Davos Drama, DOGE's Social Security Scandal, and Netflix Goes All-Cash for Warner Bros

Summary

Pivot Podcast: "Davos Drama, DOGE's Social Security Scandal, and Netflix Goes All-Cash for Warner Bros"

Date: January 23, 2026
Hosts: Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway

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Episode Overview

This episode opens with Scott reporting from Davos, offering behind-the-scenes takes on the mood among the global elite and the shifting global order. Kara and Scott debate America’s changing standing at the World Economic Forum, analyze key speeches (Trump vs. Carney), and discuss tech and media news—including DOGE’s use of Social Security data and Netflix’s latest merger maneuver. The episode concludes with an exploration of ICE’s Minnesota operations, leadership in moments of democratic crisis, listener stories of resistance, and closes with predictions, culture moments, and a dose of classic Pivot banter.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Davos 2026: Vibes, Power Plays & American Arrogance

• Scott’s Return to Davos (02:13):

  • Scott describes the difference from 1999:
    • Then: “Hopeful... about the Internet, cooperation and consumerism.”
    • Now: “Everything’s AI,” with a vibe of “arrogance” and “coercion and chaos.”
  • [04:32] “It’s even beyond arrogance. It’s just being rude for no real reason.” — Scott Galloway

• Event Gossip & Elites:

  • Mention of key figures including Palantir CEO, Dario Amodi, Lindsey Graham, Governor Nome (“walking around like he is the next president”), Sacha Baron Cohen, Katy Perry, and Justin Trudeau.
    • [09:15] Scott describes powerful figures at Davos: “He’s the chosen one... it’s like there’s a spotlight shining on the guy.”
    • [10:39] Scott’s celebrity bar-hopping with Sacha Baron Cohen.

• Trump Administration at Davos:

  • Scott: The U.S. presence comes across as “a baby with an AR-15.”
  • Contrast in how business leaders are respected vs. government representatives seen as “stupid, not just arrogant.”

• International Power Dynamics:

  • Praise for Mark Carney’s speech advocating “honesty about the world as it is” and call for middle powers to lead.
  • [13:19] Mark Carney (clip): “Nostalgia is not a strategy... from the fracture, we can build something bigger, better, stronger, more just.”

• Trump’s Davos Speech:

  • Referred to Greenland/Iceland mix-up, threatening NATO allies, market turbulence.
  • Kara: “It reminds me of my four year old Saul when he didn’t get the correct [toy].”
  • Scott: “Like a mob boss, isn’t it?” — [12:56]

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2. DOGE’s Social Security Scandal

• Breaking News (22:00):

  • DOGE employees allegedly shared Social Security data with a political advocacy group in an effort to “find evidence of voter fraud and overturn election results in certain states.”
  • Kara: “We told you this would happen... It’s very dangerous, and I think at some point we will find out exactly what was taken and misused.”

• Accountability & Data Privacy:

  • Kara: “You don’t give your— I would never give them my data. But unfortunately, Social Security agents... you have to.”
  • Scott: “I actually believe in the government’s right to collect data, but you have to match that with really stringent laws.”
  • Question of whether anyone will be prosecuted. Kara predicts eventual “reckoning,” though Elon Musk likely remains unscathed.

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3. Netflix-Warner Bros Deal & Streaming Wars

• Deal Update (24:46):

  • Netflix offers all-cash deal for Warner Bros., reducing burden on Discovery Global.
  • Netflix continues to rack up subscribers and strong profits, but growth is slowing.

• Scott’s Analysis:

  • “In 2015, Netflix spent 85 cents per $1 of revenue. Now, 38 cents—a 55% decrease.” [25:53]
  • “Some people would argue it’s predatory pricing. The ad business is still not a big business.”
  • Combined with Warner Bros., Netflix would reach 10.4% US TV watch time (YouTube is at 12.7%).

• Debate Over Ownership:

  • Kara: Netflix “the superior buyer,” but wary of consolidation and Paramount’s bad track record.
  • Scott: “Show me a director claiming we need to go to movies, and I’ll show you someone with a home theater.” [28:37]
  • Skewering Hollywood nostalgia—“Nostalgia is not a strategy.”

• Netflix Culture:

  • Scott credits Netflix’s employee compensation philosophy for changing his approach: “I try to pay people between 30 and 50% more than the market... If you have the money, it’s a good thing to do.”

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4. ICE Raids, Minnesota Crisis, & Civil Resistance

• ICE Operation “Catch of the Day" (36:01):

  • ICE targets Somali communities in Minnesota; children detained to catch parents.
  • Local businesses protest, and citizens organize to transport students.

• Debate on Leadership & Resistance:

  • Scott: “Quite frankly, Minnesota leadership looks weak here.” He calls for a higher-profile leader, comparing present circumstances to historic moments of civil courage.
  • Kara and listeners counter, highlighting local officials and citizen-led resistance.
  • Call-ins from Minneapolis parents describe direct actions to shelter children from ICE and acts of surveillance/intimidation from federal agents.

• Reflections on American Crisis:

  • Scott: “What’s going on here is contrary to the very reason America was founded... No checks and balances.”
  • Kara: “If you behave like thugs, the only response is thuggishness. That is effective, and then you have a real crisis.”

• Historical Parallels:

  • Kara references WWII Japanese internment, Colorado Gov. Ralph Carr who stood up for civil rights at political cost. “You do need a political figure like this, even if at great cost.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Banter

• On Davos:

  • Kara: “It's the least sexy gathering in the world. It's got all the sex appeal of a Marriott lobby.” [03:13]
  • Scott: “You’re like the Stasi with Wi-Fi.” [10:17]

• On Power and Respect:

  • Scott: “Governor Nome is walking around like he is the next president… It’s like he’s Rihanna on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s shoulders.” [09:15]

• On American Arrogance:

  • Scott: “We’re a baby with an AR-15 is how we come across right now.” [08:09]

• Trump vs. Carney:

  • Kara: “He seemed to be gripping the podium as if to save his life.” [12:17]
  • Carney: “Nostalgia is not a strategy… From the fracture, we can build something bigger, better, stronger…” [13:19]

• On Netflix strategy:

  • Scott: “It’s a great strategy. Some would call it predatory pricing.” [25:53]
  • Kara: “Consumers have spoken. No rich Ellison person is going to save theaters.” [28:10]

• On ICE and American Institutions:

  • Kara: “These people have impunity. They just don’t stop.” [41:00]
  • Listener Annie: “If that makes me part of the Diluted Wine Moms club, then I will proudly wear it like a badge of honor.” [43:32]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:13] — Davos Vibes: Then vs. Now
• [04:32] — Arrogance, Coercion, and Chaos Among Elites
• [09:15] — Governor Nome’s Star Power
• [13:19] — Trump vs. Carney: Contrasting Speeches (Carney’s speech excerpt)
• [22:00] — DOGE Misuses Social Security Data
• [24:46] — Netflix’s All-Cash Warner Bros. Deal Explained
• [36:01] — ICE Raids in Minnesota, Community Responses
• [43:32] — Listener Call-ins: “Diluted Wine Moms” in Resistance

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Wins, Fails & Predictions

• Scott’s Prediction: [51:17]
  • The U.S. is likely to conduct a military strike on Iran, seeing a strategic opportunity due to shifting logistics. “I think we have an unbelievable opportunity here to topple a regime…”
• Kara’s Wins:
  • Kate Hudson’s Oscar Song nomination, celebration of positive, inclusive representation in media.
  • Joy found in virally reenacted scenes from "Heated Rivalry."
• Fails:
  • Ongoing ICE actions, data scandals, lack of high-profile political backbone in Democratic leadership.

