Just occured to me...

[Cap'n UKRiffer]

The movie shows for you to 'jack in' to the Matrix it needs at least one other person, say Tank, to plug you in then monitor you while inside and then give you the location of a active phone so your able to get out of the Matrix.

So how did Cypher (sp) get into the Matrix, meet with Agent Smith and get out with no help and no one noticing?

[kodiakthejuggler]

Perhaps it's possible to set your in and out points before hand. Or maybe it's possible to plug yourself in, as Cypher must have done, then the Agents would have monitored him once inside, then they would arrange an out point. He'd just have to unplug himself. Maybe he rigged it somehow.

Or maybe we're just overthinking it and should trust that the script makes sense.

You know, if we overthink the Matrix's plot, our brains will explode!

[Wiseblood]

I don't know about how he managed to get in, but since the Agents work for The Matrix, maybe they're able to let him out since Cypher was working with them.

[Rufus T]

I was discussing the very same thing with a friend a couple of days ago. We agreed that Cypher probably found a way to rig it. We also agreed that it was an incredibly stupid thing to do. I imagined the scene being played out this way. We cut away from Cypher eating steak and go back to the ship. We see Cypher sitting in the chair still connected. All of the sudden Morpheus enters the room. He's on his way to the kitchen to get a warm cup of that goo they eat because he can't sleep. He may or may not be carrying a teddy bear with him. He starts to walk past Cypher and starts to say in a sleepy voice "What's up Cypher?" He then pauses and notices that Cypher is still hooked up. Morpheus gets a confused look on his face and goes to the monitor. He see's that Cypher is dinning with Agent Smith. Morpheus then utters "that son of a bitch" and goes over to Cypher and promptly unplugs him. He then gets his warm cup of goo and goes back to bed. Meanwhile we cut back to the restaurant and we see Cypher's head face down in a piece of pie he was just starting to eat. The camera pans over to Agent Smith who has a shocked look on his face. He reaches over and gives Cypher a little nudge in order to try and wake him up. Cypher does not wake up so Agent Smith raises his hand and say's "Check please."

[mrbasehart]

To paraphrase:  "Forget it Jake, it's the Matrix".

[davo]

he left a phone ringing for a very, very long time? 

[Sharktopus]

He may or may not be carrying a teddy bear with him.

Oh, he definitely is carrying a teddy bear. And one of its eyes has fallen off.

[Tyrant]

  And he has bunny slippers on his feet.

[Rufus T]

Bunny slippers. Now why didn't I think of that.

[Joe Don Faker]

Groucho give yourself a cigar, that scene you added is hilarious.

[Rufus T]

Groucho give yourself a cigar, that scene you added is hilarious.

Well thank you kind sir. I appreciate the compliment.

[Minnesota]

he left a phone ringing for a very, very long time? 

makes sense, this problem has bugged me before. thanks. honestly, that is a smart answer.

[Winterkid]

It's possible to call forward, three-way call, conference call, answer call waiting, why not pre-programmed auto-dialing?  Telemarketers have been doing things like that for YEARS!  Not to mention the buttons to help them "jack out" are pretty much computer programs that are user-activated hooked up to touch screen monitors.  *shrug*  It's not much of a stretch of the imagination to think of pre-scripted "in" and "out" events at various real-time clock events.  Much the way an Anti-Virus program automatically updates itself, or a VCR Plus remote hits the "record" for you, or Micheal Bolton sets your stomach on auto-eject.

[Konman72]

It has been stated, I believe in the original DVD commentary, that Cypher was setting up his meeting when Neo walked in on him. That is why he freaked out so much and turned off all the monitors. All he would have to do is set up a program to call phone X at time T and load him into his body.

[Sharktopus]

It has been stated, I believe in the original DVD commentary, that Cypher was setting up his meeting when Neo walked in on him. That is why he freaked out so much and turned off all the monitors. All he would have to do is set up a program to call phone X at time T and load him into his body.

Yeah, there's plenty of foreshadowing that Cypher's not to be trusted, but it tends to get chalked up to Joey Pants just being the only actor in the movie who put any energy into his role. Funny that the most human character is the double-crosser. What are you implying, Wachowskis?