Elon's Ultimatum, Trump's Military Purge, and Amazon's 007 Deal

Summary

Podcast Summary: Pivot Episode: Elon's Ultimatum, Trump's Military Purge, and Amazon's 007 Deal
Release Date: February 25, 2025
Hosts: Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway

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Introduction & Overview

In this episode of Pivot, hosts Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway dive into a whirlwind of pressing issues dominating the tech, business, and political landscapes. From Elon Musk's controversial maneuvers to President Trump's latest military shake-ups and Amazon's surprising acquisition in the James Bond franchise, the conversation is both sharp and unfiltered.

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Elon Musk's Latest Ultimatum

Key Discussion Points:

• Federal Employees Under Scrutiny: Elon Musk has issued a directive on X (formerly Twitter) mandating federal employees to report their weekly accomplishments or face potential consequences. This move echoes his aggressive management style seen in his various enterprises.

• Resistance from FBI Leadership: FBI Director Kash Patel and other agency heads are pushing back against Musk's directive, questioning its legitimacy and authority.

Notable Quotes:

• Kara Swisher [08:15]: "Elon's warning on X that not responding to his email would be seen as a resignation is absurd. He has no jurisdiction over federal employees."

• Scott Galloway [09:20]: "This is a clear misdirection. While Musk talks about minor savings from Dogecoin, he's actually diverting attention from a staggering $900 billion annual increase in the deficit."

Humorous Takeaways:

• A Threads user humorously imagines Elon's accomplishment list, highlighting Musk's perceived erratic behavior: "1. Took too much ketamine. 2. Danced on stage with a chainsaw..."

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Trump's Military Purge & Political Maneuvers

Key Discussion Points:

• Dismissal of Senior Military Officials: President Trump has fired the country's senior military officer, General C.Q. Brown, along with five other Pentagon officials. This purge is part of his broader strategy to install loyalists within the military hierarchy.

• Impact on International Relations: The episode touches on Trump's stance towards Russia and Ukraine, expressing concern over the U.S. appearing to side with Moscow-friendly nations.

Notable Quotes:

• Kara Swisher [28:32]: "Trump's actions in the Pentagon are not just changes in leadership; they're undermining the very structure that has kept our democracy intact."

• Scott Galloway [31:15]: "It's baffling that the U.S. would pressure its own military leaders to align with such flawed international policies. This is a direct threat to our alliances and global standing."

Analytical Insights:

• Character Assessment: Galloway emphasizes the importance of character in leadership, criticizing Trump for his approach to governance and military management.

• Historical Context: Drawing parallels to past administrations, Galloway warns against the intertwining of corporate power and state control, referencing Hitler's manipulation of corporations.

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Amazon Takes Over James Bond Franchise

Key Discussion Points:

• Creative Control Shift: Amazon has secured creative control over the James Bond franchise through a joint venture with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.

• Future of Bond Movies: With Amazon's acquisition, the direction and future of Bond films are uncertain, sparking discussions about potential casting choices.

Notable Quotes:

• Kara Swisher [37:29]: "Amazon gaining creative control over James Bond is monumental. These films have a legacy, and it's unclear how Amazon will navigate that."

• Scott Galloway [38:08]: "If I were to cast Bond now, I'd consider Tom Hardy or Taylor Kitsch. But there's also a strong case for Idris Elba, despite the age factor."

Host Opinions:

• Kara Swisher: Expresses personal attachment to the Bond franchise, lamenting the uncertainty around the new direction and potential casting.

• Scott Galloway: Discusses the strategic choices Amazon might make, highlighting the importance of maintaining Bond's legacy while infusing fresh talent.

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Mark Zuckerberg's Declining Popularity

Key Discussion Points:

• Unfavorable Public Perception: A Pew study reveals that 67% of U.S. adults dislike Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, with opposition crossing party lines.

• Comparison with Elon Musk: Unlike Musk, who retains some favor among Republicans, Zuckerberg's unpopularity is widespread across both major political parties.

Notable Quotes:

• Scott Galloway [39:56]: "Mark Zuckerberg's relentless pursuit of personal likability is backfiring. Instead of being a silent innovator, he's become a polarizing figure."

• Kara Swisher [42:00]: "Mark should stop threading. He needs to step back and let his work speak for itself. His attempt to be relatable is wilting his image."

Analytical Insights:

• Brand Management: Galloway contrasts Zuckerberg's struggles with other tech leaders like Tim Cook and Satya Nadella, who have successfully managed their public personas.

• Impact on Meta: The negative perception of Zuckerberg could have long-term repercussions on Meta's brand and operational effectiveness.

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Stock Market Concerns Amid Political Unrest

Key Discussion Points:

• Market Downturn: The Dow experienced its worst week since October, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq struggling due to declining consumer sentiment and fears of increased tariffs under Trump.

• Warren Buffett's Market Metrics: Galloway references Buffett's metric of market cap relative to GDP, noting it stands around 190%, indicating a potentially overvalued market.

Notable Quotes:

• Scott Galloway [26:03]: "With the market cap to GDP ratio at 190%, we're in overbought territory. This frothy market doesn't look sustainable."

• Kara Swisher [27:39]: "I just don't look. Diversification and long-term holding have been my strategies to navigate these volatile times."