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Closing Banter

• Listener Voicemail: [57:34]
  • Kara shares an amusing/insulting voicemail, exemplifying the difference in harassment faced by female hosts.
  • Kara: “If you’re gonna leave me a fucking asshole message, I’m playing it and using it as content. And also: fuck you.”

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Takeaways

This episode is rich with unfiltered observations from the world’s most exclusive power summit, a critical look at America’s increasingly fraught global leadership, the perils of unchecked data misuse, and the power of ordinary citizens rising against state abuse. The recurring theme: “Nostalgia is not a strategy”—both in global alliances and cultural business.

Pivot’s blend of analytical rigor and irreverence is on full display, making this a can’t-miss episode for anyone seeking nuanced context (and a few good laughs) on the week’s biggest tech, business, and political dramas.

Transcript

[Scott Galloway]

Support for today's show comes from Zoom. Work isn't just meetings. It's calls, chat docs, emails, events, and more. Zoom brings it all together in one platform, so workflows and ideas move faster. Learn [e-mail] podcast and Zoom ahead. Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start. Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to don't know the difference between matte, paint, finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is. With Thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro, you just have to hire one. You can hire top rated pros, see price estimates and read reviews all on the app. Download today.

[Kara Swisher]

Megan Rapinoe here this week on A Touch More figure skating legend Tara Lipinski joins us to talk about the upcoming Winter Olympics, whether this will be the comeback year for U.S. women's figure skating, and what she learned about herself after appearing on the reality show the Traitors. Plus, we're Talking about the NWSL's High Impact Player role, aka the Rodman Rule, and why the players union is against it. Check out the latest episode of A Touch More wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. By the way, you look fantastic.

[Scott Galloway]

Let me just say, you know, unfortunately, Kara, my iPhone, when I opened it still the Apple face ID still works.

[Kara Swisher]

Hi everyone. This is Pivot from New York Magazine and the Vox Media podcast network. I'm Kara Swisher and I just scooped out my litter and Scott is in swanky Switzerland. This is the state of our relationship.

[Scott Galloway]

I was with your first wife just a few minutes ago.

[Kara Swisher]

I heard she's swanning around there. How's it going?

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, she's one of my favorite things is this thing called she knows and oh, female quotient. They invite me because they know dudes will show up and they like to have dudes at their stuff.

[Kara Swisher]

That's just what women want. But go ahead.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, I think it is, actually. I think they want to reach across the aisle, so to speak. Or I think they want to do a reach around. Oh God, my mind is a blank now.

[Kara Swisher]

Okay, you're in Davos.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, yeah, that's where I am.

[Kara Swisher]

And by the way, you look fantastic.

[Scott Galloway]

Let me just say, you know, unfortunately, Kara, my iPhone, when I opened it still the Apple face ID still works, so. And everyone's saying you just look like you. And I'm like, well, that wasn't the fucking point.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, it's subtle. I can see the difference.

[Scott Galloway]

So, yeah, I'm here I don't know if you can see this equivalent. If Days in had a branch in Davos, I'd be here. But it's only $2,700 a night, and if Trump gives another speech, the dollar's going to crash and it's going to be $6,000 a night. So I should probably go check in now. Like it's Weimar Germany or check out.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, good. Well, before we start talking about Davos.

[Scott Galloway]

I think you would hate it here. I can't even.

[Kara Swisher]

I hate. I do hate it here. Last time there, I was there with Megan when I was married to her. And like you, she got one of those weird global leaders of tomorrow's yesterday, whatever the young entrepreneurs. And this was a million years ago. And I went as a wife and I hated every fucking second of it. And I'm sure it's worse now.

[Scott Galloway]

You know what it is? It's the least sexy place in. It's the least sexy gathering in the world. It's like, got the sex appeal of like a Marriott lobby. Yeah, it's just. It's just. It's rough here. It's.

[Kara Swisher]

Give me an overview. Besides, let me just make a point. It's been 34 days since the deadline passed for the US Justice Department to release the Epstein files. I just want to note that. That.

[Scott Galloway]

Just, just.

[Kara Swisher]

Just to add that in, but go ahead, tell me what's the. What's the vibe in. In the place where they pretend things are normal?

[Scott Galloway]

Okay, so first off, the last time I was here was 1999. I was here 26 years ago. I don't know if you know this about me, but I peaked early.

[Kara Swisher]

Similar time frame for me.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, I was there 26 years ago. And the Vibe then was hopeful. It was about the Internet. America was about cooperation and consumerism. And sort of. There was some. There was really optimism, like, I want more. It was very consumer, if you will. And now I'd say the Vibe is one AI. Everything's AI. I was one of these guys running around trying to pitch my startup Red Envelope or my E commerce incubator to everybody. Now everyone's pitching everyone on AI startups and the American brand, which is meant to be the operating system here, I think is really about coercion and chaos right now. And the vibe and arrogance.

[Kara Swisher]

Arrogance is what I'm.

[Scott Galloway]

It's even beyond arrogance. It's just being rude for no real reason.

[Kara Swisher]

Howard Lutnick was a particular moron on that topic. Yelling at.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, and Christine Lagarde, she walked out on him. That was kind of the big. The big event here. But there is also. The vibe here is very unsettled because for all the talk about Europe being a union, it's clearly still not a union. In my opinion, the strongest move would have been if somebody had actually read Mark Carney's speech and said he just articulated how we all feel more powerfully than anyone in the European Union has done. We want him to give that speech. We want him to outline a series of things that we could do as a union of all western nations. Selling US treasuries, forming a trading zone outside of the US and they should have had all fucking 27 EU member leaders sitting behind Mark Carney. Instead they just look like, oh, the number six. You know, the world's six 11th, 28th and the seven dwarves. Economy are angry at us. They clearly don't care.

[Kara Swisher]

All right, okay, all right. This is like you attacking the Dems. Explain what the Trump administration is doing there. Because let's talk about the bullies, not the bullied for a second. What is the vibe? From a Latin besant, looks like the man from Grey Poupon, like he's excited to find Grey Poupon everywhere he goes. Never seen such a crash in reputation of that guy. But talk a little bit about that, the arrogance, because it's just. You can you see it bristling off of tech people. The Palantir CEO once again needs to stop talking quite so much. The only one that was interesting was Dario Amodi, who is still trying to piss off David Sacks, which I enjoy every day of the week and twice on Sunday. But what's the vibe from the US it seemed absolutely fuck you, like we're the man. Even though, and I'm popular. Trump was saying even though his polls are crashing here in the United States.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, I was at a dinner with Dario, spoke last night. I don't know. The way I would describe the vibe is. I don't even think it's the business leaders I still think are really well respected. People are still like, hey, Anthropic, can you open a branch in Helsinki? And let's talk about Poland's economy. So there's still, I think, a real. I don't know if in terms of affection, but appreciation, because the bottom line is the American economy continues to grind on. And one of the D Masters in the University of Finance stood up and said, look, distinctive, our political situation. And he talked about anthropic. Anthropic's raising 10 or 50 billion at 300. There's like seven companies in Europe worth $350 billion or more. And anthropic started five years ago.

[Kara Swisher]

It's actually gaining a lot of ground in enterprise, too, but go ahead.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, it is. And it's kind of the success story, maybe outside of Gemini and AI, I would argue over the last 12 months. So I feel like there's still a great deal of affection and want to work together. I would say that from the administration standpoint, their presence here, I think arrogant's the wrong word. I like the definition of stupid. You help others and hurt yourself. You're an artist or a philanthropist. You help yourself while hurting others. You're a bandit. You help others while helping yourself. You're intelligent. The definition of stupid is hurting others while you hurt yourself. Talking about how important it is for the US to own Iceland when you mean Greenland.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, that was.

[Scott Galloway]

You just look stupid. You're just. And it's not happening, by the way, the big news, to be fair, he walked back. Military action, he said that's not going to happen. He did away with the tariffs he threatened earlier in the week. So we come across Taco. We just come across as just. We're a baby with an AR15 is how we come across right now.

