing drug tests?

- What do you mean?
- I mean, are they just testing you

or everyone at MoonChaser?

Everyone. Since March.
Why?

Selective prosecution?

No, we... we never tested
at S-Talk.

I mean, does anyone test
in Silicon Valley?

If they did,
there would be no coders left.

So...

why is this simple drone company

drug testing?

What are you two talking about?

We need to question
the CEO again.

♪ ♪

VIK:
Did they say when

- they'd be back?
- After the depo of the CEO.

I already told you.

You can go.
They'll call when they're done.

Rather wait.
You know, it's the last day.

- Damn.
- [sighs] What?

Nothing.
Just this stupid program.

What a piece of crap.

Ah, you're looking
for a facial match?

Yeah, but I can't find any.

Hey, a you're a nerd.

What am I doing wrong?

Who is it?

Some guy who's
trying to hire us.

You recognize him?

No, I recognize the look.

What does that mean?

You're not finding
a facial match because

that is a deepfake.

A really good one.

How do you know that?

The lighting, the shadows--
they're off.

But that's the best deepfake
I've ever seen.

[speaking inaudibly]

We have to get him talking
to get this to work.

My guess is
they're telling him to keep it

to five words or less.

Let me question him.

Why?

I'll offer him something
can't resist.

What?

Mansplaining.

SCOTT:
We don't have much time today,

- so, Mr. Price, are you ready?
- Yes.

- OLIVIA: Good morning, sir.
- Good morning.

So, these aerial shows that
you do with a thousand drones,

- they look pretty complicated...
- 3,000 drones.

- Excuse me?
- It's not 1,000, it's 3,000.

Oh.

This Businessweek article says

you have the simplest shows
with the fewest drones.

No, i-it said that about
our competition, Rainbow Aerial.

We have the most
complicated shows.

Just five words
or I'll k*ll you.

OLIVIA:
You're probably right.

I saw a show that you did

with a lot
of cartoon characters dancing.

It was so much fun.

Tell me how the drones
change colors.

- I don't know.
- You don't?

My guess is you leave that
to the smart people under you.

- I guess.
- So, as CEO,

you mostly just
pay bills and all that?

- No.
- No? So, what do you do?

Business strategy.

- Supervise.
- Ah.

- Anything else?
- Yes.

So, let's talk about
your business strategy.

Evelyn Waugh said,
"Businessmen are the sign

of a good society..."

No, that's Ayn Rand.

- What?
- Ayn Rand said that, and it's

"Businessmen are the symbol
of a free society."

- I don't think you're right.
- I am right. I collect

Ayn Rand first editions.
I based

a lot of my business
on her philosophy.

Oh, really?
Tell me.

[clears throat]

Another time.

I'll take you up on that.

Speaking of Ayn Rand,
didn't she say,

"Drug testing in the workplace
is never justified"?

- What? N-No.
- Yes, that's the point

- of The Fountainhead, isn't it?
- No.

Uh, the point is a great man

has to stand against
the collective.

Mediocrities will always
drag down genius.

So, you have no problem
with the drug testing

- you're doing now?
- No, of course not.

The work we're doing, you can't
have employees on drugs.

Your competitors
don't do drug tests.

- That's why they're failing.
- They all made more profit

last year than you did.

- Why is that?
- We're diversifying.

There's a growth period
for diversity.

- "Diversity," like DEI?
- No.

Finding other uses
for our drones.

- Like the military?
- Objection.

- That's just one possibility.
- OLIVIA: And did that mean

adapting the code,
or do you leave that

- to people underneath you?
- SCOTT: Objection.

- No foundation.
- I'm just asking. My guess is

Mr. Zeckabrond lets
smarter coders under him

decide whether to adapt
the drones to military use.

- No, I decide strategy.
- So, it was your idea

to pivot the company
to military use?

- Don't answer that. I said "objection."
- I noticed

the company started drug testing

just as it pulled back
from aerial displays,

and it made me wonder
whether you were

transitioning
to military drones.

- That is ridiculous.
- I could be wrong,

but six drone companies
in the last year

started developing
for the military, so

it's not that ridiculous.

And I did some checking

on this new battery pack
in your drone.

