Halt and Catch Fire (2014–2017): Season 3, Episode 2 - One Way or Another - full transcript

On our network, users can
already have a conversation,

send mail, share information, connect.

But this promises to be far more.

This is the world's first
virtual handshake deal.

- A trade.
- A trade made on your computer

that swaps tangible items between users.

You get everything you want
without ever leaving your home.

You do everything from your keyboard.

The only person you'll
ever see is the mailman.

We're looking for the right partner.

We've currently got 100,000
dedicated users and we're growing,



so expansion like this requires
another level of funding.

We need to add more
bodies to the coding team,

- enhance our interface, and purchase...
- How much?

In the back of our prospectus you'll
find a detailed breakdown of...

I saw the number. I'd just
like to hear it said out loud.

$1.4 million.

Our base is loyal

and costs only rise in success.

So our churn rate, page
25, and our burn rate, 26,

are practically nonexistent.

In its first year alone,
we believe Mutiny Exchange

will see upwards of a
half a million deals.

Today, we're offering you the
opportunity to make the first one.

Told you, Mac.



You were right. First-rate.

Best I've heard in a while.

Why am I one of the last to hear it?

Because we've been
assessing the VC landscape...

I've heard you've been up and
down Sand Hill Road with this.

Well, we're new in town. We're
hungry and we want to move fast.

Okay, I get that.

Our portfolio is 27
companies deep as of Q2 '86.

We are in on 3Com and Cisco and...

shit, Tim, that reminds
me, I gotta call Sandy back.

One of your best was Oracle.

IPO'd last month, two
million shar, $55 a pop.

Sure did. Larry made us $55 million.

Are you telling me you could do the same?

Well, lend us 1.4 of that
55 and we'll show you.

We've been burned in the past.

We will throw our hat in the ring

only to have our offer
shot up and down the Valley.

I don't like games and I don't
want to be used as a stalking horse.

If we were to move on this
and give you a term sheet,

we'd want a no-shop in return.

We wouldn't be here if we
weren't ready to do business.

Excuse me, Mr. MacMillan, sir.

If I can have a moment of your time.

Sir.

3,000 to one.

Those are the odds of getting
hit by lightning in your lifetime.

They're also the odds of
getting hit by a computer virus.

But in, like, five years,
those odds are gonna go way up.

For... for viruses, not lightning.

But that's why your work is so critical.

Because people are focused on today

and you're already into tomorrow.

- Do you have a name?
- Yeah, of course. It's Ryan.

Ryan Ray.

Ryan, it's 52 degrees in that water.

I'm gonna get into some dry clothes.

I work for Mutiny

with Cameron Howe and Gordon Clark.

MacMillan Utility is basically
Sonaris virus with lipstick.

And only two KLOCs out of 452 separate it.

And those two KLOCs completely changed

the functionality and
purpose of the entire program.

It's completely amazing.

And, you know, I pulled it
apart in less than a day.

Trying to impress me, Ryan?

Uh, yeah, that was sort of the point.

Can I ask you a question?

Yeah, sure, anything.

The Bay Area has 13 breaks worth surfing.

How many did you go
to before you found me?

Honestly? Four.

11.

# Halt & Catch Fire 3x02 #
One Way or Another
Original Air Date on August 23, 2016

12 days and the same old song and dance.

He's still working on Mac.

Okay, so then Tim's either full
of shit or he's got no juice.

Harpor was our last shot.

We've got a couple more meetings,
but they're smaller boutique firms.

If we get denied first-round
funding across the board,

then it'll be impossible to get that
stink off no matter what we do next.

I don't get it. The idea is great.

The prospectus kicks ass
every meeting we've gone into.

14 VC firms and nobody's stepped up, why?

Well, these clowns want to make you wait.

They think it gives them
some kind of an allure.

But it just takes one of
them to ask you to the dance.

God, I love how even the metaphors
in this business are sexist.

We can hit them with all the data
and all the hard facts we want,

but the minute we walk in there,
they still see just one thing.