[Kara Swisher]

So is it worth it for you to be there? Do you. You look like you wanted to get out and I needed to helicopter in and get you, but was it worth it? Is it worth it?

[Scott Galloway]

Well, so I'm name dropping. I said no. And then Larry Fink called me and asked me to come and said, you know, he was very nice to me and said, this will be a good audience for you. And I got to give it to him. This is, quote, unquote, according to people who've been here for 30 years, the best office yet in terms of the quality or the power, I would say, of the people. You know, Elon Musk felt left out. He's flying in this afternoon to give a speech. Heads of state, senators, the thing that sort of embodied how powerful the people are. I literally saw Lindsey Graham walking around looking for someone to talk to. Like, he looked lonely, and he was trying to find someone to talk to him. So everyone's here. And by the way, you want to. You want to hear serious vibe, serious juju, serious mojo, serious Riz. Governor Nome is walking around like he is the next president. And guess what? Everyone believes him. He has an entourage of. He has some. I'm not exaggerating. It's like there's light shining on the guy. He was.

[Kara Swisher]

I Probably had.

[Scott Galloway]

So I walked down. I walked down. I had one of those. This was a nice moment for me. I have a big ego like everyone else. I walked down in the congress hall and there was a crowd of people around this guy. And no matter how big the crowd is, you see him like, he's fucking Rihanna standing on Arnold Schwarzenegger's shoulders. He just. It's like, God, he's like, he's the chosen one. And then he stops and comes over, catches my eye, and he hugs me. I feel like one time, this guy, the coolest guy in my junior high school, Andy Lauer, who I didn't think knew I was alive. I did a comedy sketch at the talent show on Laurel and Hardy, and he came up in a class and he's like, go, you're the funniest guy. And he high fived me. And for a day, I was the most important person I'd ever met.

[Kara Swisher]

Okay.

[Scott Galloway]

I was.

[Kara Swisher]

It was like the cool kid.

[Scott Galloway]

The cool kid high fives you.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

Anyways, came over, hugged me, and he told me.

[Kara Swisher]

He texted me. He texted me that he saw you. I'm just texting with everybody. I was, like, haranguing Mark Benny off. I was texting. I'm just texting everybody there.

[Scott Galloway]

You're literally stalking me. I sit down at dinner last night, and the woman next to me, Kara's talking to me. She knows we're sitting together. And I'm like, how the does she know we're sitting together? You're like the Stasi with WI fi.

[Kara Swisher]

They all text me. They're like, where are you? I'm like, as if I'm making quesadillas for my children and scooping cabbage.

[Scott Galloway]

I'm totally name dropping right now.

[Kara Swisher]

Okay, all right, go ahead.

[Scott Galloway]

I was. I got to sit next to Sacha Baron Cohen. And I rolled with him after, and he. And I went bar hopping after.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, okay. I like that. And he was.

[Scott Galloway]

He was picking up a friend and Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau. By the way, Justin Trudeau's skin. There's no way that guy was stressed in office. He looks like he's. He's a world leader. And now he looks like, oh, now.

[Kara Swisher]

You'Re happy you're swanning. Oh, my God.

[Scott Galloway]

Anyways, I'm totally swanning.

[Kara Swisher]

Swanning. Let's go. Let's talk about spicy.

[Scott Galloway]

And hold on. But Sasha goes. I go, I'm going to this wine tasting thing. Master of the universe thing. You should come. And he goes, can I come in five minutes? He goes, will you live my will. You leave my name at the door. And I'm like, sasha, something tells me they're going to let you in anyways. That's my. That's my big celebrity.

[Kara Swisher]

Well, he's great. He's a great guy.

[Scott Galloway]

Super thoughtful. He understands AI.

[Kara Swisher]

I did one of my favorite interviews with him many years ago.

[Scott Galloway]

He said he was on with you.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. So smart.

[Scott Galloway]

He says middle class Jewish kid from.

[Kara Swisher]

The suburbs of London smart, really clever and also really thoughtful. And a lot of his stuff, if you look at it now, even if it's a satire, especially around the dictator, is spot on, like some of the stuff he wrote. So just so people know a couple of things from their headlines. Donald Trump's backing off his threat to impose tariffs on Europe, saying there's now a framework for Greenland deal. There isn't a framework for green. After meeting with NATO's Secretary General, Trump said the solution, quote, if consummated, would be great for the US and all NATO nations. It's probably more US bases. The idiot. He could have done it before then. Announcements came just hours after Trump delivered his big speech at Davos where he seemed to be gripping the podium as if to save his life, where he repeated his desire to acquire Greenland or Iceland, as you said, as he referred to it. The speech did not go over very well. He insulted and threatened our NATO allies even though the White House was saying it was great. I think most people did not think so. But let's listen very quickly to give him a moment.

[Scott Galloway]

So we want a piece of ice for world protection and they won't give it.

[Kara Swisher]

We've never asked for anything else and.

[Scott Galloway]

We could have kept that piece of land and we didn't. So they have a choice. You can say yes and we will be very appreciative or you can say no and we will remember.

[Kara Swisher]

It reminds me of my four year old Saul when he didn't get the correct.

[Scott Galloway]

Like a mob boss, isn't it?

[Kara Swisher]

I know, I know, but it sounds like a toddler, actually. When Saul didn't get the hot wheels he wanted. Trump also wasn't thrilled with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Ed, who gave a, quote, speech at Davos Tuesday talking about the Russ rupture in the world order. This was a speech to remember. It was so beautifully delivered. This guy is really top level in terms of delivering a speech. Let's listen to what he said.

[Scott Galloway]

We have a recognition of what's happening and a determination to act accordingly. We understand that this rupture calls for more than adaptation, it calls for honesty about the world as it is. We are taking the sign out of the window. We know the old order is not coming back. We shouldn't mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy. But we believe that from the fracture, we can build something bigger, better, stronger, more, just. This is the task of the middle powers. The countries that have the most to lose from a world of fortresses and most to gain from genuine cooperation.

[Kara Swisher]

Smart, not pearl clutching, not victiming. Carty warned that the middle powers. It sounds like the Middle Kingdom must act together because, quote, if we're not at the table, we're on the menu. He's absolutely right. Contrast the two speeches. And by the way, Trump sent the world markets on a rollercoaster the last few days as global stocks plunged early this week following Trump threatening to slap tariffs on Europe, which he didn't. The markets rallied once he pulled back. So talk a little bit about these two speeches and the impacts on the markets.

[Scott Galloway]

Right. I think you summarize it. Carney gave the speech to the conference and supposedly he wrote it himself. I mean, there's so many great lines in there. Nostalgia is not a strategy. This isn't a transformation, it's a rupture. And one of the call signs, I think, for great leadership is forceful yet dignified. And he was all of that. And of course, he tweaked Trump and Trump mentioned his speech. Trump just, you know, he. He just came across as brambling and offensive for no reason. And the general vibe here is that the Europeans, not with Americans, I still think they want to work with American companies.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, I would agree.

[Scott Galloway]

But with the American administration, they're just sort of fed up. They're just like, okay, we're just sort of done with these guys. And Howard Lutnick, I don't know if you heard this. Howard Lutnick was heckled at a dinner. And these aren't. These are protesters with blue hair holding signs. These are very polite. These are state leaders who went to Swiss boarding schools into, you know, Dalton and eat with the right fork. And they just listen to this guy talk about how globalization has not worked and we've been taking advantage of. It's like, okay, boss, we sell in the highest margin products in the world to these trading partners. They sell in lower margin products. We have grown our economy faster than any economy in the world, with maybe exception of China, over the last 20 or 30 years. Come again? Why has globalization been bad for us? He just comes across as an ass.