Investment Advice:

• Scott Galloway: Emphasizes the difficulty of timing the market and advises maintaining diversification while potentially keeping some cash on the sidelines for opportunities.

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Demographics and Social Issues: The Impact of Leadership

Key Discussion Points:

• Role Models and Youth Development: Galloway discusses the critical impact of male role models on young men, citing Elon Musk's pattern of disengagement and its detrimental effects.

• Single-Parent Households: The conversation highlights research indicating that boys in single-parent households, especially without a male figure, face higher risks of incarceration, addiction, and mental health issues.

Notable Quotes:

• Scott Galloway [19:56]: "The absence of a male role model in a boy's life is a single point of failure that can lead to a cascade of negative outcomes."

• Kara Swisher [21:48]: "Two loving parents are essential, and when that's not possible, community structures like churches or Boy Scouts can provide crucial support."

Social Commentary:

• Character and Responsibility: Galloway and Swisher critique public figures like Musk for their lack of accountability and the broader societal implications of such behavior on youth.

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Closing Thoughts & Calls to Action

In wrapping up, Swisher and Galloway reiterate their concerns about the intertwining of corporate power with political agendas, the importance of character in leadership, and the need for accountable governance. They encourage listeners to engage with the topics discussed and share their perspectives.

Notable Quotes:

• Scott Galloway [54:47]: "It's cowardice to allow corporations to be pressured into supporting autocratic regimes. We need leaders who prioritize democracy over profits."

• Kara Swisher [58:00]: "These big tech leaders are not stepping up when it matters. Their inaction is enabling a march towards fascism."

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Conclusion

This episode of Pivot offers a deep dive into the complex interplay between technology leaders, political figures, and societal issues. Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway provide incisive analysis, backed by current events and personal anecdotes, making it a must-listen for those keen on understanding the forces shaping our world.

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For more insights and detailed discussions, listen to the full episode of Pivot from New York Magazine on the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Transcript

[Kara Swisher]

Support for today's show comes from Chevrolet. Whether it's just a quick jaunt or a long journey, Chevy's all electric Equinox EV has you covered with a massive 17.7-inch diagonal touchscreen. And starting at around $34,995, you can hit the road and still afford snacks. Equinox ev, a vehicle you know a value to expect and a dealer right down the street. You can go EV without changing a thing. Learn [e-mail] Equinox EV the manufacturer's suggested retail price excludes includes tax, title, license, dealer fees and optional equipment dealer sets final price support for Pivot comes from arm. Have you ever wondered what's powering your smartphone or the other devices we interact with daily? And what lies at the heart of life saving drug discoveries and robotic surgeries? The answer is arm. ARM technology is moving the world forward, enabling AI to create a more meaningful, more connected life for everyone everywhere. ARM believes the future isn't about technology, it's about people and the possibilities technology can offer us. The future is built on ARM. You can discover more at ARM.com discover.

[Scott Galloway]

It'S a busy week in the tech world. There's a new iPhone. The most hyped gadget of 2024 is already dead and it's only February of 2025.

[Kara Swisher]

Meta is up to stuff.

[Scott Galloway]

Elon Musk is up to stuff. There's a new Alexa coming out next week. It's early in the year, but there's an awful lot going on in tech and we're talking about all of that and much more, including a lot of thoughts about speakers on the Vergecast. Wherever you get podcasts.

[Kara Swisher]

Would you give up this podcast in order to serve the Trump administration?

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, Kara, I wouldn't give up a goiter to serve in the Trump administration.

[Kara Swisher]

Hi everyone, this is Pivot from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. I'm Kara Swisher.

[Scott Galloway]

And I'm Scott Galloway.

[Kara Swisher]

Scott, I'm exhausted. And not just by Elon Musk.

[Scott Galloway]

What's up? What's going on?

[Kara Swisher]

I moved my house. I was in an apartment. I'm sitting here in the empty apartment right now and moving sucks. Scott Galloway.

[Scott Galloway]

So let me just give you a couple pro tips on moving.

[Kara Swisher]

Let your wife do it.

[Scott Galloway]

The first is you leave town.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

And the second is you give your partner, whoever's actually charged with moving, limitless funds and just say please. Just accidentally let me know when it's all done. And then I will find reason why my business trips ends. But no you should not be involved in moving.

[Kara Swisher]

I am so anal retentive. I have to. You don't understand. I have to wash everything.

[Scott Galloway]

Let go. Let it go.

[Kara Swisher]

I can't, I can't, I can't. I literally was up all last night because there's dust on everything and I'm. I'm really. People don't realize this about me. I'm highly anal retentive and so everything has to go back the right way or I can.

[Scott Galloway]

I'm not sure that's going to shock anybody. Kara, you're not.

[Kara Swisher]

You can't speak if the glass isn't in the portable.

[Scott Galloway]

It's so easy going when we know who we're not talking about.

[Kara Swisher]

I hate it, though, moving. I don't like the whole, like, all the things. It makes me want to be a Buddhist. I'm like, I would like to let go of all things.

[Scott Galloway]

I find as you get older, when you're younger, you want to acquire shit, and then as you get older, you want to dispose of it. You want to get rid of stuff.

[Kara Swisher]

I'm like, what do I have this in multiple amounts, like that kind of thing. And I just vowed I wouldn't move again, ever again. I'm just going to die. And I've decided I'm dying in this house. Like, this is where it's happening.