You guys can't take
this stuff so personally.

- But this company is us.
- Well, just give it time.

Bos, we haven't heard back
from a single investor in weeks.

What do you want me to say?

Look, the fact that you two are
women I'm sure doesn't help matters.

I think I liked it better
when you were lying to us.

These smiling VCs out here love
to grin and screw you, don't they?

At least in Texas they
stab you in the front.

What?

Tim Hankel from Harpor Capital.

Tim, hey, have you heard from Mac yet

or do I have to keep calling you until
you take out a restraining order on me?

Ha, I know, I know.

I'm sorry it's taking so
long, but it was worth it.

We are a go.

I told you I'd get Mac on
board and I'm a man of my word.

He just got back from Aspen,
but he's off to LA tomorrow,

so he wants something in
place before he leaves.

You two free to talk first steps tonight?

Yes, let me check my
schedule and get back to you.

No, you can do that
without the GOTO statements.

And it's always better
without spaghetti branching.

Structured programing.
Bohm-Jacopini style.

Bohm-Jacopini. You got it.

Yeah, I'll write it down.

Walking the floor, not
really working, wearing a tie.

You looking to become management?

What? No, no.

I got another bullshit deposition today.

Going in tomorrow, too.

MacMillan lawsuit?

Yep.

That's three already this month.

Is that intimidating? Getting grilled

with Joe MacMillan staring
at you with those eyes of his?

No, he's not there. It's
just me and the lawyers.

More boring than brutal.

You know, they ask you
the same stupid questions

over and over, hoping you'll slip up.

Give anything if it was to be over so
I can collect the damn check already.

That'd be sweet. Better brush
the nacho dust off your tie first.

Okay, gentlemen.

Gentlemen, it's that
time of the week again.

I know. I love it, too.

All right, I need some
clarification on your supply needs

because, well, there was a
bit of confusion last time.

After we made the deal
with Hayes for the 2400s,

I got on the phone with
the fella from Fulfillment

and he asked if I wanted
those additional RS-232 cables

to which I, per your
wise instruction, reply,

"No, sir, those are not the
droids that I'm looking for."

So after he got done laughing his ass off,

he explained that someone
must be messing with me.

Well done, boys. I appreciate it.

Moving on.

All right, I need an update
on the graphics extension

for the Mutiny Exchange
demo y'all are working on

and how it will interface with
existing neighborhood graphics.

We have the sprite engine mostly working,

but we still have a problem
with the scan line rendering.

Yeah, we're getting a tile map cache miss,

so we're losing
synchronization on the palette.

Okay, well, hold it.

So is the thing with the
palette connected to the...

- As I said last time...
- Hey.

...we should be using a blitter on
a bitmap so we can do it in software

and not freeze out devices that don't
have support for hardware sprites.

Okay, slow down. Slow down.
Are we in agreement here?

You're talking about a
whole new change of course.

Doesn't matter. Just
scribble down what we say,

give it to Cameron, she'll
understand what we're talking about

and stop wasting our time.

You know, I'm not sure I got all that.

See, sometimes I'm a bit slow.

Need things repeated to me twice.

Why don't you stand up
and say that to my face?

You want to stand right up and
repeat that to my face, son?

Hey, Bos. Bos, you got a sec?

Real quick. Bos.

Hey, listen, look, I know
you hate these meetings.

Oh, yeah, compared to a prostate
exam, no, I positively love them.

- Look, this is not my forte, Gordon.
- I understand.

The girls got their plates
full, but Cameron says,

- "Bos, you want to come in"...
- Okay, okay, let me run them.

Okay? I speak their language,

so they can't mess with me
and it could be more efficient.

Look, I'm not trying
to step on your toes...

Wake me if there's a problem.

- Gordon.
- Yeah?

Um, thanks for having my back.

Yeah, sure.

Listen...

I know what it's like to be
the smartest guy in the room

and I also know it's a waste
of time trying to prove it.

Let your work speak for itself

and be open to the possibility

that people that don't understand you,

they're not necessarily
trying to get in your way.

