The WORST episodes of Silicon Valley

Every episode of Silicon Valley ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Silicon Valley!

In the high-tech gold rush of modern Silicon Valley, the people most qualified to succeed are the least capable of handling success. A comedy partially inspired by Mike Judge's own experiences as a Silicon Valley engineer in the late 1980s.

Last Updated: 6/2/2025Network: HBOStatus: Ended
Maximizing Alphaness
star
7.51
1932 votes

#1 - Maximizing Alphaness

Season 6 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/17/2019

Richard's authority is threatened by his former Hooli manager. Monica tries to prove her support of other women. Gavin sets his sights on the literary world.

Directors: Liza Johnson
The Lady
star
7.60
4235 votes

#2 - The Lady

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/3/2015

Richard butts heads with Erlich over a prospective hire, while Dinesh and Gilfoyle become suspicious that a new employee they recommended is commanding a higher salary. Big Head gets a surprising promotion at Hooli. At a board meeting, Monica and Richard find themselves outvoted; Jared institutes a workplace harassment policy.

Directors: Alec Berg
Writer: Carson Mell
Tech Evangelist
star
7.62
3060 votes

#3 - Tech Evangelist

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/15/2018

Attempting to woo a gaming company to PiperNet, Richard inadvertently angers a prized ally. Dinesh deals with a betrayal. In preparation for a big launch, Gavin leaves his underlings with a cryptic message. Jared gets inside information from Big Head.

Directors: Jamie Babbit
Writer: Josh Lieb
Tethics
star
7.62
1938 votes

#4 - Tethics

Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/24/2019

Richard fumes at Gavin's new ethical stance. Dinesh's trip turns into a nightmare. Gilfoyle and Monica work on their peer review scores.

Directors: Pete Chatmon
Writer: Lewis Morton
Bad Money
star
7.64
4382 votes

#5 - Bad Money

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/26/2015

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.

Directors: Alec Berg
Writer: Alec Berg
Minimum Viable Product
star
7.64
6816 votes

#6 - Minimum Viable Product

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/6/2014

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.

Directors: Mike Judge
Runaway Devaluation
star
7.65
4464 votes

#7 - Runaway Devaluation

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/19/2015

In the wake of Hooli’s bombshell, Richard and the guys struggle to find a backer as they face legal and financial woes. Monica attempts to balance her interest in Pied Piper with her job. A cash-strapped Dinesh tries to put an end to the Kickstarter campaign for his cousin’s new app, Bro. Richard gets a surprising offer.

Directors: Mike Judge
Writer: Ron Weiner
Artificial Lack of Intelligence
star
7.69
2168 votes

#8 - Artificial Lack of Intelligence

Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/27/2019

Richard discovers his promise that Pied Piper won't collect user data is under threat; Jared longs for the past; Gilfoyle gets creative in dealing with Dinesh.

Directors: Mike Judge
Writer: Ron Weiner
The Cap Table
star
7.69
5752 votes

#9 - The Cap Table

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/13/2014

After a celebratory party at the Hacker Hostel, Richard and Erlich learn that Peter Gregory won't pay up until they deliver a viable business plan that includes a slimmed-down staff. A desperate Richard hires former Belson underling Jared, and they set about trying to trim the fat. While Gilfoyle and Dinesh prove essential, Big Head's place in the company is less certain.

Directors: Mike Judge
Writer: Carson Mell
Server Space
star
7.70
4066 votes

#10 - Server Space

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/10/2015

Gavin’s interference causes Pied Piper to struggle with securing their expansion, while a nosy neighbor puts the guys at risk. Gilfoyle takes on the task of building servers, and an overstressed Richard reluctantly takes in Jared as a roommate. Big Head’s management skills are questioned, and Nucleus’ debut zeroes in on a big event.

Directors: Mike Judge
Writer: Lee Sung Jin
Articles of Incorporation
star
7.71
5343 votes

#11 - Articles of Incorporation

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/20/2014

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.

Directors: Tricia Brock
Sand Hill Shuffle
star
7.72
4630 votes

#12 - Sand Hill Shuffle

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/12/2015

Following their success at TechCrunch Disrupt, the guys of Pied Piper find themselves aggressively courted by every VC in Silicon Valley. With Peter Gregory’s company facing major changes, Monica tries to do what’s best while dealing with new managing partner Laurie, a competitive bigwig who will do anything to hold onto Pied Piper. Later, Richard makes a decision about the company’s future and faces big news from Hooli.