[Scott Galloway]

You're leaving feet first.

[Kara Swisher]

I don't know. I'm at a slow. I've got to have a theory of getting rid of all my stuff. I've got 25 plus years, essentially to get rid of everything. So I have to have a theory of getting rid of things in some fashion.

[Scott Galloway]

I do it all the time. I love it. I love purging.

[Kara Swisher]

Big purge.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah. I love having a small number of things. And I like. My happy place, if you will, is my place in Soho. And I have license to. To decorate as I want. And it's. It's like a, you know, it's a northern. An angry, depressed, northern European person who doesn't like stuff. And anything that comes in, Anything that comes in, something has to go out. If anything comes in, something has to leave. And I don't want even guests. Yeah. I just don't want stuff. I. I think it feels really peaceful and nice when there's an absence of things.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, yeah. It's still beautiful. It's still. You have nice things that are there. But I know what you mean. I. Right now, for some time, I move, I have an existential crisis. I'm like, this couch will be here After I die, like that kind of thing. I did buy a couch. It was a nice couch. You'll come? Sit. Have you ever visit my house, do you think?

[Scott Galloway]

Unlikely.

[Kara Swisher]

I have a nice guest room now.

[Scott Galloway]

I like to stay somewhere where I can call and scream. Where am I? Where's my room service?

[Kara Swisher]

Where's my room service? Well, Claire would bring you breakfast, I suppose.

[Scott Galloway]

Sounds nice. I don't stay at friends, but even when I'm at, like, families, I don't. I stay in a hotel.

[Kara Swisher]

You do.

[Scott Galloway]

I don't. I want to be able to, like, stay up till four in the morning and watch cable.

[Kara Swisher]

And you can do that? I have a TV in there. You can do whatever you want.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah. No one needs to see me walking around at 3 in the morning.

[Kara Swisher]

The lights on, as they say. Just remember, the lights on. Like, Motel 6. Best for you, Scott Galloway. Anyway, I moved my office into a new studio, which I built in my house. I moved the house and guess who's coming to Washington to live?

[Scott Galloway]

Lucky.

[Kara Swisher]

Yes, indeed.

[Scott Galloway]

That's right.

[Kara Swisher]

We're moving her in a couple of weeks.

[Scott Galloway]

We moved her into, like, the Four Seasons Retirement Home.

[Kara Swisher]

Right, Exactly. We will be so literally moving things around. Including my mother. So you think she'll appreciate it? I don't think so.

[Scott Galloway]

I have nothing to say. Yeah, I think it's great that she's going to be with you and, you know, I hope she's happy. I hope you're happy.

[Kara Swisher]

And I briefly considered moving her into your Soho place and that you wouldn't know she was there, like, in the back.

[Scott Galloway]

She might not know for a while. My building. I don't know if you've noticed. No one's ever there. It's.

[Kara Swisher]

No, it's the best building ever. It's like the ghost building, the zombie building.

[Scott Galloway]

I won't even go up in the elevator if someone's getting in the elevator. I don't want to make eye contact. I don't want to know my neighbors.

[Kara Swisher]

Interesting.

[Scott Galloway]

I don't want them to see the prostitutes I'm bringing in. I don't want any of that. I'm just like, don't make eye contact.

[Kara Swisher]

I say hi to everybody. I say, come on over when Scott's here. Scott would love to have you over for cocktails.

[Scott Galloway]

Give the doorman 1000 bucks a year for hush money. They know what's going on. A little Michael Cohen payment. A little. What happens on the second floor stays between the lobby and the third floor.

[Kara Swisher]

Okay? All right. I have enjoyed staying there. I'm Going to ask you one more favor to stay there, but I'm thinking of buying a place in New York so I can be nearer, closer to you.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, we better go to four times a week. Your expenses are about to go up.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, I know. It's true. It's true. So, zip recruiter. Yeah, I need to. Louie's graduating nyu. I'm going to need to stay there because I can't deal with a hotel.

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, is that right? Okay, I'll tell you. Send me the dates.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, we'll have a big part of it.

[Scott Galloway]

Or just show up. They let everyone up anyways.

[Kara Swisher]

They do.

[Scott Galloway]

They're like, oh, yeah, I'm not exaggerating. When I walk in there, the first thing I do is I go, hello. Cause there's a good chance someone's gonna go, oh, hey, Scott. Yeah, we got in last Thursday.

[Kara Swisher]

Best hotel in New York.

[Scott Galloway]

We brought our Saint Bernard and my cousins. Is that okay?