[Kara Swisher]

He's a moron He's a, you know, he never was a high level person on Wall Street. Like a Besson. Besson wasn't the highest level, but he certainly was up there. But they both come off like morons. Just morons. And that's the word I think of every time he opens his mouth. And, you know, he's such a thirsty fuck. That's really the. Anyway, so when are you coming back? How long? How long are you going?

[Scott Galloway]

I was supposed to come home tomorrow. I'm going to come out tonight. I'm going to peace out. Davos feels like Vegas for me in the sense that it was great for two days and now I just can't wait to get. Get out of here.

[Kara Swisher]

You look like that at the beginning. I like your videos, though. They're nice. They're lovely.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, I just, you know, I'm not raising money. I'm not running for office. Like, why am I here?

[Kara Swisher]

Why am I here? Why are you there? Why aren't you?

[Scott Galloway]

Well, you know why? Because Larry Fink called me and said, I want you to come. So you come. And I mean, I met with the president of NYU today, the Chancellor of Berkeley. I have a lot of friends here.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, yeah, you get to see people.

[Scott Galloway]

You know, it's nice. I'd rather be at home doing podcasts and hanging out with my boys. And I'm finally getting to the point where it's like, okay, where am I? I'm really trying to be more purposeful.

[Kara Swisher]

Well, it's. You know what, it's good that you went. So you understand that this is like going to the island of, you know, donkeys that Pinocchio went to. Now, you know, now you know, that's.

[Scott Galloway]

Not the island I thought you were going to reference, but I'll stick with it.

[Kara Swisher]

And by the way, again, it's been a month since they were supposed to release the Epstein files, and we're going to keep a ticker on that one because they're violating the law, but, you know, nothing.

[Scott Galloway]

What is your perception of it as an outsider? Sometimes it's hard to read the label from inside of the bottle.

[Kara Swisher]

Honestly. There's all manner of nonsense going on and really violent nonsense, most portrayed by largely a government going into houses whenever they feel like it. There was one photo that I actually was with my mom last night and I put on cnn because I happened to be on CNN talking about Darius.

[Scott Galloway]

The guy in the bathroom.

[Kara Swisher]

Yes, the guy. Not the bathrobe. No, no, yes, that too. But There was like 10 ICE officers in front of a small house, looked like a very lovely house. There was no criminals inside. Each of them with an AK47, like, mushed up near the front of the door. And my mom was like, what are they doing? And I was like, oh, there's one illegal, possible illegal immigrant in there. And she goes, why do they need 10 guns? I'm like, that's an excellent question, Lucky. So I think, you know, I think that's, you're seeing a lot of visuals like that, a lot of gas being put out. And then that tiny Bovino, the guy who's running it there, who is there, was the best thread of all time, I think, where it said, you know, he looks like, they look like they drive a Subaru. And so he's just, he's just a cheap, he looks like a ridiculous, tiny little man. Okay, Scott, let's go on a quick break. When we come back, we'll talk about the revelation that Shocker Doge misused Social Security data, which we told you they would. Support for this show, comes from Dell. Every great idea deserves the power to bring it to life. Meet the all new Dell XPS laptop. The perfect combination of style, power and performance designed to elevate everything you do with this modern, ultra thin design. It's as stunning as it is functional. And the battery, it's built to last all day long. From the first sip of coffee to your evening wind down without missing a beat, the Infinity Edge display captivates with vibrant colors and crystal clear detail, pulling you into an immersive experience whether you're working or streaming. And when it comes to performance, the XPS doesn't just keep up. It leads the way whether you're tackling your biggest projects or bringing your creative vision to life. It's built for editing photos, mixing tracks, and designing masterpieces. Powered by the Series 3 Intel Core Ultra processors, the XPS gives you the freedom to create without limits all day long. The Dell XPS proves there's no need for compromise. Style, power and reliability come together in one expertly crafted machine. Check out the all new dell [e-mail] xps.

[Scott Galloway]

Support for the show comes from ShipStation. Growth is good, but it also brings new business challenges. For example, it can get tougher and tougher to fulfill orders. That is, unless you have shipstation by your side. Shipstation's intelligence driven platforms brings everything you need to get orders to customers in one place. That includes order management, rate shopping, inventory and returns, warehouse systems, and comprehensive analytics. And that means that instead of five to seven disconnected tools you've got one. Shipstation says they can save customers 15 hours per week on fulfillment. And they also do the legwork of comparing rates across all major global carriers, finding you the best shipping options on every order. If you already have negotiated carrier rates, just bring them over so you can keep your discounts while adding ShipStation's automation and intelligent features to make things even smoother. One million businesses have trusted ShipStation. You can join them and try ShipStation for free for 60 days with full access to all features. No credit card needed. Go to shipstation.com and use code pivot for 60 days for free. 60 days gives you plenty of time to see exactly how much time and money you're saving on every shipment. That's shipstation.com code pivot shipstation.com code pivot.

[Kara Swisher]

Support for this show comes from Vanta. Customer trust can make or break your business. And the more your business grows, the more complex your security and compliance tools get. It can turn into chaos. And chaos isn't a security strategy. That's where Vanta comes in. Think of Vanta as your always on AI powered security expert who scales with you. Vanta automates compliance, continuously monitors your controls and gives you a single source of truth for compliance and risk. So whether you're a fast growing startup like Cursor or an enterprise like Snowflake, Vanta fits easily into your existing workflows so you can keep growing a company your customers can trust. Get [e-mail] pivot that's V A N-T A.com pivot vanta.com pivot. Scott we're back with more news. Doge employees shared Social Security data, according to court filings. The filings show that the political advocacy group contacted members of the Doge Social Security team asking for an analysis of state voter rolls. One of the employees signed an agreement with the group who aimed to, quote, find evidence of voter fraud and overturn election results in certain states. No accountability. This is something we talked about on Pivot saying this is probably exactly what's happening. It's very dangerous. This data is being show who knows what else. And I think at some point we will find out exactly what was taken and misused. And speaking of Doge, Elon has dropped $10 million in support of a pro Trump Republican, Kentucky Senate candidate Nate Morris, who's running to succeed retiring old person Mitch McConnell. You know he's trying to do this, he tried to do it in Wisconsin. So I don't know what you think about the DOGE thing. I think it's just, of course, this is what they did and hopefully they will be prosecuted.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, I just. I just want to backtrack for a second to ice, because, well, we're going.

[Kara Swisher]

To get to ICE in a second. We're going to have a whole section on ice, but go ahead.

[Scott Galloway]

In terms of Doge, like you called this, you don't give your. I'm much more promiscuous with my data than you, and you said I would never give them my data. But unfortunately, the Social Security agents, you have to give them your data. I mean, the government. Yeah, the government knows your HIV status.

[Kara Swisher]

Yep, exactly.

[Scott Galloway]

You know, the government knows how much money you have, what you do with your money, who you send it to. You know, they have kind of access to pretty much everything.

[Kara Swisher]

Unique data that they need for these LLMs, by the way. Unique data.

[Scott Galloway]

And I don't. I actually believe in the government's right to collect data, but I think you have to match that with really stringent laws that if you're going to violate that privacy, it has to be under threat of, like, domestic, you know, terrorism or something.

[Kara Swisher]

Well, they had no accountability here.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, yeah, nothing's going to happen. Right.

[Kara Swisher]

So I don't think so. I don't believe that. I think we are going to. There's going to be a forensics on this later and we're going to understand, not fully, but what they did here. And I do know of tech people taking account of what happened in cryptocurrency, what's happening here, and at some point there will be a reckoning.

[Scott Galloway]

But do you think people will be punished for this?