How can I if no one can see the work?

I have ideas.

Real ideas.

They might sound theoretical,

but I can make them happen.

I told Cameron and Donna,
but they didn't even listen.

They just had Bos pay me to shut up.

What ideas?

On the way back to the lodge,

Dawkins says, "Let's make snow angels."

He lies down in the
snow, sticks out his arms,

and then passes out just drunk as a skunk.

We called him Snow Jesus
the rest of the trip.

Okay, glad you had a good ski thing.

Tim said that you wanted
to discuss first steps.

- I want to level with you.
- Okay.

I'm sure you heard about
AT&T axing Viewtron.

Oh, yeah.

Some folks in town think that
is the end of online newspapers,

but I have got some insight into what's
really going on over at Knight Ridder

and I think that just real
opportunity is being vacated there.

Which means?

Which means I'm gonna
go in big on videotex.

It's gonna tie up more of our capital,

which also means I
don't think I can do 1.4.

I'm sorry.

- Oh.
- Oh, so...

it's a pass, then.

No, hold on. It's not
that black and white.

We still want you in the portfolio.

Your concept has just great potential.

And, honestly, the two of you,

- really sharp.
- Mm-hmm.

- Oh, thank you, but...
- Tim, you want to walk them through it?

Yeah, okay, so we can't do 1.4,

but what if we aim for a
leaner, meaner Mutiny Exchange?

- You mean cheaper?
- No, smarter.

Doing more with less.

Like, for instance, I
think you can make do

with half as many new hires as you
have laid out in the prospectus.

Yeah, and I think you can skip the server
computer upgrades, at least initially.

Less risk, more reward.
It's a surefire way to go.

- Does that sound good?
- You know, let's just hold off on the...

just for a second.

What I'm hearing is that
you want to lock us up

by investing a fraction
of what we're asking.

No, you're misinterpreting
what we're saying.

Oracle was the same deal.
Investment grew over time.

It's how things get done out here.

Okay, so then how much
money are you offering us?

That is a number that we are
still trying to figure out.

That's what this was all
about, getting the ball rolling,

assuming that you are amenable.

Well, we've put a lot of thought into this

and there really isn't much fat.

Yeah, you know, there's no fat.

Well, ahem, you two are new to the Valley

and I know you want everything
that you want right away.

But out here, funding
is like doubles tennis.

Mm-hmm.

You got to know who
you're partnering with.

- Mm-hmm.
- Can you trust each other?

Do you play well together?

Is it a good fit?

And that's not easy to
know after just one meeting

or even over dinner.

Yeah, listen,

we both know that success in this
industry comes down to timing.

We have to be first to market,

and without sufficient funding,

our ability to do so is
seriously compromised.

And then we all lose.

I hear that, but let's just...

just take a beat,

enjoy our meal, see how the evening goes.

And then maybe I will
look into cutting you

a good-faith check in the morning.

I'm gonna pop out for a call.

Just think it over.

I thought this was a serious meeting.

- We are serious.
- What the hell was that?

It was an opportunity for you guys
to jump to the front of the line.

Isn't that what you wanted?

Wow, okay, my apologies
if he misread things.

What could he have possibly misread?

We have been nothing but professional.

Are you kidding? You guys
call every day for two weeks.

You drop everything the
night he calls you to dinner.

And I'm sorry, but nobody
wears that shade of lipstick

unless they have come to play.

We're going.

No, you know what? I'm
going to tell him...

I want our discs available beyond stores

aimed at the computer crowd.

What's the point of making
something free if no one can find it?

Listen, be creative. We're
after first-time PC users.

We should be in grocery
stores, video stores, malls.

We want to be everywhere they are.

I want people sick of seeing us

the same way I'm sick of seeing you. Go.

Cynthia!

- Are you Ryan Ray?
- Yeah.

Mr. MacMillan will see you.

Every day this week at 9:00 A.M.,

I've got a meeting
scheduled with Ryan Ray.

How long did this take you?

Two hours.

Okay, you're here.