[Kara Swisher]

Best hotel in New York. And you know what the only good thing about moving is? I was blissfully not paying attention to news this weekend, which was horrible. Let me just say, there was so much bad news that it was lovely not to be paying attention to it in any way when you're moving boxes. So we've got a lot to get to today, including Elon's chainsaw moment. I. You had some very funny threads about that. Scott Galloway and Trump installing another loyalist at the FBI. In fact, it just. It goes on anyway. And also this thing he did this week, Elon pulling yet another page out of his Twitter playbook, ordering federal employees millions and millions of them to summarize their accomplishments for the week or face consequences. Federal workers receive emails over the weekend with a subject line, what did you do last week? Elon warned on X that a failure to respond would be taken as a sign of resignation. He has no right to do so, by the way. Several agents, agency heads, are pushing back on the directive, including FBI Director Kash Patel. I can't believe I'm saying those words. Who told employees to pause on responding to the email? I'm not sure it's a pushback or not, but I'm going to read five accomplishment lists that are making the rounds on social media, because some of them are very funny. This one, from a threads user, gives us a look at Elon's possible list. One, took too much ketamine. Two, danced on stage with a chainsaw. Three, ignored my new baby mama. Four, laughed at my own bad joke. Five, neglected all of my children except the one I use as a human shield. He also neglected him. If you saw pictures, he walked ahead of a four year old and sort of lost him for a second. We'll get to the chainsaw and baby mama stuff in a bit, but this one from Shannon on Threads cuts to the chase. Dear Elon, five things I did last week. One to five. Your mom to Amy Klobuchar posted her five weekly accomplishments, which included stood with Ukraine instead of Russia. The other senator from Minnesota. They're very sassy in Minnesota. Tina Smith seemed to be channeling Scott with her response to Elon. She posted this is the ultimate dick boss move from Musk, except he isn't even a boss, he's just a dick. That's the new word for Elon for Democrats. So, thoughts, and I want to know the five things you accomplished last week.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, a couple things. One, and this goes to messaging and I was speaking to someone over the weekend about this. I don't think the Democrats, I don't think we get anywhere focusing on the injustice of all this.

[Kara Swisher]

No, but I like the dick one. But go ahead, go ahead.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, just, I think you focus on the incompetence. There are a lot of people in America who have gotten an email or have been fired abruptly and it's not. Yeah, it's terrible. It happens. Moderates right now and a lot of people in the US like it because they think that government's gotten too big. They think it's gotten out of control. And if they break a few eggs, fine, so be it. And these tiktoks of someone in the National Forestry Service saying, I just lost my job unceremoniously. It's like, well, okay, that happened to my cousin, maybe it happened to me. And I don't think that's how they should be messaging. I think they should be messaging about the corruption that. Okay, it just so happens that everyone in charge of overseeing the National Highway Safety Board, specifically around autonomous vehicles, or a large number of them, have been fired. And those are the people directly overseeing Musk's attempt to perhaps put unsafe autonomous cars on the road. And the fact that this is really just a misdirect from the following. They're talking about a 50 billion billion savings from Doge. But look over here, because what we don't want you to see is that we're Talking about a $900 billion a year increase in the deficit, which is nothing but a tax on our children, our grandchildren, such that Scott Galloway can have a tax cut I put into AI my W2, and then the Latest proposed Trump tax cut. I'm going to save $950,000 a year if this thing goes through. Meanwhile, they want to cut over $800 billion from Medicaid that children depend on. So, yeah, Doge, again, it's a fucking misdirect, okay? It's a tragedy. I'm sorry. Fine. But all it is is a misdirect from what they're planning to do, and that is give a bunch of money to really rich people.

[Kara Swisher]

I am going to push back a little bit. I do think people have an experience that I've noticed a lot of sympathy for these people. If you notice these meetings that Republicans are going to and there's widespread reporting on this, people are like, you're a fucking dick. Like, why does he have to. He is getting very bad reviews in the way he's doing this because everyone works in the office, you know, from the TV show, right. Works in that place. And I don't think people enjoy the schadenfreude at all. I don't think they know it could come for them. They don't like when they have it. I think it has actually a good point to point out the stupidity of it and the incompetence more than anything else. Like another dick move. Dick boss move is a very good way to put it. The other thing is to point out the inaccuracy of everything. Another word for. For incompetence. Like we say 55 billion. Actually zero. I think those are very good things. These people aren't even effective and they're damaging people. You can't go to your public park anymore. You can't do this, you can't do that. I think those are effective. I think here's how government does work for you, and that sort of gets people in the mode of liking government. Oh, wait, I did like that. I did like getting my check. I did like the parks working. I did like going to Yosemite or whatever it happens to be just. I think you respond to people. I did like when I could buy eggs at the store, all those things. And I think adding on to the. It's not just the stuff around his cars. Every single agency he has targeted are agencies. The most are agencies that have been investigating him. And that's an issue. And I think he's got a. His numbers in the polls are very bad. I would say very, very bad. And they may improve, but I don't quite know how they will. And they're trying really hard. The Trump people are trying, but it's not working particularly well. They think he's. Because he keeps doing these dick moves, essentially. I mean, for example, his appearance at cpac. Elon wore his black MAGA hat, sunglasses, and at one point wielded a chainsaw on stage that was given to him by Argentina's President Milei. His onstage interview was full of crazy stuff. Let's just listen to a clip. I am become meme.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, pretty much.

[Kara Swisher]

I'm just, I'm just living the meme. It's like there's living the dream and there's living the meme, and it's pretty much what's happening. You know, you're like, I think you're bigger than. I mean, Doge started out as a meme. Think about it. Now it's real. Isn't that crazy? It is.

[Scott Galloway]

It is crazy. But it's cool.

[Kara Swisher]

No, he's crazy. That was. And they were all. He was laughing at his own jokes and they're like. And that guy who interviewed him who's such a suck up, was like. It was so awkward. Scott, as you said on threads, this is like when your ketamine dealer finally gets back from Cabo.

[Scott Galloway]

Thank God he's back.