Directors: Mike Judge
Writer: Clay Tarver
White Hat/Black Hat
star
7.73
4142 votes

#13 - White Hat/Black Hat

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/31/2015

When Richard takes pity on a competitor, he accidentally sparks a feud that finds him paranoid about security. Jared exaggerates Pied Piper’s size to get results. Facing pressure from board members, Gavin looks to place responsibility elsewhere.

Directors: Alec Berg
Writer: Dan Lyons
Two in the Box
star
7.73
4833 votes

#14 - Two in the Box

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/1/2016

The new and improved Pied Piper impresses Dinesh and Gilfoyle, but worries Richard; Jared and Erlich both face housing issues; Gavin suggests a controversial move.

Directors: Mike Judge
Writer: Ron Weiner
Bachmanity Insanity
star
7.74
4817 votes

#15 - Bachmanity Insanity

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/29/2016

Richard’s new relationship is threatened by neuroses. Big Head and Erlich’s launch party has snags. Dinesh falls for a foreign coworker.

Directors: Eric Appel
Writer: Carson Mell
Grow Fast or Die Slow
star
7.74
3309 votes

#16 - Grow Fast or Die Slow

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/25/2018

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.

Directors: Mike Judge
Writer: Ron Weiner
Artificial Emotional Intelligence
star
7.74
2908 votes

#17 - Artificial Emotional Intelligence

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/29/2018

Richard decides to help when Laurie gets in a jam, but his lack of emotional discipline threatens to backfire on Pied Piper. Gavin tries to make a deal with a stubborn partner while abroad. Dinesh relishes a rare win. Jared bonds with a surprising figure.

Directors: Matt Ross
Writer: Anthony King
Blood Money
star
7.75
2051 votes

#18 - Blood Money

Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/3/2019

Richard meets a potential investor; Gilfoyle butts heads with HR; Gavin explores a leaner Hooli's future.

Directors: Mike Judge
Writer: Carson Mell
Reorientation
star
7.75
3205 votes

#19 - Reorientation

Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/1/2018

Panicked by suddenly leading a much larger team, Richard finds himself managing a number of small conflicts in his efforts to unite his new employees. Dinesh celebrates a new purchase that Gilfoyle looks to spoil. Jian-Yang goes to court. Gavin meets pushback over his signature and what it says about him.

Directors: Mike Judge
Writer: Carson Mell
Initial Coin Offering
star
7.75
2885 votes

#20 - Initial Coin Offering

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/6/2018

Richard gets unsettling news as the Pied Piper guys prepare to close their Series B funding. Meanwhile, Gilfoyle suggests a risky proposition; Dinesh goes to great lengths to compete with a coworker; Jared keeps an eye on Richard's new assistant; and Gavin tries to charm small-town America.

Directors: Mike Judge
Writer: Clay Tarver
Fiduciary Duties
star
7.75
5042 votes

#21 - Fiduciary Duties

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/27/2014

At Peter's toga party, Richard drunkenly promises to make Erlich a board member, which he regrets the next morning. After being unassigned at Hooli, Big Head finds others like him who have made careers out of doing nothing. Richard struggles to put Pied Piper's vision into words for a presentation without Erlich; later, he discovers an interesting connection between Peter and Gavin Belson.

Directors: Maggie Carey
Writer: Ron Weiner
Customer Service
star
7.80
4640 votes

#22 - Customer Service

Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/28/2017

The guys struggle for funding to launch the latest iteration of Pied Piper. Erlich seeks to join the new VC firm formed by Laurie and Monica. Dinesh and Gilfoyle clash over the alpha build.

Directors: Clay Tarver
The Empty Chair
star
7.81
4777 votes

#23 - The Empty Chair

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/22/2016

Richard lets his ego get in the way at an interview. Dinesh, Gilfoyle and Jared misplace hardware. Erlich pitches his plans to Big Head.

Directors: Eric Appel
Writer: Megan Amram
Hooli Smokes!
star
7.81
1971 votes

#24 - Hooli Smokes!

Season 6 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/10/2019

The Pied Piper team races to close a major deal. Dinesh considers being a better person. An angry Jared reluctantly helps Richard.

Directors: Liza Johnson
Writer: Sarah Walker
Founder Friendly
star
7.81
5081 votes

#25 - Founder Friendly

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/24/2016

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.

Directors: Mike Judge
Writer: Dan O'Keefe