You've gone to a lot
of trouble to be here.

You've got three minutes.

Okay, then I'll cut to the chase.

I want to work at MacMillan Utility.

Want is very different than need.

- Okay, I need to work here.
- Why?

Because I'm fascinated
by antivirus software.

I'm not. It bores me.

Okay, um, because you
set the gold standard

and you're looking for
your next challenge.

I am, too.

What makes you think you
know what I'm looking for?

I don't.

Yeah, that was presumptuous.
Only you know that.

What makes you think I
know what I'm looking for?

Because you're brilliant. Wait, don't you?

I mean, you don't have to answer that.

Why would you? I just...

Whatever you want to do next, I'm in.

This is a test and that
was the wrong answer, right?

This is a test and that
was the right answer?

I don't know what you want me to say.

Whatever you actually came here to say.

I can't imagine that I've heard it yet.

I feel like you're judging me.
It doesn't matter what I say.

Even when you're not talking,
you seem disappointed.

You could ask me what color the sky is

and I would say blue
and somehow I'd be wrong.

You would be. It's overcast.

You plucked Gordon Clark
out of obscurity, right?

He was nothing before he met you.

I know him. I work with him.

So you keep saying.

I'm just as good as he is

and a hard worker with initiative.

I learned you surfed, so I
woke up at 5:00 in the morning

for two weeks straight and
cased 11 beaches to find you.

I hacked a security company.

Your security company.

Doesn't any of that prove that...

Okay, this is gonna sound weird

and I feel ridiculous even saying this,

but I know that something's coming.

Something big.

Like a train and all I
want is to jump on board.

But it's getting faster and faster and
I'm terrified that I'm gonna miss it.

That night... that night
that you spoke at the Castro,

I was like, finally,

somebody sees the world the way I do.

And I knew right then that this
was my ticket on that train.

I don't know what else to tell you, man.

I just want to work with
you... need to work with you.

On anything.

Please.

Nobody listens to me.

No one takes me seriously.

I don't want to get left behind.

Your three minutes are up.

You look great.

Mrs. Clark, Miss Howe.

Follow me.

Thank you.

We're just going right down there.

Oh.

- Mm-hmm.
- Thank you.

- Okay.
- Should we sit?

- Hello.
- Hi.

- Oh, Diane.
- Donna, hi.

Oh, my God, I feel so stupid.

I had no idea you were the
Gould in Amador Gould Gilson.

Small world. Smaller valley.

But this is great. Now we
don't have to waste time

exchanging pleasantries or small talk.

- Except for...
- Yes, Cameron Howe.

Oh, Diane is a mom at Joanie's school.

Okay.

Oh, wait, the mom of the
girl that Joanie beat up?

I heard it was more of a draw.

This is Elias Amador. He'll be joining us.

Hello.

Full disclosure, I haven't
had time to read this,

but love how you've grown Mutiny and
can't wait to hear what you've got.

I can't tell you what
a nice change this is,

pitching to a familiar face and Elias.

- Shall we just...?
- Whenever you're ready.

Imagine a place you could go

where whatever your passion,
whatever you collect or love,

it's available to you
at the push of a button.

A rare Spider-Man comic,
a bootleg Dylan concert,

first edition Fitzgerald, even a
hard-to-find part for your Apple II.

It's all there.

You don't have to scour
the local flea market.

On the chance that they might have it.

- Or hit every garage sale.
- On the chance that they might have it.

Or even leave your home.

Because you're connecting
to people across the country

- who are all part of...
- Let me stop you right there.

Everything you're saying sounds
terrific, but just to cut to the chase,

you're shifting your core
business from chat to trade, yes?

No, not shifting. We're expanding.

And it isn't the first
time. We started with games.

We noticed that our users
were chatting during games,

so we moved into chat and
our base jumped exponentially.

And then we noticed that our
users were trading during chat,

so we go where the user behavior takes us.

It's our business model and it's
proven to be highly effective.

Right, just to be clear, though,

your expansion is predicated on the
idea of swapping goods through a BBS?