[Kara Swisher]

I know, I know. So what did you. Everyone talks about him being allegedly on drugs. That was some performance. He was on something.

[Scott Galloway]

I think it's a far right echo chamber of people who mistake leadership for coarseness and cruelty and just general weirdness.

[Kara Swisher]

I don't know. I think it brings down, I think him not having good polling. He's in political spectrum thing now in matters. Polling matters to these people. And if you're getting pushback, if you're a congressperson in like Bemidji, well, that's different.

[Scott Galloway]

The rallies, I think we should all. Any of the one with a platform has a responsibility. Let me back up what to do. A common tactic across in the GRU propaganda machine is blitzkrieg of information where so many things are coming at you, you don't have to parse them. You feel helpless, you don't know where to start. However, you need to calm down and there's a few basic defense mechanisms or a few means of counter punching. One, recognize you don't need to respond to every outrageous thing, you don't need to be emotional. Two, when you do respond, respond with experts and data. Try not to be overly emotional. And also, and this is the hard part, decide which punches you're going to pick. And that is pick one or two or maybe three issues and focus on those and highlight them. So for Example, I'm not focusing on this bullshit around DEI or Doge or transgender. Some people I think are passionate about it, should focus on it. I believe the two most important things are the following. We have decided to surrender to Putin and we have decided to essentially reconfigure the world order that has created more prosperity and peace and rights than any other 80 year period in history. And that is a very dangerous, stupid thing to do. And two, while everyone is focused on the $60 billion going to Ukraine or the $50 billion savings from Dogeco, that is not where they should be looking. They should be looking at the $900 billion a year annual increase in the deficit. Surrender and deficit are the two things I'm going to focus on. Be unemotional. You don't need to respond right away. Bring experts, bring facts and focus on the one or two issues that you want to be a domain expert on. Otherwise you just come across as what they want. If you can be offended, you can be manipulated and you look weak. Don't be offended.

[Kara Swisher]

I don't think people were offended. I think they were making great jokes. I mean, I don't know. You had a joke. People aren't offended by him as much as like, what a fucking tool, like mocking.

[Scott Galloway]

We need to move from what I call being right to effective and figuring out a plan for counterpunch and then start talking about tactics. I think the Democrats right now, instead of talking about how outraged I should be saying, oh, by the way, we are shutting down the government. If you've decided that the government is so incompetent. If you don't want to deal with the government, if you don't want to deal with elected representatives, fine. We're going to go upstream of Elon Musk Musk and we are going to shut down the government. It's coming. All right. And let's see what happens to the 10 year bond and the wealth of the 0.1%. We are not going to raise the debt limit. That is the message they should be sending right now.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, yeah, that's a good one. Then I'll ignore Steve Bannon channeling his nemesis Elon doing the Nazi salute. That was.

[Scott Galloway]

What the fuck is with that? Are they claiming it's a Roman salute?

[Kara Swisher]

Whatever, there's no such thing. There's no such thing. It's a Nazi salute. Stop it. Stop it. I've deeply studied the Roman salute. There's no such thing. It's the Nazi salute. Anyway, he's facing legal claims from right wing influencer Ashley St. Clair, who are paternity in custody of their alleged child. St. Clair revealed her child's existence on X a few weeks ago. I actually knew about it. I think I told you about it. And said Elon was the father. Elon has yet to publicly acknowledge his paternity, but court documents say he has done so in various written correspondences. Another kid, his daughter Vivian, posted on threads. If I had a nickel for every time that I found out I had a new sibling, half sibling online, I'd have a few nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it's happened six separate times. She's funny. She is really, really funny.

[Scott Galloway]

If you want to talk about what's ailing our country right now, it's that young people under the age of 30 aren't doing as well as their parents were at 30 for the first time in our nation's history. And within that is a subset of people who are doing especially poorly. And it's young men. And the single point of failure for a young man coming off the tracks, becoming more prone to extremist content, becoming more polarized, becoming more likely to harm himself in some. More likely to become a really shitty citizen. It can all be reverse engineered to one thing. And that is the thing that our dear leader, President Musk, is engaging in. And the one point of failure for young men is when they lose a male role model. This is more fundamental than technology. It is more fundamental than cutting costs. It is more fundamental than government services. At some point, character does matter. And the ground central, or the ground zero in my view, for character for a man, the very basic, the A, B's and C's are, are you going to be involved in your offspring? And we're over here talking about Doge. Anyways, I found that to be the most offensive thing of the week.

[Kara Swisher]

Interesting. It's interesting. I don't like him illegally raiding and wrecking government. More than this. I think this is his, his modus operandi with all these women. This is what he does. He thinks he should spread his seed. This is what he thinks. This is one of his theories of existence.

[Scott Galloway]

The most basic job of a man and a person is to look after your young. That's where it all starts.

[Kara Swisher]

Well, he must pay for them, I guess. I don't know.

[Scott Galloway]

And again, the strongest signal of what is your job. Your job is to produce loving, patriotic offspring, in my view. And the single point of failure, the strongest signal isn't whether these kids are gonna have money or not. The strongest signal is involvement. Involvement of their parents. And if it's a boy, involvement of dad. And already he's being sued by two different people.

[Kara Swisher]

Please don't say it. Girls need their fathers too.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, but actually, actually there's research around this and it's the following.

