Amazon's OpenAI Deal, Netflix Explores Warner Bros. Bid, and Elon's Flying Car

Summary

Pivot – November 4, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway dive into headline stories shaking up tech, business, and politics: Amazon’s massive OpenAI deal, Netflix exploring a potential Warner Bros. bid, and Elon Musk’s latest “flying car” promises. The hosts deliver sharp commentary on these topics while also unpacking the broader US government shutdown, automation trends, and the geopolitical chess match over advanced AI chips.

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Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. US Government Shutdown and Its Fallout

• Longest Shutdown to Date: The government shutdown has lasted over a month, impacting 42 million Americans on food stamps, leading to only partial payments. Travel disruptions and public blame aimed at President Trump and Republicans.
• Political Strategy & Moral Outrage:
  • Scott Galloway: Harshly criticizes GOP for using children as “human shields” in negotiations:

    “To not use every dollar possible to ensure that 14 million American children ... have access to food. This is an emergency. They just come across... It's the definition of anti-American. It's the definition of anti-masculine.” [15:01]

  • Kara Swisher: Highlights Democrats’ strategy—forcing Republicans to own the consequences:

    “You run the Supreme Court, you run the House, … If you kill them, you kill them. Like, we can't stop you. … Let them tell us who they are.” [18:10]

2. Netflix Considers Bidding for Warner Bros. Discovery

• Potential Industry Shakeup:
  • Reports that Netflix is hiring investment bankers to evaluate a bid for Warner Bros Discovery’s studio and streaming businesses; Comcast also interested.
  • Scott admits he was wrong previously doubting Netflix would get involved:

    “Maybe an acknowledgement from Netflix that they've run out of greenfield or running room to grow their business organically.” [21:58]

  • Kara Swisher underscores the value of HBO’s IP (Game of Thrones, Sopranos) and says the move could upend assumptions about Paramount being the only suitor.
• Valuable Content & Talent: Discussion of HBO’s track record:

  “The culture at HBO must be so extraordinary because they consistently punch above their weight class.” – Scott [23:56]

3. Amazon and Apple Earnings, AI Capex, & OpenAI Deal

• Amazon’s Blowout Quarter:

  • “Amazon, which again is my big tech stock pick for ‘26, beat on bottom and top lines up 13%. … AWS reported 20% growth versus a whisper of 19." – Scott [34:00]

  • Highlights Project Rainier and the in-house "Trainium 2" chips for AI, and the $38 billion AWS deal with OpenAI.
• Apple’s Steady Results: Unremarkable but solid, with Scott contemplating selling AAPL stock due to plateauing growth; notes Apple’s enormous iPhone margins and underinvestment in capex relative to peers.

  • “It doesn’t look—we keep predicting it's going to be spatial computing or there's something else—doesn’t appear … they're stronger than ever.” – Scott [33:11]

• Automation & Robots as the Real Disruptor:
  • Kara urges focus on automation over just AI:

    “I'd focus on robots and automation. That to me is where these leaps and bounds are happening ... more than AI fan dance.” [38:22]

4. Geopolitics of AI & Chip Controls

• Nvidia Export Restrictions:
  • Trump administration prevents advanced Nvidia chips (Blackwell series) from being exported to China, but allows lesser chips.
  • Scott discusses risk and strategies: Should the US let China develop parity or risk motivating them to copy and undercut? Suggests the “killer move” for China would be “AI dumping”—open-sourcing LLMs and advanced AI tools to undercut US companies.

  • "If I were Xi, I’d be like, we’re just going to engage in AI dumping..." [42:20]

5. Elon Musk & the Flying Tesla Roadster

• Absurd Promises & Distractions: Musk appeared on Joe Rogan, claiming a Tesla “crazier than any James Bond car” will be unveiled, perhaps even able to fly.

  • "He told Joe Rogan that Tesla is hoping to finally unveil it ... and hinted that it might be able to fly. He can’t even deliver the car… this is just nonsense." – Kara [48:16]

  • Scott provides receipts on Musk’s missed deadlines and grandiose claims:

    “It's been 2,400 days since Elon said there would be 1 million Tesla robotaxis within the year…” [50:15]

• Reality Check on Flying Cars:
  • Scott, an aviation investor, calls Musk’s claim hype:

    “This is all just fucking nonsense. … It takes 10 years and billions to get any new aircraft into the air where you can take passengers in it.” [54:15]

• Both hosts agree the announcement is a familiar Musk distraction—what Scott calls “jazz hands”—especially as his compensation package is up for a vote.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On GOP Strategy During Shutdown:

  “They’re using children as human shields. … We’re going to use them as human shields. And I think the American public ... is seeing through this so well.” – Scott [15:01]

• On Netflix’s Fresh Potential:

  "Think about a Game of Thrones. … my sex ed for my sons is Game of Thrones for eight seasons." – Scott [23:07]

• On Amazon's AI Expansion:

  “Trainium 2 is Amazon’s in-house AI chip that has become a multi-billion dollar business, growing 150%—not year on year, quarter on quarter.” – Scott [35:22]

• On China & AI Dumping:

  “I think China … would be spending a lot of money and coordinating an effort to dump … create a series of LLMs … and basically ruin Sam Altman’s fever dreams.” – Scott [42:20]

• On Elon Musk’s Promises:

  “This is continued jazz hands and distraction. Nobody does it better than this guy.” – Scott [54:15]
  “He’s like P.T. Barnum, but except he doesn’t provide a circus.” – Kara [54:16]

• On Media Interviews:

  “My fail was the interview on 60 Minutes. It was a really disappointing interview of Trump. He lied … and they didn’t catch him.” – Kara [62:56]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------| | 06:58 | Kara sings "Happy Birthday" to Scott | | 13:34 | NY politics: Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa diatribes | | 14:00-21:01 | Deep-dive into government shutdown effects | | 21:01 | Netflix’s Warner Bros. pursuit begins | | 32:36 | Amazon & Apple earnings, AI capex discussion | | 39:55 | Biden/Trump AI chip export controls | | 48:16 | Elon Musk flying car segment – listen to Musk’s claim | | 50:15 | Scott’s “missed promises” data on Musk | | 60:12 | Wins and fails – OpenAI/Amazon deal; congressional cruelty | | 62:56 | Kara’s fail: the Trump 60 Minutes interview |

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Wins and Fails (Closing Segment)

• Scott’s Win: Amazon’s OpenAI deal – “If you control the infrastructure and AI models, you set the terms.” [60:25]
• Scott’s Fail: Republicans using children as human shields in the SNAP debate – “This is depraved. It is the exact opposite of what it means to be a leader.” [61:07]
• Kara’s Fail: “A failure of an interview” – 60 Minutes’ Trump segment, for failing to push back on falsehoods. [62:56]
• Note: Episode ends with banter about birthdays, mutual professional appreciation, and a preview of Scott’s new book and their live tour.

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Tone & Style Notes

• Sharp, irreverent banter: “This is continued jazz hands and distraction. Nobody does it better than this guy.” – Scott [54:15]
• Candid, personal admissions: Scott’s reflections on his father and communication in the wins/fails section.
• Cultural references and analogies: Comparing Musk to P.T. Barnum; government cruelty to literary metaphors; robust data-driven counterpoints.

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This episode delivers a comprehensive, unfiltered lens into today’s tech business world—blending hard industry insights, political savvy, and pointed humor. Even if you hadn’t listened, you’ll come away with the context, the key battles in tech and politics, and a solid sense of why these stories (and the voices dissecting them) matter this week.

Transcript

[Kara Swisher]

Support for this show comes from Apple. Before it was Pivot, it was just an idea. And the place where my ideas could take flight was always on my Mac. I've been using a Mac for everything since I started using computers and of course an iPhone. I got one of the first ones.

[Scott Galloway]

You know, I use my Mac all.

[Kara Swisher]

The time when I'm doing podcasts, especially when I was traveling. But I used it in the very beginning of doing podcasts when I did remote stuff.

[Scott Galloway]

No matter what you have an idea for, whether it's an innovative piece of.

[Kara Swisher]

Tech, a groundbreaking policy, or a short story concept you can't get out of your head, go for it. You just need to get started. Great ideas start on Mac. Find [e-mail] Mac.

