Many aspects of Barney Stinson’s life were shrouded in secrecy during How I Met Your Mother. Thankfully, as time went on, more details were unearthed regarding the enigmatic character – in particular, his career.
The mystery behind Barney’s job stood as a long-running joke during How I Met Your Mother‘s nine seasons. It was assumed that Barney did quite well for a living, considering his life of luxury. He wore expensive suits and was able to pay for an upscale apartment in New York City at a relatively young age. When his friends questioned what he did for a living, Barney would dismiss their questioning by saying, “please…”, each and every time. It would later turn out that Barney’s response was actually an answer.
There were a number of clues that hinted at Barney’s career throughout How I Met Your Mother. He was clearly a high-ranking member of the corporation he worked for due to his prominent office. Barney was employed by AltruCell Corporation before it merged with Goliath National Bank (GNB). He even helped Marshall get a job as a lawyer within the company and served as the head of the search committee when he hired Ted to design the new headquarters. GNB was known to be highly corrupt and there was ample evidence that Barney took part in many of the illegal activities. By the end of the series, it was revealed that Barney did indeed know about the company’s corrupt dealing, but he was acting as an informant to take down his boss.
Barney Worked With The FBI To Get Revenge On His Boss
Before the gang met Barney, he worked in a coffee shop and was in a serious relationship with a woman named Shannon. His girlfriend eventually left him for Greg, a business executive. This caused Barney to change his lifestyle and he became a “suit.” In the season 9 episode, “Unpause,” it was revealed that Greg felt bad about the situation so he gave Barney a job at AltruCell (before it became GNB) and the position was titled Provide Legal Exculpation And Sign Everything. Yes, the job’s acronym was P.L.E.A.S.E., which explained Barney’s remark every time his friends asked him about his career. The job also made him a scapegoat for all of the illegal activities going on at GNB, but Barney had the upper hand on Greg the entire time.
Barney vowed revenge on the man who once stole his girlfriend. He worked as an FBI informant for the long-term and tipped off the federal government about all of the corruption happening under GNB’s roof. Two months after Greg’s wedding, Barney revealed everything, resulting in the man’s arrest for fraud and other crimes. Barney ultimately stayed with the company in his P.L.E.A.S.E. position while his connection to the feds remained hidden. According to Future Ted in How I Met Your Mother, Barney kept making “craploads” of money.