[Kara Swisher]

Okay.

[Scott Galloway]

Of all the single parent households in the U.S. four in five are headed by women. Girls in those homes have the similar outcomes in terms of college attendance, rates of self harm and rates of depression. What you find with boys though, is that the moment there's no longer a male involved in their lives, the likelihood they'll be incarcerated, addicted to opiates or engage in self harm dramatically increases. What it ends up is that while boys are physically stronger, they are mentally and emotionally much weaker than girls.

[Kara Swisher]

Interesting.

[Scott Galloway]

So it is a bigger deal when the dad is not involved in the boy's life.

[Kara Swisher]

What say we of the lesbians then? Well, my kids, I think are very well adjusted.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, I would argue or there hasn't been as much research, but I think what they find is that the key is having two parents. And also. And this will get me shit. Typically in gay relationships, one person brings more masculine energy than the other.

[Kara Swisher]

That's true.

[Scott Galloway]

True.

[Kara Swisher]

No, no, it's nonsense. That's nonsense. No.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, illuminate me.

[Kara Swisher]

It's just not true. They're various and different people, just like straight couples. Some of the ladies are more manly, I guess, in some fashion.

[Scott Galloway]

Do you think perhaps two parents though, or two.

[Kara Swisher]

Two parents, absolutely. Two loving parents, I think are the critical part and involvement of men. Certainly. We've spent a lot of time making sure the boys. I did have that have my brother, my son is fixated on you, as you know. And we think that's important. We think that's really important. But I would. It's two loving parents, I think are the critical, if possible. And that's unfortunately not possible for a lot of people. And if not, then there's community stuff like churches or Boy Scouts or not. Well, not Boy Scouts. It's gotten so pillory. But any of those kind of things where they can have a feeling of community is critically important.

[Scott Galloway]

One of the quickest paths, I think, to a better country would be a recognition that the moment a boy loses access to a male role model, that the community and family need to move in and make sure there's men involved in that boy's life. And what's really unfortunate is that men aren't stepping up to the plate. So, and I say this all the time, if we want better men. We need to be better men. But to produce offspring, in my opinion, and not be involved in their lives, it is such an ugly feature of a person.

[Kara Swisher]

Well, it's part of his brand, right? This kids everywhere. I fuck everybody and leave babies in my wake. This is this thing. This is this weird fucking thing.

[Scott Galloway]

You're bringing into the world a child that has a tremendous disadvantage relative to other kids who are brought into loving households with either one or two women who decide to ensure that there are men involved in this kid's life. And it creates a host of issues. As someone who has been asking themselves for a long time, why did my dad not decide to be involved in my life? And what it ends up is that it is harder and more damaging for boys to deal with this than girls.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, yeah, that's true. Men, women just marry shitty men. So the women I know anyway don't be a shitty father man like Elon Musk, obviously. So obviously is. Okay, Scott, let's go on a quick break. When we come back, Trump's military purge in his latest hire. Support for Pivot comes from the NPR podcast Tech Unheard. If you're a subscriber to this podcast, then you're probably curious about the businesses and minds behind technology shaping our future. ARM is one of those innovative tech leaders, and they're partnering with NPM to bring you a new podcast that takes you behind the boardroom door for conversations with technology's most inspiring leaders. You can listen in as they discuss discuss everything from the potential of artificial general intelligence to keynote nerves. Hosted by ARM CEO Rene Haas, TechUnherd explores what drives these leaders, all while sharing a few entertaining anecdotes of success and failure along the way. In the first episode of Tech Unheard, Renee speaks with Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia. They dive into Jensen's journey, the future of AI, and how Nvidia's unique culture continues to push the boundaries of technology Tech Unheard makes you feel like you're in the room with some of technology tech's biggest leaders, and it's a new way to hear them inspire in a totally unscripted way. Tune into Tech Unheard from ARM and npm wherever you get your podcasts.

[Scott Galloway]

Support for today's show comes from HubSpot. It takes a lot to grow your business. You've got to attract audiences, score leads, manage all the channels. It's a lot of long days and late nights, but with Breeze, HubSpot's new AI tools, it's never been easier to be a marketer and crush your goals fast. Which means pretty soon your company will have a lot to celebrate, like 110% more leads in just 12 months. Visit HubSpot.com marketers to learn more.

[Kara Swisher]

Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today day. I'm told it's super easy to [e-mail] Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full [e-mail] Scott we're back. Stocks fell sharply last Friday with the Dow seeing its worst week since October and the S and P wiping out almost all the gains since Trump took office. The downturn was fueled in part by a drop in consumer sentiment index which fell to in more than a year, with consumers concerned about higher inflation. There are also worries about Trump's tariffs. As of the recording Monday morning, the S and P&500 and Nasdaq were still down. There's also these government layoffs which are going to happen. They're the biggest lawyer in the country. Warren Buffett's in cash, has gone into cash and he's not saying why. What do you make of the stock market situation?

[Scott Galloway]

Well, just speaking of Warren Buffett, he has a metric which people look to which has been a fairly reliable indicator of when the markets might be due for a correction. That is, he looks at the market cap relative to the GDP and usually the average is around 100%. And when post like 2009 it went down to 75% indicating that stocks were cheap. And right now it's I think upwards around 190%.