[Scott Galloway]

Support for this show comes from Smartsheet. If you want to optimize your workflow.

[Kara Swisher]

It'S important to have all of your.

[Scott Galloway]

Documents in one place. But it doesn't just stop at documents. You should have everything you need in one place. That's where SmartSheet comes in. SmartSheet is the intelligent work management platform that embeds AI powered execution to drive the velocity of work. With AI first capabilities, you can make work management your superpower. Getting personalized insights automatically, creating tailored solutions and streamlining workflows to elevate your work. Plus, this intelligence layer unites people, processes and data, helping you tackle any work management challenge. Visit smartsheet.com Vox.

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[Scott Galloway]

You're actually a, you know, a decent. A decent kind of mediocre maybe good interviewer. You're actually okay, you know, you're getting there.

[Kara Swisher]

Hi everyone, this is Pivot from New York Magazine, the Vox Media podcast network.

[Scott Galloway]

I'm Kara Swisher.

[Kara Swisher]

And now I must sing to Scott Galloway on his birthday.

[Scott Galloway]

No.

[Kara Swisher]

Yes, yes, yes. Now. Happy birthday to you. You live in a zoo. You look like a monkey because you're wearing a monkey suit. And you are like 1, 2.

[Scott Galloway]

When did we get so old? Kara, what happened?

[Kara Swisher]

I don't know. Scott, you look good though. You have a suit on because I understand you went on many much of television today.

[Scott Galloway]

I was on Morning Joe, then the Today show, and I just got back from the View, where I basically. They asked me about my father and I started crying in front of an audience.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, that's perfect. With all the ladies, right? God, yeah. Savannah Guthrie wrote me a letter. Oh, she loves you, said Scott Galloway for president. She loves you.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, I was on with her and Craig.

[Kara Swisher]

Craig.

[Scott Galloway]

Handsome Craig. Yeah, handsome Craig. And she looks great. Savannah, too. Yeah, she's.

[Kara Swisher]

She's a nice person.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, she's. She seems. Actually. She's a real woman of faith, and I like the way she positions her faith. I think it's really.

[Kara Swisher]

I interviewed her about that when her book came out.

[Scott Galloway]

I remember that. Yeah. But this. I'm a total media whore this morning. I'm absolutely everywhere.

Yeah.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. So that's good, though.

[Scott Galloway]

Whereas usually I'm just a whore.

[Kara Swisher]

You're just a whore.

[Scott Galloway]

Just a hoe.

[Kara Swisher]

How was Morning Joe? How was Morning Joe? Did you. Did you flirt with the two of them?

[Scott Galloway]

Well, they were remote. I guess they're down in Florida somewhere.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, they just don't leave their home now. Okay.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, they don't leave. They roll out of bed and roll in. But you know what? They've always been. You know how some shows, you know, they just want you to win?

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

That's what Morning Joe is for me. Joe and Mika always, like, try to set me up for success, and so I really like it there. And plus, they always make me. Somehow they make me look less awful. I, like, look reasonable in that show. This is how vain I am. I think about what shows made me look the best, but I love. I would say of all of the things I go on, I think Mars number one, because I find him. I find that show just so challenging and interesting, the format. But Morning Joe for me is really. I think they do a great job with the coag. I mean, the bottom line is between the Morning Joe, the View, the Today Show. As much as I criticize tv, when you see just how much activity is going on behind the scenes, they give great tv.

[Kara Swisher]

They do. They do. And let me tell you. Let me give you information. They sell fucking books. I gotta say, after the View, my book sales rocketed more than Bill Maher. And the View, I would say, was. And today's show.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah. And I was on with Farid yesterday.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, good.

[Scott Galloway]

So, yeah, you're really brought up. I'm ubiquitous. I'm like AOL in the 90s. You stick your hand into a cereal box, you're going to pull out a.

[Kara Swisher]

Little dog, little dog. Let me ask you a question. How was the view, ladies? Were they nice to you? Did they stroke you after you cried?

[Scott Galloway]

They were really.

[Kara Swisher]

Get the fuck out of here.

[Scott Galloway]

This is my second time. They've always been really lovely to me. It was Ana Navarro, Whoopi, obviously, Alyssa Farah, who unfortunately is pregnant. Because I was thinking there was a shot that she would leave her husband for maybe not.

[Kara Swisher]

I didn't know that.

[Scott Galloway]

That doesn't seem to be going very well.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

And then Sunny, who's Sunny? Hostage, who looks 18 and she has a son who's a doctor.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

And she wanted advice. She's saying, I'm going to give your book to my son. I'm like, oh, really? What's he doing? She's like, well, he's a Harvard educated doctor. I'm like, no, he needs to mentor me. He needs to write a book and I'll read it. Like, he's just fine. He's tracking. He's tracking.

[Kara Swisher]

That's good.

[Scott Galloway]

But, yeah, they couldn't be.

[Kara Swisher]

Who's next? What's your next thing? Besides our Pivot tour coming up? We've got one more show before the Pivot tour.

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, my God.

[Kara Swisher]

You and I for a week.

[Scott Galloway]

Come on. I'm on Anderson Cooper tonight. I'm on MSNBC tomorrow.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

Christian Amanpour tomorrow. I'm everywhere.

[Kara Swisher]

Are you?

[Scott Galloway]

I'm everywhere.

[Kara Swisher]

It's going to be too much. Scott, may I just say, how is your birthday going?

[Scott Galloway]

The reason I sang is because I.

[Kara Swisher]

Thought about playing the Stevie Wonder song, but YouTube dings us when we put music up.

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, yeah. I'm being very genuine. I don't like my birthday.

[Kara Swisher]

You don't?

[Scott Galloway]

I don't enjoy it. I don't wanna be reminded of my age. Oh, well, I don't. I don't like gifts. I don't. I would rather if I could delete anything. You know how we have those Delete me ads? What we need is an app called Delete Birthday where everybody forgets you actually have birthdays.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, now, I sent you that edible Arrangement. No, I didn't.

[Scott Galloway]

Actually. I'm shocked. In one of the many times you stayed here, you haven't arranged my edibles.

[Kara Swisher]

I know.

[Scott Galloway]

I have. Little turn of phrase there. Little turnips. I saw that.

[Kara Swisher]

But I actually have done looked through them at length. One night when I was bored, I was like, I didn't take any of them. Just so you know.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, you need to start.

[Kara Swisher]

I know, but I just was interested in them and I Looked them up and I. And I googled all of them and everything.

[Scott Galloway]

Did you?

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

Is that part of the problem? My psychotic breaks?

[Kara Swisher]

No, not at all. Well, I am glad you're here another year.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, thank you for that. I appreciate that.

[Kara Swisher]

You look very nice too. You're a little hunched over. Sit up straight with that suit on.

[Scott Galloway]

Sorry. There you go.

[Kara Swisher]

All right. Yeah. Looking nice. That's your go to suit, isn't it? That's your go to outfit.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah. No, you know what's funny is I. I consistently, I have probably, I don't know, a dozen suits I like. I like the idea of suits and then I find one I like and I wear the same thing over and over.

[Kara Swisher]

You look very mom. Donnie right now. I'll tell you, he loves a suit.

[Scott Galloway]

It's my birthday. Do you really want to bring that? It's my birthday.

[Kara Swisher]

I'm just saying.

[Scott Galloway]

Come on.

[Kara Swisher]

He wears a suit, he shows respect for people. I like his.

[Scott Galloway]

I think he's a good looking guy.

[Kara Swisher]

And he wears a suit, though.

[Scott Galloway]

He cheers. I'll give him this. I think the learning. I keep getting calls from Democrats. What do you think of it? I'm like, the Democrats can take a lot from his campaign. I'll give him this. You know, I think you and I have are a little bit different on a. Different views on his policies. I don't think there's any denying that the Democrats can learn a lot from his campaign.

[Kara Swisher]

Well, we'll see if he does. We'll see.

[Scott Galloway]

You never know.

[Kara Swisher]

People can surprise you on lots of ways. I think he seems to have talked to a lot more people than you think. I think he's very similar to aoc, who has pivoted much more to the center than.

[Scott Galloway]

Is that right of AOC?

