How much money the characters in HBO's 'Silicon Valley' would make in real life (TWX)

HBO

HBO's "Silicon Valley" is satire, but that doesn't mean it can't also nail the authentic Bay Area tech experience.  

Showrunner Mike Judge consults startups and tech news sites — including Business Insider — to make sure the show is getting even the smallest details right. 

The result is a TV show that even the most jaded Silicon Valley engineers can admit reflects the wacky tech world more often than it misses.

This season of HBO's "Silicon Valley" sees the hot data compression startup Pied Piper actually get some venture capital funding and some swank new offices. 

With some financial stability under their feet, here's how much the main cast of "Silicon Valley" would be making in the real Silicon Valley — and how much they could make if Pied Piper ever goes public or gets bought for millions.

Warning: Spoilers for the third season of "Silicon Valley" below. Data for this article was taken from Payscale.

Our hero Richard Hendricks starts as the founder and CEO Pied Piper, a small startup. Startup founders usually choose what to pay themselves — some take no salary, and reinvest that cash into the business. More commonly, founder salaries for small startups start around $50,000 per year.

In the current season, Hendricks finds himself with the new title of CTO. With that title, and Pied Piper enjoying some funding, Payscale data indicates he could be making as much as $150,000.

Donald "Jared" Dunn is Pied Piper's head of business development. That means it's his task to help Pied Piper grow, either by finding new sales opportunities or through partnerships. He'd make around $100,000 per year.