[Kara Swisher]

It's close to 200.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, it looks like things are really frothy. The hard part is and the question is what to do. And my senses and what I tell people is it is very hard to time the market. It is very hard to time the market markets because just when you think you're convinced markets are way too expensive, oftentimes they go up another 10 or 30%. And what I would say is it is very difficult to time the markets. Just make sure you're diversified. And if you think, well, maybe I want to put a little bit of cash on the sidelines to Take advantage of opportunities, that's one thing. But don't make the mistake I made when Trump was elected in 2016. I thought, this guy's an idiot. He's going to crash the economy. And I sold everything. And so I incurred a tax hit. I paid an enormous amount of taxes, taking 22.8% of any gains out. And then six months later, I realized that I'd acted out of emotion. The markets had screamed up and I had to buy back in with 78% of my capital at higher prices. So the lesson in terms of what to do is, okay, you may want to take some gains off the table and move a little bit more into cash. But be clear, nobody can time the market. You just wanna be diversified and stand for as long as possible.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, I just don't look.

[Scott Galloway]

I just don't look. That's the right strategy.

[Kara Swisher]

That's my don't look strategy. And every now and then when it seems insane, I sell a little bit. It's like sort of gambling. But I'm not much of a gambler in any case. Also, President Trump announced on Sunday night that he's naming podcaster and former Fox News personality Dan Bongino as Deputy FBI director. Bungino is also a former Secret Service agent and NYPD officer. The role of deputy director does not require Senate confirmat typically goes to a senior FBI agent. In his post on Truth Social, Trump noted Bongino is willing and prepared to give up his podcast in order to serve. I have had back and forth with him quite a bit. When I wanted to interview him, he kept telling me how much bigger his podcast was than mine. It was very weird. But ultimately he was going to do it and then of course, wimped out, as I expected. Would you give up this podcast in order to serve the Trump administration?

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, Kara, I wouldn't give up a goiter to serve in the Trump administration.

[Kara Swisher]

I mean, a goiter. When have you thought of the word goiter?

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, my God, that's my favorite word.

[Kara Swisher]

That's a good word, goiter. I don't like a goiter. Wouldn't that suck to have a goiter and not be able to do anything about it? Anyway, Sorry, just thinking. I lived in medieval times.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah. Or a goiter on your anus.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah. No, I wouldn't. I wouldn't. No, I would not. Would you?

[Kara Swisher]

No. Frog. No. Oh, actually, maybe I might. And then I'll be in charge of the military and then I'll do bad things that he doesn't want me to. Do and have a coup or something like that. This guy isn't qualified. He's not like he was a cop, okay? And he was a Secret Service agent. But this is just a ridiculous circus. These people. And it's dangerous.

[Scott Galloway]

At this point, I just want someone who's competent and can, like, do math. Is he any of those?

[Kara Swisher]

No. He's got a lot of. He's a rage a lot. Don't go watch the podcast on video if you want to feel good about our nation's FBI. That's all. I gotta say, he's a lot. We had a really interesting back and forth, but he's a lot. He's a lot. And in a way that I don't think is particularly good for law enforcement anyway. He also from hiring to firing. Trump fired the country's senior military officer, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C. Q Brown, late Friday night. Friday night purge. The move was part of a larger military purge with six Pentagon officials fired in total, including the chief of naval operations at top lawyers for the Army, Navy and Air Force. Obviously, they're getting themselves in place. The official line from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is that they're putting in place new leadership to focus on deterring, fighting and winning wars, actually against the American people probably. But in an appearance on Fox News on Sunday, Hegseth shared a little more about dismissing these lawyers. Let's listen.

[Scott Galloway]

Ultimately, we want lawyers who give sound constitutional advice and don't exist to attempt to be roadblocked to anything that happens in their spots.

[Kara Swisher]

He's such an idiot. God, he sounds. What is roadblocks? This is. I'm quite concerned about this, that they're trying to put people in place. The person they put in place said he loved Trump, apparently wore a MAGA hat. You know, this seems regular and just for people who don't know right now what we're on the on here. We just voted with Russia not to condemn Russia for the Ukraine invasion for the first time, which seems astonishing that we're doing that just happened in the UN and we are on Russia's side in the Ukraine fight at this point. Or not condemning them for what they're doing. And this guy's in charge and he of course didn't know, FYI, who started the war. Hegseth on one of the TV shows. He's so dumb, but also dangerous.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah. This is like FDR saying, well, what were those ships doing in Pearl Harbor? And blaming this is.

[Kara Swisher]

He called it complex when someone, even a Fox person said, you Fair to say that Russia invaded Ukraine. He said it's complex. He didn't.

[Scott Galloway]

He's poured over the border and they started shelling maternity wards and sending. I mean, Russia invaded Ukraine. It's weird that we can't even have simple truths anymore. And it's interesting that all these things we took for granted. If you think about the Post World War II alliance or the operating system that's created more prosperity, more rights, more democracy, life expectancy plummets and infant mortality, all of these things can be reverse engineered. I would argue to this alliance between democracies that we largely had each other's backs not only on this victory of moral clarity, but also this visionary investment in our former enemies, specifically Japan and Germany. And the result has arguably been more prosperity in the last 80 years and more righteous rights or progress or humanity than the previous 800. And this didn't happen by accident. And so basically to move to. Well, I have an idea. Let's have two spheres of influence between two kind of a true autocrat and a wannabe autocrat and we'll carve up the world and Europe's sort of sitting there. I mean, I'm trying to think what could go right and what I think could go right and I think it's going to happen is I think people do underestimate Europe. France and Britain are still very strong military and nuclear powers with fantastic educational institutions. Germany is arguably one of the two or three strongest manufacturing has one of the strongest manufacturing industrial basis. And also a positive of this is they are, I believe Europe is going to be a union again and is going to rise up and state more explicitly that we have your back. When I say your, I mean Ukraine. So I think the silver lining here might be that I'm hoping Europe fills the void for the next three years and 11 months.