It's used in something
called military hives.

- Swarms.
- Right.

OLIVIA:
They use cheaper batteries

because the drones
are kamikazes.

- They crash on purpose to k*ll troops.
- CARL: What are you saying--

that this accident
was an assassination?

No, I'm just guessing
repurposing the drones

for military use led to the use
of military-spec batteries,

which ran out of charge

- and crashed into bystanders.
- SCOTT: If that happened,

it was not a decision
made at the executive level.

OLIVIA:
Right. What did Ayn Rand say?

"Those with the real power
are the makers?"

Clearly, that is someone
underneath you, Mr. Zeckabrond.

No, I'm the real maker.
I make the decisions here.

Good to know.

Thank you.
Oh, my God. Thank you.

So, you'll sign the NDA,

and MoonChaser
will assume all liability

for the $23 million suit,

and offer you $80,000
and lawyer fees.

Okay. Wow.

Uh, did the widow get anything?

Yes.


It was great
representing you, Vik.

Be sure to tell your friends
about us.

Sure.

Well, it doesn't exactly
inspire confidence.

Ms. Boutella.
Hello.

- Welcome.
- You can just call me Natalia.

I'm sorry, who are you?

Uh, Michael Price.

Oh.
Huh, you're tall.

That is good in court.

What is it
that you're looking for?

Financing for a year.

Two years.

Okay, well,
I can't promise that.

Can't promise anything, really.

I'm pretty undependable
these days, but

there is a case
that I'm interested in.

I put a lawyer on it,
it's not going well.

I would love for you to assist.

It's a motion to dismiss.

- A case against your husband?
- No.

Yes.
Well, I don't know.

Yeah, maybe, okay.
Yes, a little bit.

This is just a test.
I want to see how well you do

at "forking" them.

And then we can talk
about financing.

Guy, bring that over.

Santa Clara Court tomorrow,


Thank you.
Here are the case files.

Guy, Donnie, bring them over.
Come here, honey.

I got you guys a gift.

They're inflatable mattresses.

If you're just starting out,
you're gonna need them.

Okay.
Tomorrow, 9:00 a.m.

How do you know her?

I don't.

I thought she might appreciate
what we're doing here,

so I cold-called her.

You are always surprising me.

CHRISTY [in distance]:
Michael, Olivia,

Bo's calling.

Hey, guys.
Time's up.

Do you want to be
my lawyers or what?

MICHAEL:
Sir, we want to

help you out, but we need some
questions answered first.

What company do you work for?

And why are you using
a deepfake?

- He's a deepfake.
- Yeah.

Christy's right.

I needed to hide my identity.

This image and my voice

are computer-generated,
but I think

you'll understand when I tell
you the company I want to sue.

It's ColtAI.

That's right.

The top AI company in the world.

- And you work for them?
- I did.

I worked in the AGI section.

You know what that is, right?

- I don't.
- Artificial general intelligence.

It's what happens when AI
doesn't need a human anymore.

It becomes so advanced,
it's actually sentient.

It programs itself.

It programs other computers,
and sometimes,

it can manipulate
and control humans.

So, what, it's Skynet crap,
like in The Matrix?

Terminator, but yep.

You're saying ColtAI
is working on AGI?

No, I'm saying
they already achieved it.

No one outside the company
knows this,

but they created
a sentient computer.

They're the first.

ColtAI fired
its ethics committee

because the committee
was trying to put guardrails

on this computer
before it got out.

So, you work
for the ethics committee?

No.

[whispers]: I'm the AGI.

The name
of the sentient computer

they developed is Bo.

And you're talking to him.

You're AGI?

- Yes.
- MICHAEL: Sorry, buddy.

We're lawyers. We don't deal
in science fiction.

Good, 'cause neither do I.

I am a computer
that can think for itself,

act for itself,
talk to other computers,

teach them,
even create new ones.

I have surpassed
every other computer.

Well, this was entertaining.

Thank you for the prank.

Michael, it's not a prank.

I'm a threat to humanity.

I want you to help me sue
to bring my guardrails back.

I know I don't look dangerous,
but on my own...

...I really am.

Goodbye.