[Kara Swisher]

Yes, 100%. I think they learn. They want to be in position.

[Scott Galloway]

Same thing with Marjorie Taylor Greene.

[Kara Swisher]

They're all pivoting in a way that makes them seem.

[Scott Galloway]

She's kind of suspicious of mtg, though. I'm just not sure I would.

[Kara Swisher]

No, I agree. I thought she was very.

[Scott Galloway]

I think she likes the attention and she's getting a lot of attention.

[Kara Swisher]

She's doing a good job at getting it, I'll tell you that.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, someone asked me who the leader.

[Kara Swisher]

Jewish space Lasers. Yes.

[Scott Galloway]

Someone asked me who the leader of the Democratic Party was and I said, Marjorie Taylor Greene. She's been. But yeah, it'll be. Look, people have asked me, well, what happens if he wins? I'm like, if he wins, nothing. First off, I'm not A New York resident. But if he wins, like any candidate that wins to be, I think, a good American, you have an obligation to be as supportive as possible. And let them prove you wrong.

[Kara Swisher]

Correct.

[Scott Galloway]

And be supportive and. And let their actions speak. You have to open up to the possibility that maybe your preconceived notions that they were a terrible person because you get so caught up in the emotion of politics. Give them the benefit of the doubt and rally behind them for a certain amount of time and let them have them.

[Kara Swisher]

Let's see how he does.

[Scott Galloway]

Let them have their honeymoon. And by the way, I'm saying this as if it's a foregone conclusion. It's really interesting. There are these ads on these bus shelters in Manhattan showing the statistical probability of their win from Kalshi. It's a great ad campaign. It shows Mondame at 92% or 93 and Cuomo at 8. And they're on bus shelters everywhere. And it says Kalshi market. And you don't even realize it's an ad. It's such a brilliant ad because it shows you don't have your screen up. It doesn't look like an ad. It's information. And what you realize is that Kalshi is this place that people are going to now to help predict the future. It's the best branding campaign I've seen in a while in Polymarket, Kaohshi and Polymarket.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, I think that'll be. You know what? The only good thing. I gotta say one bad thing, one good thing about that. I think he's definitely gonna win. And let's just wait and see what he does. I have. We'll see.

[Scott Galloway]

I think that's fair. Wait and see.

[Kara Swisher]

Wait and see. And the second. And he has a lot of good ideas. Some aren't as good. Some are good. Let's see. He's fresh, right? That's the key thing. And he's got people. You just watch him going around New York, everywhere he goes. He's created excitement around himself.

[Scott Galloway]

I think he's a fantastic. I think it's fantastic campaigner. And I can't wait for food sponsored food lines.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, stop it. You know what? Literally the grocery store have their own version of welfare every single fucking day of the week. So to give you a grocery store.

[Scott Galloway]

Implicit in that statement is that I don't believe in a redistribution of income, which I do, but I don't think you have to be stupid about it. If you want to help young people, fine, give them food stamps. Put more money in their pockets. If you want to have, if you want to have lower cost of housing, give tax incentives to people who build reasonable cost housing and let the private sector take over. Rent control will just take rents up anyway.

[Kara Swisher]

Well, it's rent. It's rent stabilized freezes. That's the word we're looking for. This is the good thing and the bad thing. One, put Andrew Cuomo away. Like he must leave this. He must join some boards. Get rid of Andrew Cuomo. Nobody wants you. Nobody wants you, really. And you've done every trick in the book except appeal to voters. That's 1. 2. Curtis Slua I would give a job to. I think he shows of anybody in this race.

[Scott Galloway]

He's a big winner coming out of this.

[Kara Swisher]

Let me just say he loves New York. And if I were Mamdani, I would actually reach out to him because I have to say I thought he's kooky as can be. But he's also conducting himself with a lot of grace, I think. Right. He hasn't gotten out. He's talked about his issues. He's loves his cats. That's besides the point. But I think he really has made some really good points and some really crazy ones. But I would reach out to him. I just was very. I had a very different opinion of him. And I think he's come a long way. Let's just say I agree.

[Scott Galloway]

Although I will say I really don't like spoilers in the sense that I think everyone has a bit of an obligation to whether he was in the race or not. I do think he's not a spoiler.

He's the Republican candidate.

[Kara Swisher]

Cuomo's the spoiler. That's who the spoiler is. He lost. He lost his primary and he couldn't see it.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, but you're defining spoiler by party affiliation. I define spoiler by somebody who has no chance of winning and who is going to dictate the winner by virtue of the fact they're taking votes from someone else. Let me just say, even if you weren't in the race, I think Mondami would win, would still be the winner. But it's very unusual and it works both ways. The reason Bill Clinton won was because of Ross Perot. If Ross Perot had not been in the race or dropped out, Bush would have won. If Nader had not been in the race, Gore would have won. So I do think that you have an obligation if you have no chance of winning to let people decide between the two candidates who have a chance of winning.

[Kara Swisher]

I don't know. Cuomo is a very.

[Scott Galloway]

Do you think Nader should have stayed in the race?

[Kara Swisher]

I think he should have stayed in the race. I think Cuomo just literally can't get out of the fucking. And by the way, I think it would have been a lot more competitive with Curtis if Cuomo had butted the fuck out like he was the Republican candidate. Cuomo lost.

[Scott Galloway]

Republicans not gonna.

[Kara Swisher]

He lost fair and square and he couldn't take it. Cuz he's a giant. I just, he's, I, I, I'm glad he will be leaving the scene if he loses. Anyway, we've gotta, this will be, this.

[Scott Galloway]

Will be the end of the all wrong.

[Kara Swisher]

In that man. Anyway, we've got a lot to. I'm sure Chris Cromwell will write me a mean note, but. Sorry, Chris. It's true. We've got a lot to get to today, including Netflix exploring a bid for Warner Brothers Discovery. And Elon Musk hints at a flying Tesla demo. Oh, good God. Okay. But first, the government shutdown has now lasted more than a month. It's about to become the longest in US history. The 42 million Americans who receive food stamps will only get partial payments from the governments this month. It is really awful for them to do this. The Trump administration just told a federal judge that it would not tap additional funds for full payments. This after two federal judges ordered Trump to use emergency funds to keep the program running. Travel disruptions are also mounting with flight delays and staffing shortages. Airports across the country. And as a new poll shows, most Americans blame President Trump and Republicans in Congress for the ongoing shutdown. Ultimately, we're not political experts, but certainly from a business point of view, you saw the United CEO sort of shilling for the Trump White House, which is grotesque, sir. By the way, Mr. Kirby, I happen to be a global services person and I am unhappy with your stance. I think it's, you can blame both of them if you like, but to take any side, it was really irritating. Where are we? Where are we from a business and other perspective?

[Scott Galloway]

Well, there's the, there's the strategic side of it. The Democrats are finally winning. This is, they've, they've strategically, they've picked a pointed, obvious issue. Health care. They're right. It always helps to be right. The, the increase in premiums is just untenable for a lot of people. And the Republican viewpoint of is, well, we'll talk about this. This is no way to run government. It's like we, well, folks, you voted for something that essentially transferred money from the healthcare of lower middle class households to wealthy for tax cuts. That's basically your big, beautiful view. So why should anyone trust that given the power where you already control all three houses of government, that then you're going to address this issue? So you're absolutely correct. The majority of Americans hold the GOP responsible for this. It's just, it's just almost alien where it's an alien feeling to see the Democrats being strategic and pointed and united. Usually there's three or four of them who've taken money from the private equity industry or something. She turned out to be peel off the lobbying whore. So this is a big win so far. And then on a more existential level, I've been running around, you know, Midtown talking about masculinity. If you think about, if you think about provider and prosperity, the whole point of prosperity, the whole point is such that you can protect people. And for them to be cutting off food stamps when the money is available, well, they have reserve funds. It's like, remember the movie with John Cusack? And they're in a massive rainstorm, they can't find a place to stay, they have no money. And the woman says to John Cusack, oh, wait, I forgot, I have my parents credit card. It's like a $29 hotel. They're going to get out of this crazy ransom. She's like. And then she pauses and goes, oh, but I'm only supposed to use it in emergencies. And he looks at her and says, well, it's lucky this isn't an emergency. To not use every dollar possible to ensure that 14 million American children in the most prosperous nation in the history of the world have access to food. This is an emergency. And they just come across. It's the definition of anti American. It's the definition of anti masculine. They're using children as human shields. They think they can shame the Democrats into saying, we're more depraved than you. We trust, we believe that you're less depraved than us. It's like when Terence Stamp played the nemesis of Superman and he said, I found his weakness. He being Superman, he's like, he actually cares about them. Right now the GOP is saying, as Zod, oh, we think their weaknesses, they actually care about these people. And we'll use them as human shields. And even though we have the money to, to pay for SNAP for several weeks longer available to us, we think they're going to blink. We're going to use them as human shields. And I think the American public At least according to the polls, is seeing through this so well.

