Yeah, Erlich only works when he is 80% douche and 20% "only guy who sees the big picture" like when he's the first to realize Gavin Belson has saved them by setting the market at $250 million. Similarly Big Head only worked when he symbolized the idiot that hangs out with the talent and somehow reaps the benefit.
If you've ever worked in a startup, gone through the angel investor routine, pitched a company to eccentric rich idiots... A lot of the characters were absurdly accurate when introduced. Now that the plot lines are stretching thin it seems like it's getting harder for them to do anything with the ones that are pure stereotypes. Even Richard is getting stale to me.
Problem is the show is almost always good for one hilarious idea like the bulldog scene along with one painfully realistic startup experience like the argument over who is fired. I've actually seen that happen before and it was one of the most awkward things ever.