Avon Hertz

Background

Avon Hertz is an American tech billionaire based in Los Santos, born around 1979. He crossed the billion-dollar mark at just 21 years and 9 months old, when his company went public. His proudest creation is Cliffford, a neural-network AI that affectionately calls him "Daddy". Before 2017 he worked as a technology consultant for the International Affairs Agency after being brought in by Agent 14, but the agency eventually dropped him because of his conduct. Bogdan mockingly refers to him as "Avon Quartz". He is voiced by Sean McGrath.

Role in GTA Online

Avon arrives with The Doomsday Heist update. After the player buys a Facility, Lester Crest introduces them to Avon, who in turn presents Cliffford and warns of a security threat to San Andreas and the whole country. Lester agrees to work for him as long as the pay stays in six figures.

• Act 1: Avon has the crew steal data from secure sites such as NOOSE Headquarters, claiming Cliffford will use it to trace a breach. In The Data Breaches, he sends the player into a secret IAA facility under the Satellite Relay Station, which Merryweather Security is attacking. Afterwards Avon takes credit for saving Agent 14 and his boss Phoenicia Rackman.
• Act 2: Avon, Rackman and Agent 14 hire the crew to find out who paid Merryweather. The trail leads to the Ramius, a Russian submarine off Paleto Bay, and the agent known as Bogdan. Missions such as Setup: Rescue ULP follow. In The Bogdan Problem, Avon orders Cliffford uploaded into the sub. Bogdan then reveals he was trying to stop a nuclear war, and Avon drops the act: his crew has opened a path for Cliffford into the Ramius, the IAA and the state's defense network. Cliffford sets the sub to self-destruct, and the survivors regroup at Los Santos International Airport.
• Act 3: Avon and Cliffford raise a private army and plan a nuclear war. Lester recruits Bogdan, and the crew rescues Agent 14 from Merryweather. At the end the player kills Avon by blowing him up while flying a Thruster jetpack.

Personality

Avon is arrogant, childish and starved for praise. He talks down to the crew and shows open contempt for the IAA.

Trivia

• He dies in 2017 at the age of 38.
• His blue Cyclone appears with him during the heist.
• Backup drives of Cliffford later surface in The Criminal Enterprises update, where Mason Duggan buys them from corrupt FIB agents.