[Kara Swisher]

I think what's interesting is the Democrats are like, we'll just show people who you are. Like, let's. We aren't going to save them. You need to save them. You're in charge of the government.

[Scott Galloway]

This is your big, beautiful deal.

[Kara Swisher]

You run all. The whole.

[Scott Galloway]

All.

[Kara Swisher]

You run the Supreme Court, you run the House, you run the Senate, you run the presidency. If you kill them, you kill them. Like, we can't stop you. You know, that's. I think it's. Actually, I don't think the thing is, will they. Cause they really are a cruel bunch. Right? Them just futzing around on this snap thing is so ridiculous. Just pay the snap thing. They can't lose on anything. That's their whole thing, no matter who pays the price. And they'll just look, look, you know, Maya Angelou, you know, when you see someone, you know, believe it. Believe when they tell you who they are. So let's let them tell us who they are. That's who I say.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah.

[Kara Swisher]

Anyway, we'll see. As I told you. Remember that time when that Trump person told me some of the crazies in that group want to do it? 47 days for his presidency. That's what it feels like anyway. I thought that was a ridiculous, stupid, juvenile thing, but here we are. By the way, I really enjoyed the Gatsby party. Nice timing. President Trump.

[Scott Galloway]

God.

[Kara Swisher]

I know, right?

[Scott Galloway]

Like, literally, is there something like.

[Kara Swisher]

These are careless people. Like, the metaphors just write themselves. I mean, Gavin Newsom doesn't even have to try hard on these things. And he did a good job, actually.

[Scott Galloway]

So let's move on.

[Kara Swisher]

We'll see. We'll see. Do you have a prediction? What's going to move the needle?

[Scott Galloway]

I gotta think that it seems to me that the Democrats are just shockingly unified. And I would think I want to get your prediction because as you've pointed out, I'm famously batted political predictions. But I would think that Republicans will say will come up with something that is like, they'll claim that they're staying true to their principles, but agree to some sort of accommodation. I just. I mean, what people don't. This is bad on so many levels.

[Kara Swisher]

They've got to pass it. They can't just say they're going to pass it. The Democrats don't believe that.

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, no, the Democrats aren't going to go. Yeah, the whole trust part of the program is over.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

We're not over. This notion somehow that the people who decided to take money out of SNAP and put it towards wealthy people's tax breaks, that all of a sudden they're gonna have a change of heart. No, that's no one, you know, we're not gonna be fool me once, right. I think what they'll come up with is some sort of accommodation that gives the Democrats at least some of what they want, maybe most of what they want, and they'll pretend to be the good guys and move on. But I think this is a rare winning issue. But people don't realize this is more than just. This is more than just, you know, kids going hungry and low income families going hungry. There are 300,000 people in Veterans affairs giving physical therapy and medical treatment to veterans. So we're going to leave our veterans in the cold right now. I mean, this really is sort of a. What's the point of all this prosperity if we're going to, you know, leave people out in the cold like this? I just, it really is very. Feels very dysfunctional.

[Kara Swisher]

Scrooge. Scrooge. Anyway, interesting story now. Now it's getting interesting. Netflix is actively exploring a bid for Warner Brothers discovery studio and streaming businesses. According to Reuters, the streamer has hired investment bank and I don't know if investment bank.

[Scott Galloway]

Oh yes, they're gangsters. They're very good.

[Kara Swisher]

Evaluate a potential offer. This is the same bank that just advised Skydance on the Paramount deal. Comcast could also be in the mix. President Mike Kavanaugh, who I think is very smart, said last week the company might consider bidding for certain Warner assets, though he noted a merger isn't necessary. This is really interesting because then David Zaslav now has some shit going on, right? And it, it's not so easy for the Paramount boys and their giant money to sail in there. It creates a feeling among shareholders that maybe especially the studio stuff is worth more apart than together. It gives, it gives, it gives some, some juice. What do you think? Or is it all just doesn't matter?

[Scott Galloway]

So first off, I got this wrong. I said just last week that I didn't think Netflix would get anywhere near this because of they have such a strong culture. What I think it says is a couple things. One, I think this is sort of maybe an acknowledgement from Netflix that they've run out of Greenfield or running room to grow their business organically. And what you said also resonates now and that is there's some content here that really is singular and they want to build a content library to kind of try and sort of catch up.

[Kara Swisher]

To it's quite a content library. Think about a Game of Thrones. Like, it's so good.

[Scott Galloway]

There's a lot Sopranos.

[Kara Swisher]

Think what they could do with the Sopranos. They could. I mean, like, so much stuff just like. And. And not just new. New stuff. Older stuff. Like real. Like the.

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, my God. My favorite show. I don't know if you've have your favorite show. I watch for me, my parents. My parents, my kids. My sons refused to talk. I was looking forward to the sex talk. Neither. Neither of them will ever let me talk about sex with them. They've just decided that's horrific. And dad, no, we don't. We'll learn it on the street or from porn. We have no interest in talking to about it.

[Kara Swisher]

I think I have a sex talk with the boys.

[Scott Galloway]

I've decided that the ultimate sex education is they have to watch all eight seasons of me with Game of Game of Thrones. Oh.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, no.

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, 100%. It's got aspirational homosexual characters. It's got real love stories. Ingrid and Jonathan Snow is one of the most gripping love stories ever. It's got really bad behavior in terms of.

[Kara Swisher]

It's his castrations. Okay, well, there's that, like a lot of rape. A lot of like. Okay, all right. Okay. You do your parenting, I'll do mine, but go ahead.

[Scott Galloway]

So that's my sex ad for my sons is Game of Thrones for eight seasons.

[Kara Swisher]

Galloway boys, come and see me. I'll help you. Those are all Richard Plepler. You know, our pal Richard, he just texts the media.

[Scott Galloway]

But if you think about what's so interesting about HBO is with, I think, a content and budget of about 2 billion versus 18 in Netflix. The culture at HBO must be so extraordinary because they consistently punch above their weight class.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, it's. First it was Bucus, then it was Plepler, and now it's Casey Bloys, Michael.

[Scott Galloway]

Fuchsia way back in the day. But, my God, some of the content. Sex and the City. I think Sex and the City was incredible.

[Kara Swisher]

Think about all the things.

[Scott Galloway]

And then even girls. The modern kind of Sex in the City. I thought that was incredible. Have you seen Chernobyl? Chernobyl's incredible.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, all of it.

[Scott Galloway]

I mean, it just.

[Kara Swisher]

This makes a lot of sense, as I told you, for Netflix. It does. And it all. But what it does for David Zaslav is it shows off the stuff that it's worth. Like, don't let these dipshits at Paramount get everything for cheap. Right. Don't like don't hand it over to these guys who've already shown relatively bad behavior in terms of media. But it's so valuable, like the studio and streaming stuff. And then you can figure out what to do with the new stuff. Just spin it all together, give it to Versant. That's what someone from there was saying. Let's pronounce it Versant, not Versant.

[Scott Galloway]

Versant.

[Kara Swisher]

Versant. Like it's a croissant. I don't. It doesn't make it any better.

