Gideon Goddard

**Gideon Goddard** is CEO of Allsafe Cybersecurity, one of several vendors providing security to E Corp. Gideon cares deeply about the company and tries to build close working relationships with his staff, but hesitates to disclose that he's gay.

## History

### Season 1

In 2014, Angela Moss recommended Elliot Alderson as a potential hire. By February 2015, Elliot is one of Gideon's favorite employees.

When E Corp is DDOSed, Gideon and Elliot travel to Dulles to clear malicious code from the servers. On the return trip, Gideon shares his sexual orientation for the first time, and confesses to serious concerns about Allsafe's future: E Corp is considering terminating their security contract, which would spell the end of his business.

AllSafe is visited by representatives of E Corp, Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Cyber Command. Midway through a briefing with Terry Colby, the CTO has Angela expelled from the meeting, and Elliot submits a .dat file into evidence. Tracing the IP addresses used in the attack, the investigators discover a link to Colby's terminal, concluding that he was responsible for the attack. (“eps1.0\_hellofriend.mov”) In the aftermath of the arrest, a group called fsociety claims responsibility for the attack, and names Colby as their leader.

Gideon commends Elliot for saving the company, and gives him a modest raise. Gideon asks why he wasn't told about the incriminating .dat file, and shocks Elliot with the first fsociety video. (“eps1.1\_ones-and-zer0es.mpeg”)

Gideon has a strategy meeting with his top employees: Elliot, Angela, Ollie Parker, and Lloyd Chung. He invites them all to dinner at his home. When Elliot declines, Gideon speaks to him in private, expressing concern over his obvious injuries and erratic behavior. Elliot refuses to speak about his personal life and leaves abruptly. To Gideon's surprise, Elliot returns soon after in excellent spirits, promising to attend the party and asking whether he can bring his girlfriend.

That night, the Allsafe team is introduced to Gideon's husband, Harry Davis, and Elliot's new girlfriend, Shayla Nico. After some initial awkwardness, Gideon takes Elliot outside to help with the barbeque. He explains that he has been looking into server CS30, and found nothing; he apologizes for suspecting that Elliot may have had ulterior motives. In a personal moment, Elliot confesses that he was scared of being wrong about the .dat file and letting Gideon down. Relieved, Gideon gives Elliot a brief hug.

Later that night, news breaks that fsociety data dumps have implicated Terry Colby in the Washington Township toxic waste scandal, and thus in the deaths of Edward Alderson and Emily Moss. Elliot storms out of the room without saying anything. Gideon's suspicions affirmed, he re-examines the .dat file and contacts the Dulles data center. (“eps1.2\_d3bug.mkv”)

Gideon turns server CS30 into an air-gapped "honeypot trap": an isolated server that any hacker would believe was still attached to the E Corp network. Allsafe would then be able to trace the source of the attack.

The situation changes radically when Angela Moss testifies to breaking chain of custody with the .dat file. With the evidence withdrawn, the case against Colby is dismissed, and with the company's reliability in question, Allsafe is in immediate danger of going under. Dismayed and angry, Gideon implores Angela to stop lying, and reminds her of the dire implications for her fellow employees. (“eps1.6\_v1ew-s0urce.flv”)

The next day, Gideon meets with Tyrell Wellick. He reports on Moss' testimony, and promises that Allsafe is reinforcing E Corp's security, explaining the honeypot trap. Midway through the meeting, Gideon receives notice that Allsafe's network is has been subverted by malware; Wellick thanks him for his transparency, and requests to look over Goddard's findings personally.

Allsafe goes into lockdown, cancelling all meetings and attempting to regain control of their system. While Gideon is on the phone, Ollie Parker instructs Elliot to deliver drives to Blank's Disk. Elliot returns a few hours later. Gideon leaves his phone in his office when fsociety takes control of the smart TV in the meeting room, declaring that Allsafe has been compromised and jeering Gideon personally. The video is posted onto Allsafe's website, and across social media channels.

As the spectacle comes to a close, Gideon realizes that Elliot is not in the room with everyone else. He accuses Elliot directly, questioning his suspicious appearances and disappearances. The interrogation is interrupted by an important call from E Corp. (“eps1.7\_wh1ter0se.m4v”)

### Season 2

In the aftermath of the Five/Nine Hack, Gideon Goddard is repeatedly interviewed by the FBI. Becoming increasingly frightened and paranoid, Gideon implores Elliot Alderson for help; when that fails, he threatens to disclose what he knows about Elliot's involvement. (“eps2.0\_unm4sk-pt1.tc”)

Drinking alone at a bar, Gideon is approached by "Brock", a Five/Nine truther who accuses him of being a "crisis actor" in the ongoing financial meltdown. Declaring, "This is for our country," Brock shoots Gideon in the neck, killing him. (“eps2.0\_unm4sk-pt2.tc”).