[Kara Swisher]

I don't know. I don't think Elon Musk will necessarily be. Unless there's signs of take the stuff and run, I suppose, but he's just barreling on. Even though Tesla sales, or cybertruck sales, they sold 20,000 last year, they're supposed to sell 250,000. I can't believe they sold 20,000. But he keeps rolling on. I think he'll keep rolling on because he can collect money for Grok or he'll keep doing. I just did a show today on See Sam, which is essentially child pornography. And he'll just keep rolling on, even though it's shameful. What's happening? The other thing. Netflix has officially updated its Warner Brothers offer to an all cash deal, replacing the original cash and stock structure. The latest agreement reduces the amount of debt put on Warner's spinoff Discovery Global by $260 million. The two companies say the New structure should Warner shareholders to vote on the deal by April. But at the same time, Netflix narrowly beat Wall street expectations in its latest earnings. The company posted $2.4 billion in fourth quarter profit, up 29% over the year. But the growth is slowing. Revenue is projected to grow only about 13% this year compared to 16% last year. It's still working well. Netflix shares hit a 52 week low during the trading this week, which is why they went to all stock. I think it's just a matter of price with this Warner Brothers deal. It looks like Netflix has the inside edge at this moment, but I don't know. Any thoughts?

[Scott Galloway]

Well, they continue. The expectations are so huge. Even though the revenue and earnings topped estimates up 18 and 31% year on year respectively. The stock's been down and they're at a third of a billion paid global subscribers. There are a few takeaways from the year. The content spend ratio is almost less than it's ever been, which is good for shareholders.

[Kara Swisher]

You have noted that.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, in 2015, Netflix spent 85 cents per $1 of revenue. Right now they're spending 38 cents, a 55% decrease. Which says, all right, we're going to dominate the market. We're going to take advantage of our cheap capital, overspend on content, no one can keep up with us. Then we're going to aggregate an unprecedented number of paid subscribers and we're going to let revenue continue to grow and hold our spending flat. It's a great strategy. Some people would argue it's predatory pricing. The advertising business, still not a big business. I've always been against it. This year accounted for 3% of Netflix total revenue, despite the fact that advertising revenues are up two and a half fold from 2024. I think it's bad for the brand, but it's probably very high margin in terms of watch time. As a share of television watch time, Netflix is sitting at 9% while YouTube is at 12.7. A combined Netflix Warner Brothers entity would garner or register about 10.4% of all watch time.

[Kara Swisher]

So still under YouTube.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, it's much more prec. Like all watch time is not created equal. Right. Because just like HBO watch time is very impactful and cultural, it just, you know, watching Keeping up with the Kardashians. No one's going to be at the Academy Awards from that anyways. But those two, they're kind of Genghis and Kong and then the seven dwarves. So if they're number two at 10.4 would be the number three, Disney is at just 4.7. Yeah, so. And I've said this. I like Ted Sarandos a lot. I'm not a huge fan. I don't know. I'm sort of neutral on the Allisons. I don't know him. I'm a huge fan of Ted Sarandos. I would rather see Paramount own this for any other reason than I think we just need more bulking up of competitors.

[Kara Swisher]

That's what a lot of people think. Yeah. I just think they're terrible owners.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, you just don't. I can understand that viewpoint. You trust Ted more than you trust the Ellisons. I get that.

[Kara Swisher]

I just. Here's what I think. You know, a lot of people are making a lot of noise in Hollywood about like, oh, he's against theaters. And Dave will see. Dave is not capable of saving it for one the theatrical experience. And to me, I'm a consumer person. Consumers, if they wanted to go to the theater, they'd go to the fucking theater. And they don't. They go to the theater when they want to. And the theater experience is declined because of theaters, not because of consumers and not because of Ted Sarando. So blaming him for that is just. He's just doing his. He's just following the trends. And consumers have spoken. No rich Ellison person is going to save it. I don't care how many, you know, James Camerons or Gris. No, if you make movies that people want to see in the theaters, they will. That's it. And so I'm not going to put that on him. I'm just not. It's his business to do what is best for his business.

[Scott Galloway]

And so that's just My Carney summarized it and it's apropos here. Nostalgia is not a strategy, Right?

[Kara Swisher]

Exactly.

[Scott Galloway]

And show me a director claiming how it's all collective. We need to go to movies. I'm going to show you someone who gets every Academy Award film in his screening room link sent to him and watches it in his home theater. You want an interesting stat. And also, what is a theater? What isn't my 15 year old best theater experience of recent memory. He called me. He could not have been more excited. He went and watched the final of Stranger Things in a theater.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, sure, if you watch, it's your up to your seat.

[Scott Galloway]

It was just amazing. He was just totally blown away by it. Here's a fun stat. Since the first bids were due for Warner Brothers, Netflix stock is down 20%. That's an enormous shedding. And the reality Asphalt de Motorhin's shown only one in three acquisitions ever pay off for shareholders.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, this one's probably a good one for them from the content perspective. They would be able to take advantage of all those things.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, at what price, though? That's. That's right. At some point. At some point everything's a good deal and at some point everything's a bad deal. And this is also the thing about Netflix is they have. And the reason why Apple has been very disciplined and not that acquisitive. Netflix has an outstanding culture. I got that. Did you get that deck Netflix?

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

I mean, Ted doesn't know. I should tell Ted this. Ted and Reid kind of changed my approach to business. I used to think of compensation as I want to pay people as little as possible, give them equity and create a nice environment and try and generate profits. Ultimately I can sell it and then everyone is happy because they have equity. But I was always trying to constantly, I don't say underpay. Yeah, underpay. I was always trying to find ways where I could pay less than markets such that I could have a cash flow positive company. Some of that was out of necessity because a lot of these companies have bootstrapped. Netflix had that document that leaked about their culture.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, it didn't leak.

[Scott Galloway]

And a key component of their culture is they say we want exceptionally well compensated employees. But now it's totally switched my mind around compensation. I mean, granted, I'm in a different position now and I can monetize other things, but I try to pay people between 30 and 50% more of the market. And what I find is, well, one, if you have the money, it's a good thing to do and stop bitching about income inequality and live up to it. And two, it's like such a luxury because when you pay people really well, I won't say overcompensate. You have no churn. And it just is so much. It's so nice not to get a call on a Friday. And I'm hexing myself from one of your key employees, managing.

[Kara Swisher]

I'll be calling you on Friday and.

[Scott Galloway]

Saying, oh, I'm giving my, you know, two weeks note. Oh, fuck.

[Kara Swisher]

Anyway, expect that call on Friday from me. Okay.

[Scott Galloway]

Really?

[Kara Swisher]

I'll be calling.

[Scott Galloway]

No, you're going to semaphore.

[Kara Swisher]

No, I'm not.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, you're going to. She knows media.

[Kara Swisher]

As if you're going to.

[Scott Galloway]

She knows.

[Kara Swisher]

No, you know, it's interesting what'll happen here. I think what it'll be is how much is that stub is worth that extra part and comparing them. And it'll come down to money, as we've said again and again and again. I do think Netflix is the superior buyer, largely because I think Paramount has to buy something. That is absolutely true. And if they were better owners, I might be more amenable to it. But I find what they're doing over at cbs, even though it's a small little thing, is soiling themselves on a daily. So even though small decisions are bad, so I don't expect good decisions from them. That's the last thing in media. The FCC says daytime and nighttime talk shows aren't automatically exempt from the political equal time rule anymore. That means if they host a candidate, they may have to offer equal airtime to opposing candidates. Talk shows have previously qualified for an exemption to the rule for like ever. It's clearly aimed at late night hosts like Colbert and Kimmel, maybe Jon Stewart, although Jon Stewart has more different people on. But this is ridiculous. This is Brandon Carr, that thirsty Cho, doing it again. I mean, it's the same thing. He failed last time by threatening them. And this is a threat, I suppose. Whatever.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, I actually like this law, but this is an abuse of it. I think it's a good law that you try and give people equal time such that one party doesn't weaponize the media. But this is just an abuse of it. And I think where it'll come back to haunt them and why this will go nowhere is someone's going to say, well, what about ambition talk radio, which is dominated by Republicans.