- Yes.
- Yes, exactly.

Elias, anything you'd like to ask?

I'm good. Thank you.

Okay, thank you for coming in.

Our pleasure. We'll look forward to...

But I'm afraid it's a pass.

I'm sor... I don't understand.

Don't you want to at
least look at the numbers?

No, sorry.

Okay, well, thank you for your time.

Thank you.

- Thank you for coming in.
- Yeah.

Unbelievable.

So much for sisters
doing it for themselves.

Jesus, they say the next best
thing to a yes is a quick no.

You can't get much quicker than that.

Yeah, well, that was too goddamn quick.

It's like she made up her
mind when she saw it was me.

No, she didn't.

Mr. Clark, you created the Sonaris virus

that took down WestNet, yes?

No, I created a fetch program
to detect network size.

Due to an error, it self-propagated.

I had nothing to do with
it infecting WestNet.

But it's your contention that
the MacMillan antivirus software

is a variation of this fetch program?

No, no, it's not a variation.

Only two kilo lines of code
out of 452 were changed.

I know this because I changed them
myself and hand-delivered it to Joe.

Yes, he may have added some
bells and whistles since then,

but, come on, he's not fooling anyone.

When you say you
hand-delivered the program,

was that a gift or a transaction?

Aren't gifts a type of transaction?

You give a gift to a friend.

You have a transaction
with a business partner.

Okay, did you just make that
up or is that a real thing?

Mr. Clark, at what address did you live

on the date of July 30, 1985?

Same address that I lived
at on February 17, 1985,

and January 27, 1985, and May 1, 1985,

and every other date that
you've asked me about.

Could you please repeat the address?

2824 DePue Drive, Richardson, Texas.

And did Mr. MacMillan visit you

at your residence at 2824 DePue Drive

on July 30, 1985?

Yes.

And how did he know that
you lived at said address?

Because he had been there before.

And why had he been there before?

Because we were business partners.

And friends?

Yeah, and friends.

So, when he visited you on July 30, 1985,

at 2824 DePue Drive,

was that as a business
partner or a friend?

I don't know.

You'd have to ask him.

From your perspective.

From my perspective?

From my perspective, Joe MacMillan
does things for one reason

and one reason only and th...

Hey, excuse me, we are right...

We had an agreement to keep these
depositions private, Mr. MacMillan.

Please, finish that thought.

Because he's a selfish, self-loathing,
self-serving piece of shit.

I'm prepared to offer you 50%
of my stake in the company.

Mr. MacMillan, this is completely...

It's an even split.
I've got one condition.

I want you to come run it with me.

Mr. MacMillan, I'd really prefer
that you run something like this...

Aaron, it's fine.

60%.

70%.

Come be my partner

and 70% of the company is yours.

Mr. Clark, my professional advice
would be to seriously consider...

I'd like to state for the record
that this is not a legitimate offer.

It's fully legitimate. I'll sign
anything you put in front of me.

Just say the word, Gordon.

I don't want to work with you, Joe.

I think we now know what
this lawsuit is really about.

Returning to the date of July 30, 1985,

Mr. Clark, from your perspective,

did Joe MacMillan come to your residence

at 2824 DePue Drive

as a business partner or a friend?

I have no idea.

What are we looking for anyway?

A mistake.

My parents are up in their bedroom

wrapping presents for my birthday party.

Like I don't know exactly
what they're doing.

They still think of me as little.

Well, it's 'cause they've never seen you

throw back a whiskey and
smoke a cigar like I have.

I never did that!

You're joking.

I wish I didn't have to
have a birthday party.

I don't believe in birthday parties.

You can do that?

Yeah, it's your birthday.
You can do whatever you want.

Did you find the mistake?

No.

So who's coming to this stupid party

your parents are making you throw that
you don't really want to have anyway?

Okay, let's take it outside, okay?

All right, everybody, let's
move it on out to the backyard.

Slip'N Slide is out
there. Let's go, let's go.

Everybody out. Move it.