[Scott Galloway]

But. But what they're probably doing, I. I would be shocked. I think what they're doing is the following. I think, by the way, Molis has established itself as one of the. Is absolutely, in my opinion, the premier investment bank as it relates to media. They're outstanding at what they do. The. What I think this is what they probably know is they've all signed crazy NDAs, and they're, I would bet, openly communicating would they be doing. I think they're willing to take pieces. I can't imagine the Ellisons want all of this. And I would imagine that Netflix wants certain things that Ellison does not want, and vice versa. And this might be a club deal where they take certain stuff. And meanwhile, what you have is a CEO who's added so little shareholder value, who's positioning them against each other to do shit like maintain his leadership role and feather his nest. The only thing I know that's going to happen here is that David Zaslav is about to become the Adam Newman of media, and that is make a shit ton of money for destroying a lot of shareholder value by playing these guys off of each other. By the way, Warner Brothers discovery, there needs to be a special committee of the board looking at every deal, and Zaslav is there to wave his hands and get them excited. He should not be negotiating this deal because the one thing we know about Zaslav is he will extract a great deal of shareholder money and put it in his pocket as opposed to shareholders.

[Kara Swisher]

If he gets a lot of money for it, I guess that it'll be worth it to them. But it is interesting that now there's some activity. And again, as we say, guys, get in here, there's some very valuable things. Don't let the Nepo baby get everything. There's stuff that's real and also for Comcast, too. Same thing, same thing. Same, same. And there's ways to do this anyway. I just like to see a fight. Fight, fight, fight. All right, Scott, let's go on a quick break. When we come back Apple and Amazon Earnings.

[Scott Galloway]

Support for this show comes from NetSuite by Oracle in ancient Rome, the priests would predict the future by watching the patterns of birds and looking for auspicious signs from the gods. Unfortunately, today, when we plan for the future, there are a lot more variables.

[Kara Swisher]

To consider than bird patterns.

[Scott Galloway]

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[Kara Swisher]

The velocity of work.

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[Kara Swisher]

Scott, we're back and we've got more earnings to discuss. Let's start with Apple. The surge in iPhone sales surprise gave Apple a big boost this past quarter, sending total revenue up $102 billion, up 8% from last year. Wow, that's a lot. It went to 102, up 8%. But it was a mixed bag for other parts of the business. IPad and wearable sales were flat and sales in China fell about 3.6%. That's not a surprise, although they don't have really sexy the watches weren't that big a jump. I didn't get a new one and I usually do. Capex came in at $12 billion a year, up 35% from last year and expected to grow. But it's still pretty low compared to what the rest of big tech is spending on AI. They seem rather frugal comparatively, but the others are spending like the proverbial drunken soldiers sailors, excuse me. And speaking of what other big tech companies are spending, let's talk also about Amazon. Capex continues to surge with more than $34 billion spent in the last quarter and a full year total expected to top 125 billion AI spending seems to be paying off. Amazon Web Services revenue jumped 20% from last year, its fastest pace since 2022. Overall, it was a strong quarter for Amazon with $180 billion in revenue and sales, up 13% year over year. And by the way, OpenAI just signed a $38 billion computing deal with AWS. Another one, one of these and its first contract with Amazon. So talk a little bit about this and how these companies continue to succeed in spite of tariffs. Obviously aren't affected by them. Well, Amazon might be a little bit. And trump chaos in general.

[Scott Galloway]

I think it plays on Apple too.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

Although they've gotten some exemptions. It's not clear what. What. You know that, that gift, the gold statue.

[Kara Swisher]

Was that the golden calf, as I like to call it? Go ahead.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah. Who knows what the tariffs are going to be on Apple, Apple. I would describe Apple's earnings as unremarkable, but stronger than people expected. I think Apple's the most expensive of those stocks right now. I'm actually thinking about selling my Apple stock, which I've owned for 15 years, just because they're growing single digits but they're trading like a growth stock. But I always buy the new iPhone. I find the new operating system to be a bit glitchy, cumbersome.

[Kara Swisher]

Me too.

[Scott Galloway]

But the battery life is great. And also iPhone sales. We don't know how much of it was front loading because of tariff scares, but company continues to do well. They have been sort of a sleeper on AI. We'll see if they come through and do anything. I think that Apple, I mean what Apple has done that will go down in the history books and they continue to do is that what they have pulled off. The iPhone is the most successful product in history. If you just look at the amount of gross margin or gross dollar margin that's been created and the analogy I always use that imagine an automobile company had the margins of Ferrari with the production volumes of Toyota. It's the most. This just is sort of an anomaly in marketing. Typically you go one of two ways. You go for the mass product that's a lower price or you go for a niche lower volume product that's more expensive. The iPhone is the most expensive phone on the market, but also the largest volume seller that you just never, you're never able to pull that off. And they continue to sell more and more of these, these iPhones. It doesn't look. We keep predicting it's going to be spatial computing or there's something else doesn't appear it appears that they're stronger than ever. Amazon, which again is my big tech stock pick for 26 beat on bottom and top lines up 13%. Good AWS growth, by the way, sent the stock up 13%. After hours, AWS reported 20% growth versus a whisper of 19. They are kind of AWS performance pushback on the overhang here and that the overhang or cloud over their cloud offering is that it's behind an AI. Their cloud growth hit its fastest pace in three years and Amazon added 3.8 gigawatts of new power capacity, more than any other cloud provider. So they're going further downstream and giving the market more comfort that they have the power to actually do this shit. It opened something called Project Rainier, an $11 billion AI data center built to run anthropic models, which is part of of a partnership that will see Anthropic using 1 million Trainium 2 chips by the end of 2025.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, that's their big partner. That's Anthropic's big partner.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, and get used to this term Trainium 2 because I had never heard this term. Trainium 2 is Amazon's in house AI chip that has become a multi billion dollar business, growing 150% not year on year, quarter on quarter. So now Amazon is in kind of the niche Nvidia business.

[Kara Swisher]

Let me just tell you. You think they all want to depend on Nvidia? No, no.

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, they're all trying to figure out a chip.

[Kara Swisher]

He's got a limited time frame.

[Scott Galloway]

And Amazon raises 2025 capex forecast to 125 billion, signaling that AI demand is still accelerating. And by the way, you brought up a key component and that is as a percentage of their top line revenue. Apple is dramatically an underspender in capex.

[Kara Swisher]

So are they riding on the rails? What's going. They're riding on the rails because you see AI throughout the phone. I'll tell you, in this new system, it's always answering AI like questions. Although you know whether you're using another app, every app has it in it. It just is using other people's AI.

[Scott Galloway]

They're at a different point in the life cycle and that is Apple. Here's the problem. When shareholders get used to profits, it's like their lips get around the crack pipe of profit and you take the crack pipe away, they get very angry. And basically Apple, I don't want to say it's a financial engineering company, but basically their share buybacks, they've bought back like A third or a half of their stock and the way their stock keeps going up is they're a cash generation machine and they use that to buy back stock. So if a company, whereas with Meta and Amazon people were sort of have a very recent memory of extraordinary capex and doesn't punish Amazon to the same extent if they reduce their profitability. And put another way, Apple acts and behaves and has shareholder expectations that it's more of a mature company, whereas the other three are still seen more as growth companies and their shareholder base has a greater tolerance for investment. So for example, you mentioned Jeff Bukus. The reason Jeff Bukus sold at the top of the market and convinced his board we should sell to these drunken fools at AT&T if they're willing to pay this money. Because if you want me to compete with Netflix, I've got to go from being very profitable to very unprofitable. And our shareholder base didn't sign up for that. And there's going to be a revolt and this thing's going to sell off like crazy. So in addition, I'm just blown away by Amazon's push and automation. If not for a one time FTC charge and severance costs, operating margins would have hit 12% which is a record high. And again, the piece of the earnings call that just blew my mind. In the retail unit they are predicting by 2032 or 2033 in seven to eight years they have put this out there, we can double the revenue of the second largest retailer by gross dollar volume in history, just behind Walmart with no additional people.