[Kara Swisher]

Correct. That is great.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah. And what is, what is TV and what is radio when now radio and podcasts are now TV shows just sort of lower means of production. So I don't think this is going to hold the test of any sort of legal test that their buddies over at News Corps or Sirius Radio or whoever it is are going to want. Okay, you set this precedent. We're all, we're all in the line of fire.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, bring over the lesbian Kara Swisher over to Newsmax. Whatever. Oh, if I'd talked, I would talk to my pillow lady who's getting ratioed by Ilhan Omar every day. I'd talk to her. I would just to just do the same thing. But yeah, it's ridiculous. It's aimed at Colbert and Kimmer and they'll just have Marjorie T. Green on Fine, Brandon, you piece of shit. Anyway, anyhow, let's go on a quick break. When we come back, we'll talk about the latest in Minnesota by the way. Brandon Carr I'm going to be following you after you're out of office. Just so you know, I'll be watching you. Foreign. Show comes from Select Quote Time for some life talk. Specifically life insurance. If you have policy right now, do you know how much you're paying for it and for how much you're being covered? Odds are you pay too much for too little. And sure, it's not the easiest conversation to have. Frankly, it's scary to think about, but it's simple to get right. Thanks to some Selectquote for over 40 years, Selectquote has been one of the most trusted brokers in insurance, helping More than 2 million Americans secure over $700 billion in coverage. Their mission is simple to find you the right insurance policy for your unique needs. They shop, you save. No medical exam. No problem. They partner with providers offering same day coverage up to $2 million without needing to visit your doctor. When you work with Selectquote, a licensed insurance agent will call you right away with a policy for your life and your budget. Get the right life insurance for you for less and save more than [e-mail] pivot save more than 50% on term life [e-mail] pivot today to get started, that's SelectQuote.com pivot.

[Scott Galloway]

Support for the show comes from Mint Mobile. After all the holiday travels and gift giving, you might be feeling like you have a spending hangover. Luckily for you, you Mint Mobile can help you cut back on some of your overspending. This January, you can get 50% off an unlimited premium wireless plan. Cut out Big Wireless's bloated plan and unnecessary monthly charges with 50% off 3, 6 or 12 months of unlimited. All plans come with high speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation's largest 5G network. You can even use your own phone and keep your phone number along with all your existing contacts. Mint Mobile's end of year sale is still going on, but only until the end of the month. Month this January quit overspending on Wireless with 50% off unlimited premium wireless plans start at $15 a month at mintmobile.com pivot that's mintmobile.com pivot Limited time offer upfront payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for 12 months. Plan required for $15 a month. Equivalent taxes and fees Extra initial plan term Only more than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy and capable device required Availability, speed and coverage via jerrysinbitmobile.com.

[Kara Swisher]

Support for the show comes from Indeed. Hiring isn't just about finding someone willing to take the job. It's about connecting with someone who can move your business forward. For that, check out Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Indeed Sponsored Jobs boosts your job post for quality candidates so you can reach people that can help your business thrive. People are finding quality hires on Indeed right now as we speak. In the minute I've been Talking to you, 27 hires were made on Indeed according to Indeed data worldwide. Join the 3.3 million employers worldwide that use Indeed to connect with quality talent that fits their needs. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. Now with Indeed Sponsored Jobs and listeners to this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves. And@inn Indeed.com pivot just go to Indeed.com pivot right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com pivot terms and conditions apply. Hiring do the Right Way with Indeed. Scott we're back with more news. Federal officials launch what they're calling Operation Catch of the Day with ice. Oh God, they're so awful. With ICE officers targeting Somali communities, JD Vance is expected to visit Minneapolis as we tape as a show of support to federal immigration enforcement operations there. Oh yeah, yeah. ICE agents in Minnesota have detained at least four kids from the same school district this month, including a five year old boy in order to catch his parents. Tensions are already running high following the Renee Good shooting. There was a release of her autopsy. It looks like he shot well after he had to through the head. The first two shots were, were not great, but they didn't kill her. The third one did so he didn't have to shoot her. Hundreds of Minnesota businesses are planning to shut down Friday in protest of ICE activity in the state. I happen to be interviewing Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry today, so I'll hear the latest. Where do we go from here?

[Scott Galloway]

Well, the thing that struck me, I don't know if you saw this, but the best argument I think around the Second Amendment or protection of the Second Amendment, even in the face of the original, you know, the original authors or the original founders could not have conceived of what these weapons would do right now is that every time we have people know where guns are, it's been used to the Nazis when they rolled into a place, just went and found where the guns were registered, took the guns away and then Nazis showed up and had There was no ability for civilians to push back. Okay, so we have guns everywhere. We have a mass police force showing up. Where are the people with the guns? And the answer is they've started showing up in Minnesota and that is there are some neighborhoods, have you seen this? Where people are outside on patrols with guns saying, sorry, don't come to my neighborhood. I'm not endorsing this. I think it's, you know, fascism can come from the far right or the far left. But this does feel like they're risking and like they're begging for or prompting for pretty serious violence and an excuse to start firing on civilians. I think, quite frankly, Minnesota leadership looks weak here. I just would have, I don't, I feel sorry for them. They're flat footed. I don't know how they respond. But if, if what do they do?

[Kara Swisher]

They're abusing citizens. What can they do resist? These, these people have enormous firepower.

[Scott Galloway]

I'm not suggesting they show up with zip ties and boulevards. I just, I quite frankly care. I, I think Governor Wallace looks really weak here.

[Kara Swisher]

Okay, again, you're focused on you to focus on people.

[Scott Galloway]

It's not actually both sides to be.

[Kara Swisher]

A critical thinker, but a critical thinker would say what is happening with the people that actually have the guns and are abusing their, the government power. I'd like your thoughts on that.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, I've just said the mass police reminds people the Stasi. I think it's horrible. And I think that Democratic senators should write up, basically make it clear we're coming for you and the statute of limitations does not expire for these types of crimes. Having said that, I don't, I feel like no one is really stepping into the void of kind of leadership here and standing up and saying, all right. I mean, and I empathize with them. I'm not sure what I would do. I don't know how you handle this situation. I gotta be honest. I don't think this is. I'd be very interested to see. I don't think the leadership of Minnesota. I'm sympathetic in an impossible position.

[Kara Swisher]

They've been very vocal. They've been very, they've been very.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, the mayor has been. That's a good example. I think that's a fair point.

[Kara Swisher]

So has the Senator Tina Smith. So has Senator Klobuchar. I feel like you're not. They are.

[Scott Galloway]

What has Senator Klobuchar say?

[Kara Swisher]

It's been all over. Talking about, we're gonna come back when this is over. We want to tamp down the violence. At the same time, this over abuse of power. They're saying the things you want. I just. These people have impunity. They just don't stop. If you, you know, and I think the question is the only way to stop them is to attack them, which you can't do, like you can't do. And, you know, I think the citizens of Minnesota who has. Who have that history, like decades of this kind of resistance for long, long, long, long time, are the ones showing the real bravery here. These people you see.

[Scott Galloway]

Agreed.

[Kara Swisher]

And I think.

[Scott Galloway]

But who would you. Who would you identify as, quote, unquote, the leader and pushback of resistance here? Is it the mayor of Minneapolis? Is it the senator of Klobuchar? Who is it?