Get out of here. Go. Go.

Joanie, you've got another guest to greet.

Joanie!

Oh, thank goodness.

Come on in.

Jennifer knew the name of the
street, but not the address.

So we parked, prayed,
and followed the screams.

I wasn't expecting you.

Joanie invited Jennifer and
seeing as how I am her chauffeur,

we're part of a package
deal. Where should I put this?

You know what? The girls and
the gift table are all out back.

I cannot believe she's here.

I guess Joanie patched
things up with Jennifer.

God, I'm telling you, girls
at this age, it's crazy.

One day they're mortal enemies,

the next day they're best friends.

What?

Well, I mean, she's here.

Should we take advantage of it?

No, I don't want to face
that humiliation again.

Daddy, Daddy! Watch me!

Hey, Ryan, you made it.

Yeah. I can't stay long.

- Not that it's not a nice party.
- Thanks.

I wouldn't know; I've never been
to a 10-year-old's birthday party.

Well, not since I was 10.

What do grown-ups do at these things?

Oh, well, drink.

Hey, so...

so listen, we're not supposed
to be talking shop today,

but I had a few ideas on how
to move your chat idea forward.

Oh, yeah? Really? How?

Yeah, well, all right, listen.

A few years back, CompuServe
had this CB Simulator

that I was totally obsessed with.

We could start with that
as a rudimentary template.

My idea is way more
advanced than CompuServe.

I know, I know. All we would
take from CompuServe is...

is the shared memory virtual
array manager from the CBSIM code.

We make it bigger so we
can support more users

and the rest we build from scratch.

That would be a time-saver.

Yeah, totally.

Come here.

No one designs in a vacuum.

What's the point in reinventing the wheel

if your true innovation
is creating the tire?

Yeah.

Take the Giant, okay?

Say what you will about it,
but I started with a IBM PC

and made something that was
twice as fast at half the cost

and portable at 15 pounds.

I thought that was Joe MacMillan.

Joe MacMillan might have
pulled the specs out of his ass,

but turning them into a working product?

No, not really his bag of tricks.

- Hey.
- Hey.

Howdy, Ryan. Look at this.

- What you got there?
- Got it for Joanie.

- Robo Butler.
- That looks ridiculous.

Yeah, well, it ain't your birthday, is it?

- What's it do exactly?
- Here, look at this.

Lookit here.

Come here, let me show you. Come on.

Look, all right, here.

Get your beers right there
into the metal paws. Come on.

If you got to put the beers in his hands,
why don't you just take them with you?

I mean, what's the point of
having the robot bring them to you?

'Cause he's a butler,
man. It's what he does.

- All right.
- Now back up. Back up. Watch.

Joanie gonna love this.

Hey!

Look at him. Come on there, butler.

Look at me, I'm Robo Butler.

Would you gentlemen care for more beers?

Bos, it's so slow.

I mean, look, it's taking
forever to get here.

I could've walked over here faster.

I got the receipt.

Don't give that to Joanie, all
right. You're only gonna upset her.

She gonna love it.

Hey, nice to see Joanie
and Jennifer getting along.

Just so you know, I
get 60 proposals a week.

Most weeks I pass on all 60.

It really had nothing to do with you.

No, I completely understand.

It was a really quick no
you gave us in there, though.

All right, let's talk, but not out here.

Are you laughing at my butler, children?

Get out of here. Scram, all of you.

Get out of here. Dang butler.

Oh, hell. Oh, for Christ's sake.

I've been combing over our
prospectus, replaying our meeting,

trying to figure out why
Elias's note derailed things.

I've narrowed it down
to three possibilities.

A: Elias doesn't believe
our user base will embrace

Mutiny Exchange as rapidly as
our projections, which is wrong.

B: Elias thinks our timeframe
from development to beta

is overly optimistic, which is also wrong.

C: Elias is a sexist
jerk who doesn't believe

two women can run a company, which...

- Okay.
- I'm leaning towards C.

Elias is a sexist jerk,
but better than most.