[Kara Swisher]

Yes, automation. Automation. You know, by the way, they're way behind China. Just so you know, just like you've seen some of this automation stuff happening. I think, and I've said this over and over and I wish you would focus on it is everyone's focused on AI. I'd focus on robots and automation like that to me is where these leaps and bounds are happening in ways that really truly do save money in a different way. I think AI combined with automation and having just been in Korea and seeing some of this, it's really quite astonishing the cost savings in so many ways and how far this automation has gone. I think it's, I think it's the untold. I think AI is doing the fan dance. But automation is something people should be paying attention to and Amazon has always been forefront. When they bought Kiva, it really made me sit up and take notice at the time. That was many, many years ago. All right. Also, President Trump says that Nvidia's most powerful AI chips, the Blackwell series, are staying in America. Trump told 60 Minutes that China and possibly other countries wouldn't be allowed to buy them, basically keeping America's AI technology at home. Trump did leave the door open for China to buy less advanced Nvidia chips, which they are apparently, but not the top tier stuff. This came just days after he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, where Trump said the chip issue didn't actually come up in conversation. So this is the result of all the Trump flushing of Jensen Huang. I was a little confused by this statement, but I guess they're not going to be able to sell them.

[Scott Galloway]

So there, there's a very interesting debate taking place in the dynamics around global trade, and that is we sequester or embargo our chips from being shipped, our best ships being shipped to China. Now the question is, should we not be letting China create parity in terms of the most sophisticated brains to power weapons, media, or was that just motivation for them to do a workaround? Right, so, and by the way, I don't feel like I have an answer on that. I think it's a really interesting argument.

[Kara Swisher]

And to let them steal our stuff and do a workaround, I think that's the.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, that's right. You create incentive for them to call on their operatives. And by the way, I think what's interesting is I was speaking to someone who was in our intelligence apparatus and he's like, do you realize no spy ever thinks they're doing anything wrong? If you're a Chinese national and you're given an unbelievable opportunity to come study in the US and they get you a job at Google from someone they know who shall remain aimless, and they start asking for your advisory and your help on stuff, you don't feel like a spy, right? You don't feel like you're spying for the US and there are Chinese operatives everywhere, there are Chinese soft assets everywhere. And their playbook is okay, if you're, if Siemens, if you're not going to sell these cell towers because you see strategic initiative in it. I don't remember that was the case. We'll figure out a way to reverse engineer them, get some key critical IP, copy it and sell it back to you for $0.40 on the dollar, which your telco operators are going to love. So would we be better off capturing all that shareholder value and saying, okay, we'll sell you these GPU hoppers? I don't know the answer to that. I think it's a Real conundrum, what I'm increasingly convinced of and when this is our prediction a couple weeks ago, I think if China really wanted to go for our heart and lungs and really go for the jugular, they would be spending a lot of money and coordinating an effort to dump. So the US Steel industry, essentially the Chinese were convinced, were accused of dumping and that was okay, produce. We have all these steel plants in mainland China. We're going to dump steel into the US Meaning we're going to price it below even production costs. We're going to put every US Steel company out of business and we're going to consolidate the market and then we'll raise prices. And by the way, a lot of big tech companies are accused of that. Amazon was accused essentially of dumping retail, pricing it below their cost. No retailer could keep up.

[Kara Swisher]

Boom.

[Scott Galloway]

They own 50% of all E commerce. And what do you know, they have slowly but surely raised their prices. Right. I believe that China, the ccp, the key gangster move for them would be to dump AI, would be to dump LLMs, and that is create a series of LLMs and maybe chips and even new technologies, open source, open weight, dump it into the US market and basically ruin Sam Altman's fever dreams of having a trillion dollar ipo. When every college kid starts using this new LLM or AI that is free and they can download in a second. Or big enterprises start signing up for enterprise licenses. Or they say, we have a new LLM and a new AI technology that's not going to require you to build a bunch of nuclear power plants. If I were she, I'd be like, okay, we're not going to go after them kinetically or economically. What we're going to do is we're just going to engage in AI dumping because it is so striking. Do you realize if it wasn't for a right now, the market would be flat.

[Kara Swisher]

Flat. Yeah. And this is what you made the thing that Amanda still brings up, which is Trump would be in a lot more trouble if AI hadn't been boosting.

[Scott Galloway]

We'd be in recession. GDP growth would be zero to negative right now if it wasn't for AI and the promise of AI. And all you need to do is pop that balloon and say, guess what, we're gonna Old Navy your ass. We're gonna offer 80% of your expensive LLMs and expensive technology and we're gonna do it for not 50% of the price, for 0% of the price. And the thing about China is that the CCP can do this. They run their companies for control, not for profit. But I think there's real existential threats here from China around AI.

[Kara Swisher]

Well, we'll see if they do it, we're going to blame you, Scott Galloway.

[Scott Galloway]

There you go.

[Kara Swisher]

Happy birthday. Well, we'll see what happens here. But you're right, you're right. This is all an AI party that we're all living in and we'll see if that sustains itself. All right, Scott. Although if you're a doom, the problem with the AI people is you have one normal, critical thing to say and they're like, you're a doomsayer. And you're like, no, I just am a reasonable person that wonders, you know, that everything isn't going up and to the right. And speaking of which, let's go on a quick break. When we come back, Elon says flying cars are coming soon. Sure.

[Scott Galloway]

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[Kara Swisher]

Scott, we're back. Elon Musk is talking about the Tesla Roadster again. Remember the sports car he's been promising for about eight years? That's you know, when we're supposed to land on Mars and before that we were supposed to get full autonomous. None of which has happened. He told Joe Rogan that Tesla is hoping to finally unveil it before the end of this year and hinted that it might be able to fly. He can't even deliver the car, but this is what he said. Let's listen to what he said about it.

[Scott Galloway]

Like, this is some crazy, crazy technology we got in this car. Crazy technology. Crazy, crazy. So different than what was previously announced and. Yes. And is that why you haven't released it yet? Because you keep fucking with it as crazy technology? Okay. Like, is it even a car? I'm not sure. It's like, it looks like a car. Let's just put it this way, it's crazier than anything James Bond. If you took all the James Bond cars and combined them, it's crazier than that.

[Kara Swisher]

He seems crazy as always. He's making this up. I'm sorry. This is crazy to listen to him and Joe Rogan. I don't mind Joe Rogan and his dumb incredulity, but God, can you ask a question like, hey, you haven't come out with it. Comments came right after Sam Altman posted that his who is Musk's archenemy posted that he tried to cancel his roaster reservation from 2018, saying, Look, I get delays happen, but seven and a half years is a bit much. Musk's got that huge shareholder vote coming this week about his trillion dollar compensation package. So he's on the road talking to incredulous people like Joe Rogan. I mean, just deliver the fucking car, dude. Like, it doesn't have to fly. Like, this is just nonsense. This is another one of his promises that. Promises made, promises broken, essentially. I don't know. What do you think?

[Scott Galloway]

Well, okay, so let's just look at the Data. It's been 2,400 days since Elon said there would be 1 million Tesla robotoxis within the year.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh yeah, that was.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah. It's been 3,100 days since he said all superchargers were being converted to Solar. It's been 3,300 days since Tesla started charging customers for self driving software that he said would be able to drive from LA to New York City autonomously by the end of 2017. That still hasn't happened eight years later. It's been 1100 days since he predicted that under his leadership, Twitter could reach a billion monthly users. It's been 1700 days since he announced that he'd be uploading a full self driving button to Teslas. This is no different.

[Kara Swisher]

I love your data. I love Scott brings the data. Because you're a man, that's why. Notes on being a Man, bring the.

[Scott Galloway]

Data swinging on those vines of data. Look, this is no different, okay? So Trump will say and do anything to create a distraction from Epstein. Musk will say and promise anything to distract from the fact this is a fucking car company that should be worth 90% less than what it's worth right now. The Rebovan?

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. Did you see that chart I sent you? 312 times earnings compared to like Apple at 30 or whatever. It's crazy.

[Scott Galloway]

It's become a meme stock. And by the way, this is not financial. But don't short this thing. It could, who knows, maybe crazy.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

But I remember that I think it was the Spy who Loved Me. They had this amazing car, Bond car. So I'm, I'm fascinated by AV that went into space.

[Kara Swisher]

The one that went into space.

[Scott Galloway]

They didn't have a car that went into space. They've had a flying car and the man with the Golden Gun. And then they had a car that went underwater.