[Kara Swisher]

I think a lot of the local officials being very vocal and I think judges are trying to p. I just think these people just keep going. I think they don't. I think Stephen Miller just says, okay, when they shoot a woman through the head, their next move is, yeah, now you can go into their houses, even if they're not criminals, essentially. And so I just don't know what the response is except shooting at them. And I don't. And I think that leads to a really. And that's what. That's why they've got these people. These. The government is. If you're going to behave like thugs, the only response is thuggishness. Right. That actually is effective. And then you're kind of like, let me do this on a local level. After Fox News said that gangs have deluded why moms were harassing ICE agents, Amanda and I made a funny video. But we wanted to ask someone to call in and tell us about their experiences. Let's hear one. These are average citizens. Let's hear one. Hey, Scott and Kara. My name's Annie and I'm a mom who lives in Minneapolis. I've been helping to resist ICE by driving kids to and from school every day. What we need to do is get kids. Kids to the classroom to learn. Their parents are too afraid to leave the house and too afraid to go to the bus stop. Then this is where we can step in and help. Are these the actions of a leftist terrorist group? I don't think so. I think it's just people deciding that this is the right thing to do. So if that makes me part of the Diluted Wine Moms club, then I will proudly wear it like a badge of honor. Thanks. One more. Hi, Scott and Kara. And by which I really mean Cara and Amanda. Diluted wine model. I Am the mother of a 7 year old about 25 minutes south of St. Paul and I got myself tailed by ice on Thursday. Last week. The crime I committed essentially was taking a photo of the license plate of the Florida plates on only the back of his vehicle and giving him a dirty look, which he very well deserved. About 15 minutes later, he took my picture. I took his picture. And then 15 minutes later, after picking up my child at school, I found a very large black SUV following me, very close range for five minutes. Felt like about an hour. So fun times here. These are, Scott. I mean, people are trying to do things and it reminds me a little bit of Carrie.

[Scott Galloway]

Don't put words in my mouth. You're making it sound like I don't, I don't stand behind public.

[Kara Swisher]

I know you do. Go ahead, go ahead.

[Scott Galloway]

I think what the young, the young woman who said that she is shuttling kids to school. I think the efforts to provide food to people who might be harassed by ICE so they don't have to leave their house. I, I, I, you know, I salute the people of Minneapolis doing whatever they can. I'm disappointed that there doesn't appear to be a Democratic leader standing up in Minnesota or anywhere else showing anything resembling, I mean, like we need a leader. We need somebody who is. And I get that this is a very difficult situation, but I feel as if, okay, we need somebody to, and again, I've said this before. Why do they know? Why are they violating everyone else's privacy? And someone hasn't come out and said, okay, we're smart people, we know how to use the Internet. And here are the people that we believe have committed or accomplices to murder and second degree murder in the Renee Goode case. And these are, this is the criminal prosecution papers we're planning to file which will be outside of the statute of limitations. And so on a ground level.

[Kara Swisher]

Well, Keith Ellison has said this, the Attorney general of the state. It's just, I think what you're talking about is someone like Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries. And I agree with you 100%. Newsom has certainly talked about it a lot. Josh Shapiro has talked about it a lot. Anyone you haven't heard a lot from some of the other presidential candidates, but I thought that Pritzker stood up quite a bit when they were in Chicago.

[Scott Galloway]

Every presidential candidate, I mean, I just kind of, I think every presidential candidate should be in Minneapolis right now.

[Kara Swisher]

I agree.

[Scott Galloway]

And saying, and peaceful protests, not threatening anyone physically, but, you know, just there and I Don't. This is. What's going on here is contrary to the very reason America was founded. The reason we started this experiment was we didn't want to be abused by a monarch who had no checks and no balances and no control that could just abuse citizens based on what they felt was advantageous for them or their blood sugar level. And that's what's going on here. But I'm disappointed in the Democratic Party that it strikes me. It's like it feels like there needs to be a leader here and it's not obvious to me who that is.

[Kara Swisher]

You know, back anyway, I was listening to Rachel Maddows Burn Order, which is about Japanese internment camps. And two groups of people stand out to me. One are Quakers who threw blankets and everything up over these internment camps even as the army was lying about what they were, which was, you know, which was astonishing that they did this, which, I mean, blankets. Does it end it? No, but it helps. Just like these women driving these kids, right? That is critically important for citizens to get out there even. And there's a lot of videos of just average citizens who are like, have never come out and is like, I'm sick of this shit. I love that. But one of the people that it reminds me of is this guy, Colorado Governor Ralph Carr. He opposed the intern Japanese Americans. He called it unconstitutional. He welcomed Colorado. It cost him politically. He lost because of all this anti Japanese sentiment. He thought denying rights based on ancestry was an undermining the American system. And he welcomed them. And it was unpopular and he. The downfall is political career. Now there's lots of things named after him in Colorado, but he took. It was a price. It was an absolute price for this guy. And the backlash was significant at the time. But if you think about those kind of things, you do need a political figure like this, even if at great cost. And you're absolutely right. And they do have to put their bodies on the line and their political reputations. But to me, this is going to be citizens going to push back here because that's out the Minnesota way. And one thing I really appreciate these moms calling in, this is the kind of stuff you need to do. None of them, they're just exercising their rights as citizens of the United States and they do not seem particularly dangerous to me. So I think that's a good thing. I'm sorry, I wasn't meaning to put words in your mouth. I just think the focus, unfortunately it's going to be on citizens going forward.

[Scott Galloway]

No. And you're right, it's clear. I have haven't registered nor paid attention to some of, you know, for example, Senator Klobuchar and what they've said. And I do empathize with like, you know, the point is, okay, what exactly do you do with people with federal government who have mandated weaponry? The whole thing is again, I'm waiting for the Democrat to say, this is who we are going after these folks. I think you are breaking laws. And if you break more laws, we're coming for you.

[Kara Swisher]

We're keeping names. We're making lists.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, we're taking names.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, I agree with you.

[Scott Galloway]

And it may take us 36 months before we can do anything, but 36 months goes fast.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, absolutely. I think it's, you know, I think it's sad for the people having to do it, but that's but they're also doing it without stopping. And I get they need money, but there's other ways to people hate them. People hate them. And that's not no way to live. One more quick break. We'll be back for predictions and Cara's wins and fails.

[Scott Galloway]

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[Kara Swisher]

At two times speed?

[Scott Galloway]

Now it can with Quick Frame AI. Mountain's all in one video ad production platform that lets anyone create studio studio quality ads for TV and social in record time. Just choose a style, enter your website, then sit back while Quick Frame AI orchestrates the best in tech to turn your vision into a video ad, you can launch on Mountain for free. Yep, free. Join the public [e-mail].

[Kara Swisher]

RFKJR HHS Secretary recently announced new Federal Dietary Guidelines. Declaring War Today our government declares war on added sugar. Also ending war.

[Scott Galloway]

We are ending the war on saturated fats.

[Kara Swisher]

In his tenure as head of hhs, RFK has ended the war on protein and declared war on ultra processed foods and on the old food pyramid.

[Scott Galloway]

You can see the food pyramid here. It's upside down. A lot of you will say, but.

[Kara Swisher]

It was actually upside down before.

[Scott Galloway]

And just write in it.

[Kara Swisher]

The Trump administration has pushed companies to eliminate food dyes and in the first bill signing of the new year says schools can now serve whole milk, whole.

[Scott Galloway]

Milk, and it's whole with a W. For those of you that have a.

[Kara Swisher]

Problem on Today Explained, the push from the top to revamp the American diet. Today Explained drops every weekday. Okay, Scott, let's hear your prediction. And then I will say my wins and fails.