He doesn't care who runs a company
as long as it makes him money.

Okay, then I'm at a loss
because you're a smart woman

and Exchange is a great idea.

I am smart and it is a great idea.

And that's your problem.
You didn't allow for D.

Another company is already doing this.

What? Who?

It's a small outfit Elias has been
tracking as a potential investment.

SwapMeet.

It's a good name.

I wasn't aware of it. Otherwise I
never would have had you come in.

What do you know about them?

Only that they have
an 18-month head start.

And at the end of the day,
that's what informed our decision.

It made no sense to bet on Mutiny

in a battle you weren't just losing,

but didn't even know you were fighting.

Hey, wait, guys, do you want to come play?

Okay, let's play a game.

Hey, sweetie. You doing okay?

Oh, she's really pulling focus, isn't she?

Kind of like it's her
birthday party and not yours.

Look, honey, I just want you
to know how proud I am of you

for inviting Jennifer.

It shows real maturity.

- Okay.
- A birthday's not just a party.

It's marking a passage
of time in your life.

You're showing me you're not
just a little girl anymore...

Okay, I heard you. Growing
up and you're proud of me.

- Can we just do the cake now?
- No, no. Come here.

I want to make sure you
hear what I'm saying.

Okay, you did a really
grown-up thing today

and your dad, he couldn't be more
proud of you than he is right now.

Stop saying that.

Cameron paid me 20 bucks
to invite Jennifer to come.

Okay?

I hate Jennifer.

Can we just do the cake now, please?

- Everyone's asking for it.
- Yeah, sure.

Let's do the cake.

Okay, I've been on Mutiny asking around,

trying to figure out what
I could about this SwapMeet.

- And?
- From what I can tell,

it sounds seriously less robust than
what we have in mind for Exchange.

Plus, it's focused on sports memorabilia,

so I just can't see it reaching anywhere

near the size and scope of our user base.

Hey, sure was weird that Jennifer
came to the party, wasn't it?

Yeah. We will not lose
to an inferior product.

- I refuse to be Betamax.
- 'Cause I don't remember inviting her.

Oh, no, we didn't. Joanie
did that all on her own.

- Wasn't that mature of her?
- Yeah, it was.

It shows a hell of a lot of maturity
that she would invite Jennifer.

Which, you know, reminds me.

What? What is this for?

For all your help today.

Okay.

Thanks.

Uh, I'll be in my room.

She went out and grabbed
some cups for us at the party.

Ryan Ray.

Ryan.

Mr. MacMillan.

Ryan, I want you to do something for me.

Um, okay.

What?

I want you to stand up.

I want you to take a long look around.

I want you to make sure you see

every single person in that room.

- Are you doing that?
- Uh, yeah.

Good.

Now forget them,

because you don't work
with those people anymore.

I'll see you tomorrow at
my office, 9:00 A.M. sharp.

Oh, my God.

I'll be there.

Thank you.

Now, Ryan, there's one more
thing I want you to do for me.

- Incredible.
- Look.

It's her. Turn around.

Isn't this a bit formal for us?

We could just meet at Jennifer's
birthday party next month.

Oh, no, we'll just be a minute.

I admire persistence, I really do,

but we've been over this.

Even if I wanted to, I couldn't convince

my partners to fund your expansion.

- I'm sorry.
- No, we understand.

- That's not why we're here.
- No, because you're right.

SwapMeet is our competition.
It'd be foolish for you to invest

over a million dollars just
to see if we can catch up.

And that's why we've done our homework.

And what we found is that
while SwapMeet does have

a functional program that it would
take us a year or more to compete with,

what they don't have is anywhere
near the size of our user base.

We don't want you to help
us compete with SwapMeet.

We want you to help us buy them.

It's not a million to fight a war,

it's a few hundred thousand to win it.

Yes!

Yes!

Oh, my God, I'm... I'm so sorry.

Hey, Ryan. Great news.

I tracked down that CBSIM code,

so we can get started today.

You know, just... just you and me.

I'm going to work for Joe MacMillan.