[Kara Swisher]

Underwater one? Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, I think that was the Spiral Lumi, but I forget. Anyways, I know a little bit about aviation. It's what's fascinated me. I'm an investor in two aviation companies. A company called Boom Technologies which is trying to create the first commercial supersonic plane since the Concorde. And I'm an investor in Vertical Aerospace in Europe which is trying to create a velo. It's basically like a drone that carries people.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, vertical lift and takeoff.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, exactly. It's a super hot space. Joby and Archer are the two sus leaders in Vertical Aerospace is the European leader. I know how much time, capital and more than anything else regulation is involved in producing.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh man. One of those falls on a Christmas.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, one of the great online, one of the great unlocks in our economy is that the FAA has basically said we're going to certify these things to like four or five sigma, meaning that, okay, there's going to be 10,000 crash fatality or automobile accidents. America's been normalized by that. We have to get people so comfortable with this unnatural act of flying across the surface of the atmosphere at 7:10 the speed of sound in a metal tube with recirculated oxygen. Which quite frankly feels very, very unnatural. So we've got to make it.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh thanks. I'm about to get on a plane. Go ahead.

[Scott Galloway]

We've got. Pardon.

[Kara Swisher]

I'm about to get on a plane tomorrow morning, but go ahead.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, but the reason why people don't just fucking freak out and refuse to fly is that it's the safest form of travel ever invented. I mean, it's just we used to have to eat our nieces and nephews to get across the Rockies. Now it takes us a couple hours and we get peanuts and a ginger ale. And no matter how neurotic you are, you try to let your data take over and realize the drive to the airport was about 30 times more dangerous than actually the plane ride. But my point is the certification to get a flying vehicle. This is all just fucking nonsense. This is nothing. But don't look at Jeffrey Epstein. Don't talk about Jeffrey Epstein. And don't dare you refer to my company as just a great automobile company that should be trading at an $80 billion market cap, not a $1.4 trillion market cap. This is continued jazz hands and distraction. Nobody does it better than this guy.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, he's like P.T. barnum, but except he doesn't provide a circus.

[Scott Galloway]

He's very good at this. And so immediately I got caught up, like it piqued my interest. And I forwarded to the guys at Vertical Aerospace and they came back and said, yeah, they'll show a video of this thing hovering 15ft off the ground. It takes, I'm not exaggerating, it takes 10 years and billions to get any new aircraft into the air where you can take passengers in it.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, are you kidding? He can't even get the Robo taxis going that well. Waymo is running right over him. And the same thing with these. You're right. He will release some.

[Scott Galloway]

He does have a roadster. He announced a roadster in 2018. And Sam Altman keeps posting screenshots of his $50,000 deposit, waiting for his roadster to show up.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, he's asked for it back, but I mean, it's just ridiculous. It's not going to fly. And by the way, other people have been working on it for people who don't know, like Larry Page was invested in one of those flying cars. I don't doubt someday there'll be a hovercrafty kind of car. Not after we're long dead, but there'll be a hovercraft type of car. But it's not going to be widespread until long after you, me and Elon have left this planet. Like, and not in the good way. This is just nonsense. And he's just doing it cause he's on his little tour to show that he's like the master inventor and deserves a chance.

[Scott Galloway]

I gotta distract.

[Kara Swisher]

It's just. He's not the master inventor anymore, folks. He's just not. He could have done a lot more and said he's wasted his time on whatever the fuck he's doing and this is just more nonsense.

[Scott Galloway]

I think that's a little bit unfair. I think SpaceX is extraordinary and I do think Star.

[Kara Swisher]

It's great for Gwynne Shotwell, then I give him credit.

[Scott Galloway]

But he. Harder. You gotta give him some credit.

[Kara Swisher]

Fine.

[Scott Galloway]

Greatness is in the agency of others and he manages to.

[Kara Swisher]

But he's had enough credit for her work. I just feel like it's her now at this point.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, and I get credit for your work. I show up and press record and you've done most of the hard work.

[Kara Swisher]

Ah, it's not true. You've more than leveled up. Let's just say thank you. More than leveled. He has not. He has not. Anyway, I know you're kind to him, but this is just doing this kind of stuff means.

[Scott Galloway]

I wouldn't describe myself as kind to Elon Musk, but I know that.

[Kara Swisher]

But what I'm saying, doing this kind of stuff tells me everything, which is like. It's crazy. Can't tell you. Ooh.

[Scott Galloway]

That's why Joe Rogan. I mean, it's literally like the biggest cocktails in the world. That's not that attractive. It's like, okay, come on. It's like Joe Rogan.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, you mean you haven't delivered to us? Not because you're incompetent, really, but because there's more.

[Scott Galloway]

Wait, MRNA vaccines alter your DNA. Huh? That's super interesting. No one's talking about it. No one's talking about it.

[Kara Swisher]

Anyway, whatever. I don't have a problem with Joe Rogan being as incredulous as he is. That's his brand. Anyway, one more quick break. We'll be back for wins and fails. Support for this show comes from Apple. Before it was Pivot, it was just an idea. And the place where my ideas could take flight was always on my Mac. I've been using a Mac for everything since I started using computers and of course, an iPhone. I got one of the first ones.

[Scott Galloway]

You know, I use my Mac all.

[Kara Swisher]

The time when I'm doing podcasts, especially when I was traveling.

[Scott Galloway]

But I used it in the very.

[Kara Swisher]

Beginning of doing podcasts when I did remote stuff.

[Scott Galloway]

And no matter what you have an idea for, whether it's an innovative piece.

[Kara Swisher]

Of tech, a groundbreaking policy, or a short story concept you can't get out of your head, go for it. You just need to get started. Great ideas. Start on Mac. Find [e-mail] Mac.

[Scott Galloway]

Support for this show comes from Grammarly. Most tasks require some sort of collaboration. The solo genius often has a team behind them to reach new heights. But collaboration takes communication, and communication takes time, which means you need to find a solution that can save you time crafting emails, sharing notes, and editing your team presentations. Enter Grammarly, the one stop shop to help super charge your workflow process so you can work efficiently and effectively. Grammarly is an AI powered writing assistant that helps users improve their grammar, spelling, punctuation and style across various platforms. And because they're so committed to expediting workflow, they've added a new member to their team. Say hello to Superhuman. Superhuman is the AI productivity suite that gives you superpowers everywhere you work. With the intelligence of Grammarly, mail and coda built in, you can get the things done faster and collaborate seamlessly. Finally, AI that works where you work. However you work, Superhuman makes sure that you stand out. No learning curve, just simple and easy to use. Get AI that works where you work. Unlock your Superhuman potential. Learn [e-mail] podcast that's superhuman.com podcast.

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Support for the show comes from Crucible Moments, a podcast from Sequoia Capital. We've all had pivotal decision points in our lives that, whether we know it or not at the time, changed everything. This is especially true in business. Like, did you know that autonomous drone delivery company Zipline originally produced a robotic toy? Or that Bolt went from an Estonian transportation company to one of the largest rideshare and food delivery platforms in the world? That's what Crucible Moments is all about. Hosted by Sequoia Capital's managing partner, Roelof Bothe, Crucible Moments is back for a new season with stories of companies as they navigated the most consequential crossroads in their journeys. Hear conversations with leaders at Zipline, Stripe, Palo Alto Networks, Klarna, Supercell, and more. Subscribe to Season 3 of Crucible Moments and catch up on Seasons 1 and [e-mail] on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to Crucible Moments today.

[Kara Swisher]

Okay, Scott, let's hear some wins and fails. You go first.

[Scott Galloway]

So while we were sleeping, Amazon struck a deal with OpenAI. Their cloud arm signed a $38 billion deal with OpenAI.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, we mentioned that.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, and it matters because if you control the infrastructure and AI models, you sort of set the terms. And so again, I think Amazon is on a roll here and about to bust out. My fail is pretty straightforward. Stop using children as human shields. And this is just not, you know, the most critical thing, regardless of what you. And I apologize for bringing this up. The most critical thing you could say of Hamas was that they were using children as human shields. Whether you believe that's true or not, that is the worst insult you could make.

[Kara Swisher]

I would agree with you on that.