[Scott Galloway]

So if there is an upside, and I would be impossible to call this an upside, but I do think that there may be some element of distraction around this Greenland shit. I won't even give them that credit. Bottom line is my prediction is that I think we're about to see the US Conduct a military strike on Iran. I think you look the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike force. By the way, none of this is confidential information. It's all been reported. The fueling tankers that basically give you like a gas station in the sky. Many of them are relocated to bases in the region. And some of that just might be okay. The region is a bit hot right now, so we want additional kinetic power there. But I think one, I think it's the right thing to do. I think we have an unbelievable opportunity here to topple a regime who's been the primary funder of terror and the most oppressive regime maybe globally in a long time and is really deeply weakened. I interviewed Neil Ferguson yesterday, the historian for the Prof. Gpod, and I asked him, what is the likelihood the regime survives if we don't intervene in a coordinated structure strike? And he put it at 90%. He said they'll just wait it out.

[Kara Swisher]

Well, they've tamped down the protesters. They've tamped down.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, yeah, when you start killing people. Right?

[Kara Swisher]

Speaking of which.

[Scott Galloway]

And you can do the right thing for the wrong reasons. I think Trump is going to do this because I think he absolutely loved the macho Tarzan light that Venezuela provided him.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, he was jonesing for something like that. And it gets away from the Epstein files again. Again, 34 days. Turn them over, Pam. Pam, it's a law. Turn them over. Yeah, I agree with you. I think that's exactly right. I am going to do wins and fails. The Oscars weren't really seen. I'm going to do something lighter because it's been a heavy situation. Despite the fact that I really enjoy your Davos stories, I'M really. The Oscars came out a lot of great movies this year, 100%. But I was actually very heartened to see someone like Kate Hudson get an Oscar nomination. I think she's.

[Scott Galloway]

What's she been nominated for?

[Kara Swisher]

For song. Song.

[Scott Galloway]

You like that? That's supposed to be a cute movie.

[Kara Swisher]

Delightful movie. I don't think she'll win. Pro Jessie Buckley from Hamnet. There's a bunch of others who are probably more actory, but I think she's a hardworking. You know, she's the daughter, obviously, Goldie Hawn, but she's done some amazing work and. Including comedy, more serious stuff. Almost Famous.

[Scott Galloway]

Almost Famous or Absolute Famous. What was that called?

[Kara Swisher]

Almost Famous. Almost Famous. Cameron Crow. She was wonderful in that movie. But I think she's a hardworking. And she's in a Netflix series. I like a lot about the LA Lakers, essentially. And she's. She. I took, as I said, I took my wife Amanda, who was like, oh, Kate Hudson. And then she came out. She go, that was an astonishing acting. I was not expecting how layered and good that was. And so anyway, so she was. I just feel good for her. Good for her to get in there. I doubt she'll win, but I think it's a nice job. You should see the movie. If you feel bad, go see that movie. It's sort of like heated rivalry. You feel bad, watch it. And then I'm just gonna do two wins. Again with the heated rivalry. One of the funniest things happening on the Internet, this is not a new thing. Are people acting out scenes from heated rivalry in public and putting them. And they are so funny. They are so. They made me laugh my ass off. There was one where the two guys were doing it in the DMV in front of this woman and she was just watching the whole thing. And it just the feeling. One of the things that was really interesting is Esther Perel talked about the reason people like Hido Ravu, which is sort of the media of the moment, really. And it's because she was saying that it makes you feel better about the outcome that you're expecting the hit and you don't get the hit. You get the right response from people and it retrains you to think everybody not evil, essentially. Like I. I know as a gay person watching it, like I was waiting for someone to get beaten up. I was waiting for some rejection or some ugliness. And it. All the answers are good. And so I. I'm gonna go watch it a second time because I was just Sitting there waiting for the bad news as a gay person, because it always comes in those depictions and in life. So it was not as much anymore, but in definitely in my younger life. So I, I, I just thought that was great. That was great, too. I'm gonna do two wins. I don't have a finger.

[Scott Galloway]

I know. I don't even see movies anymore. I already know who's gonna win the Oscar.

[Kara Swisher]

Who?

[Scott Galloway]

Well, you just tell me which film has the following.

[Kara Swisher]

What?

[Scott Galloway]

It's a quote unquote brave film, which means. Which is Latin for it has sad people, foreign accents, subtitles. Or it's a biopic where someone discovers racism in the third act. Which movie is that?

[Kara Swisher]

Is it him, then? No.

[Scott Galloway]

I don't know.

[Kara Swisher]

One battle after another.

[Scott Galloway]

I don't know. I really don't know.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, no, they're all very good movies. They're all. These are not. These movies that are being nominated are terrific, actually.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah. And all these actors claim they hate sequels unless it's the same movie about Hollywood loving itself, which they remake every year.

[Kara Swisher]

I wish Sinners would win, but I don't think it will.

[Scott Galloway]

Is that a good film? You like that?

[Kara Swisher]

Yes, Yes. I love that movie. I thought it was great. And I wish I. You know, actually, when I was looking at the nominations, I was like, and I don't think that show matters anymore. Or those, not the Oscars necessarily matter, but they're all good. I was like, oh, I'd have a hard time picking here every one of the actors. Terrific. Supporting. The only thing that has to win is golden from K Pop Demon Hunters. Thank you. That was the only thing I would have to say. Song of the year. And again, a happy song. I'm going to leave on a happy note. That's what I'm doing. I'm not going to talk about other things like that. Anyway, we want to hear from you. Send us your questions about business, tech, or whatever's on your mind. Go to nymag.com pivot to submit a question for the show or call 855-51-PIVOT. Scott, you also got a shout out from Michelle Obama on Call Her Daddy podcast. It's such a combination. Call her daddy and Michelle Obama. As someone who's done important work on how social media is affecting children, people should go check that episode out. Congratulations. It was very lovely to hear that. I have a lot of people writing me about you. Meanwhile, Kara Swisher is getting some accolades of her own. Let's play a voicemail I got this week on my phone. If this is Karen's Kara Swisher's number, I just wanted to relay that she's a fucking piece of shit.

[Scott Galloway]

That's it.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, thank you for that. That's it?

[Scott Galloway]

What for?

[Kara Swisher]

Please call back and tell me what it's for. I really appreciate that. Oh, my God. It's not a number.

[Scott Galloway]

What did you do today?

[Kara Swisher]

I don't know. I don't know. You have Michelle Obama. Trauma's petting you all over the place, saying you're wonderful. I get this. I'm a piece of shit.

[Scott Galloway]

So just. Anyway, that pisses me off because guess what? You know who doesn't get voicemails like that?

[Kara Swisher]

What?

[Scott Galloway]

Men.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, they don't.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, they don't.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, I get them all the time. Usually from men, actually. Usually from men. But this is a woman.

[Scott Galloway]

I don't know. Misogyny is sort of a universal practice. It's not limited. I, I, it's probably unfair to call her misogynist. Maybe she feels wrong by you or whatever, but I'm not exaggerating. I get a lot of shit posting online. No one ever calls me any.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, I get it all the time.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, and there's just a different level of. Anyways, I don't know.

[Kara Swisher]

I did seriously think it was my mother at first.

[Scott Galloway]

That's lucky on Mother's Day.

[Kara Swisher]

By the way, our producers are. So they can call and leave you a message if you're feeling left out.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, no, I have to. I like to pay people to leave those kinds of messages for me.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, I know. Well, I just wanted to play it because, you know, lady, if you're gonna leave me a fucking asshole message, I'm playing it and using it as content. And also say, why but fuck you like, anyway. I don't really care. 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 next week. Scott. Michelle Obama loves you. Read us out.

[Scott Galloway]

Today's show is produced by Lara Naiman Zoe Marcus, Taylor Griffin and Christine Driscoll. Additional assistance from Kate Gallagher and Brad Sylvester, Ernie and this episode. Manolo Moreno edited the video. Thanks also to Drew Bros, Mia Silvero and Dan Shalon, Nishakura's Vox Media, 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 next week for another breakdown of all things tech and business.