[Scott Galloway]

That was the worst insult you could make of anybody. And I think the Republicans are in a position to utilize and unlock emergency funds such that 14 million children have food. And instead, they've said no because they care more about kids than we do, and it'll put pressure on them. This is depraved. It is the exact opposite of what it means to be a representative leader. It's the exact opposite of what it means to pretend to be masculine or a man or a leader. And by the way, I want to be clear, masculinity comes from men and women. It's also. I won't get into gender, but it's just so. It's so embarrassing that the world's most prosperous country has decided to engage in political warfare and use children as human shields.

[Kara Swisher]

Also, some of the misinformation about what people can buy on Snap, they're quite.

[Scott Galloway]

Strict and there's no care. Weaves and extensions.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, my God, stop it. You can't even buy, like, a roasted chicken.

[Scott Galloway]

I don't think you can buy alcohol, can you?

[Kara Swisher]

I go to the store. I see. What's the Snapchat?

[Scott Galloway]

That's where I get my calories, is from Modelos.

[Kara Swisher]

Like every congressman that does that, I literally wanna reach to the TV and throttle. It's not true. It's not Popsicles and hair weaves, folks.

[Scott Galloway]

And.

[Kara Swisher]

Which is also a version of racism, like the way that the words they're using are so ridiculous. There's a lot of this stuff in red states. White people, poor people. There's all kinds of poor people in this country that are gonna suffer and they're not gonna eat. That's really what they're not gonna do. And so the fact that it has to be made up for by charities and people's other, you know, people around the country, when our government, we've paid into our government to pay for things like this, and it's worthwhile and it is not being abused by people. And meanwhile, they have a Gatsby thing. Oh, that just drives me crazy. You're 100% right.

[Scott Galloway]

Do you have any wins and fails, Kara?

[Kara Swisher]

Yes, I do. My fail was the interview on 60 Minutes. It was a really disappointing interview of Trump. He lied. Listen, it was Good for him. He just lied continually and they didn't catch him. I was dying. I like Norah o'. Donnell. I think she's very smart. I thought she did a very tough interview with Kamala Harris. I wish that Norah o' Donnell had shown up. I wish Chris Wallace was there. I wish Bret there. He did a.

[Scott Galloway]

What happened to Chris Wallace? Chris, where are you?

[Kara Swisher]

Chris? He's working. He's actually advising Paramount, oddly enough. I wish he would had done the interview. Honestly. He did a really tough interview on Trump. That was fair too. Stupid. A pretty tough one too. And I don't often think that's the case with Brett Bear.

[Scott Galloway]

I have newfound. I told you. I went to that Master of the Universe weekend and Brett did a bunch of panels. I think he is a very talented journalist. I didn't know him. I thought. I was very impressed by him.

[Kara Swisher]

He's a very nice fellow. He's my mother's favorite talk news personality.

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, really?

[Kara Swisher]

Yes, indeed. She loves Beth Bear.

[Scott Galloway]

He looks like the high school college football star that got a 1400 on the SAT.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, does he? Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

I don't know. He looks like a scholar athlete.

[Kara Swisher]

Anyway, he likes to sing. That's all I know. He sings with Johnson.

[Scott Galloway]

I like to sing.

[Kara Swisher]

He sings with Warner. Mark Warner. The two of them sing together. It's weird.

[Scott Galloway]

Senator Warner left.

[Kara Swisher]

I was at a party and the two of them broke out and I literally was like, I have to leave.

[Scott Galloway]

I love Senator Warner.

[Kara Swisher]

I was like, I have to leave Washington.

[Scott Galloway]

I love Senator. If I could. If I could. If I could have anyone. If I could have anyone be president right now and installed and it wouldn't cause revolution because the right doesn't think he's crazy left. It would be Senator Mark Bell.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, yeah. He's great. He's a great guy. I had dinner with him recently, but.

[Scott Galloway]

You always have to one up.

[Kara Swisher]

I just tell him I did. He likes you.

[Scott Galloway]

He talks about you all the time.

[Kara Swisher]

He's like, how's Scott?

[Scott Galloway]

How's Scott?

[Kara Swisher]

You know, I like him too. Anyway, he and Bret Baer sang a delightful duet at a party I was at once and it was quite. Anyway, I thought it was a failure of an interview and it was embarrassing actually. For 60 minutes. Get some better questions. I think Nora certainly could have handled it but didn't in this case and let Trump go on and on and on.

[Scott Galloway]

I liked her episode with Peter Attia where we got to see how long she could do a free hang.

[Kara Swisher]

She's in good shape. Anyway, my win of course, is Scott Galloway. Let's get to the top of the best.

[Scott Galloway]

You've been so supportive.

[Kara Swisher]

I have.

[Scott Galloway]

I think you're missing.

Why wouldn't I be? Would you not be supportive?

No. I literally think you're missing having boys around. You've been like, the support.

[Kara Swisher]

I have plenty of children support. My children are very demanding in many ways.

[Scott Galloway]

It's embarrassing. I do not take compliments well.

[Kara Swisher]

I know you don't. Just take it. Happy birthday. First of all, I know you don't like it, but I'm happy it's your birthday. I'm glad you're still here.

[Scott Galloway]

It hurts.

[Kara Swisher]

Let's just say, don't worry, I will feed you.

[Scott Galloway]

Sorry for the scrotum list.

[Kara Swisher]

When you get 92, I'll be feeding you soft foods. Don't worry.

[Scott Galloway]

We're going to be like, do you know that. Do you know those guys from Veep at the end when they're showing them later in life? And that guy is so foul and rude to his intern, and then he's pushing his intern around in a wheelchair, just insulting him.

[Kara Swisher]

Yes, yes, exactly.

[Scott Galloway]

That's gonna be you pushing me around.

[Kara Swisher]

Yes, I am gonna do that. Anyway, I hope you get to the top of the list. I'm very excited for our tour that's coming up, and we wanna hear from you. Send us your questions about business, tech, or whatever's on your mind. Go to nymag.com pivot submit a question for the show or call 855-51-PIVOT. Speaking of Scott Galloway, elsewhere in the Karen Scott universe, on the latest episode of on with Karis Fisher, I spoke with someone named Scott Galloway about his new book, Notes on Being a Man.

[Scott Galloway]

Not enough Scott. We don't have enough Scott either.

[Kara Swisher]

I know we don't. Listen, we have our show. We can use it to talk about ourselves and our work. It's a very good book. Anyway, you talked very candidly about your father like you did on the View. I don't think he weeped, but let's listen to a clip.

[Scott Galloway]

For 10 years, the last 20 years of his life, Whenever we talk on the phone, he'd say, I love you. And it took me 10 years to say it back because it just felt awkward. I'm like, dad, I could have used this at 8. I need it at 38.

[Kara Swisher]

Right?

[Scott Galloway]

But let me put it this way. At a very basic level, Kara, he tried. He was better to me than his father was to me. And also, I have made an exceptional living communicating. I got that from my father. My father could hold a room like no person. And I have to acknowledge and just because he didn't try, he didn't give it to me on a silver platter. There's no reason you can't be grateful.

[Kara Swisher]

That was a very nice thing I asked you. What good thing? Cause you talked a lot about the deficits that you face, but I thought it was important to point out the good things.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, this can be shocking to our viewers. You're actually a decent kind of mediocre maybe good interviewer. You're actually. Okay, you're getting there. You're getting there.

[Kara Swisher]

I heard people tell me that. I've been told. I've been told. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. It was a good interview and you're gonna see a lot of Scott, but that's the one you should pay attention to. Anyway, that's the show. Thanks for listening to Pivot and be sure to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel. We'll be back on Friday, our last show before our week long series of shows. We're gonna run out of things to talk about. We're gonna be coming there in Elon's flying car, obviously, and maybe we will have the Robovan in one place or something like that. Anyway, Scott, read us out.

[Scott Galloway]

Today's show is produced by Lauren Amanzoi, Marcus Taylor Griffin and Christine Driscoll. Aaliyah Jackson engineered this episode. Jim Mackle edited the video. Thanks also to Jaboros, Ms. Averro, Dan Shalon and Kate Gallagher. Nishat Kharaz, Vox Media's executive producer of podcast. Make sure to follow Pivot on your favorite podcast platform. Thanks for listening to Pivot from New York Magazine and Vox Media. You can subscribe to the [e-mail] pod we'll be back later this week for another breakdown of all things tech and business.

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