[Kara Swisher]

Well, that's what they're hoping. That's what the German, the new German Chancellor or who's going to be the new German Chancellor.

[Scott Galloway]

And I'm hoping we come out, I mean, I'm trying to move to what could go right as opposed to everything around the sky's falling. And I think that Europe deciding to increase its military spending, decide that they need to be more unified, speak with a stronger singular, put all their bullshit squabbling aside, maybe engage in backs it. I think the UK absolutely needs to show more leadership and reintegrate back into the EU and show that, okay, if we can't count on America, that's fine. We're still arguably the largest economy in the World as large as the US is and we have Ukraine's back, that things don't end well for Europe when we surrender to a murderous autocrat.

[Kara Swisher]

Ye. Well, the US voted alongside North Korea, Belarus and 14 other Moscow friendly countries. So that was great. Oh my God. This. He's like a. What's. He's a useful idiot. I don't know what else to say. It's just, it's just astonishing. I mean people, Ronald Reagan would be literally throttling him at this point, you know.

[Scott Galloway]

But look at what I don't get is my senior senator, now Secretary of State, Senator Marco Rubio. It's like, who are you? And when I say I don't mean it like who are you to do these things? But he kind of made his foreign policy chops being this cold warrior and now he's saying he's complying and defending this ridiculous falsehood that Ukraine started the war. It's like literally, who are you? Do you have any value whatsoever? Are there any values that are a red line for you whatsoever?

[Kara Swisher]

What in the world are they thinking? I'd love to understand what he's actually thinking, you know what I mean? I don't know. Anyway, they're just clown after clownish thing and Marco Ruby is at the head of the parade. Scott, let's go on a quick break. We come back. Amazon has gained creative control over James Bond. A big deal to Caro Swisher and no one likes Mark Zuckerberg. Your data is like gold to hackers. They're selling your passwords, bank details and private messages. McAfee helps stop them. Secure VPN keeps your online activity private. AI powered text scam detector spots phishing attempts instantly. And with award winning antivirus, you get top tier hacker protection. Plus you'll get up to $2 million in identity theft coverage. All for just $39.99 for your first year. Visit McAfee.com, cancel anytime terms apply.

[Scott Galloway]

Daredevil is Born Again on Disney. Why did you stop being a vigilant anti? The line was crossed. Sometimes peace needs to be broken. Chaos must reign. On March 4th, the nine episode event begins. I was raised to believe in grace, but I was also raised to believe in retribution. Marvel Television's Daredevil Born Again. Don't miss the two episode premiere March 4th, only on Disney plus we're taking Vox Media podcasts on the road and heading back to Austin for the south by Southwest Festival. March 8th through the 10th. What a thrill. Chicken fajitas, queso strawberry margarita, extra Shot of tequila there. You'll be able to see special live episodes of hit shows, including our show Pivot. Where should we Begin? With Esther Perel. A Touch More with Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe. Not just Football with Cam Hayward. And more presented by Smartsheet. The Vox Media podcast stage page at south by Southwest is open to all south by Southwest badge holders. We hope to see you at the Austin Convention center soon. I'm not joking. I love south by Southwest. The people are a ton of fun. It's a great time. If you do come, come up and say hi. Visit voxmedia.com SXSW to learn more. That's voxmedia.com SXSW.

[Kara Swisher]

Scott, we're back. Let's get to some more headlines. Amazon has gained creative control over the James Bond franchise. A surprise. A tech giant will form a joint venture with Barbara Broccoli, who inherited control of Bond, and her brother Michael G. Wilson, who remain co owners. But they seem to have given up creative control. Amazon. That was a big deal when Amazon gained the significant ownership as part of its purchase of MGM in 2020. Bond movies have made over $6 billion at the domestic box office. They have to replace Bond this year, by the way. I don't know if you care or not, but I do. I think it'll be interesting. I think they've been very consistently good, the Bond movies over the years. But I don't know who should play Bond from your perspective.

[Scott Galloway]

I'd either go with Tom Hardy or Taylor kitsch.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, really?

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah.

[Kara Swisher]

I think Idris Elba.

[Scott Galloway]

He'd be very good. He's getting a little old, though. They need a younger. They need a younger Bond.

[Kara Swisher]

I like the kitsch idea. That's not bad.

[Scott Galloway]

He's a little too American, but actually the Tom Hardy be fantastic.

[Kara Swisher]

I think he's okay. All right, all right. I'm going with who do you like? Idris? I think he'd be really good. I know he's older. You're right, he's older. Maybe. Who's a younger Idris?

[Scott Galloway]

I don't know. They need. They will probably pick an unknown who's in their 30s, because what they want is they want someone who, like Daniel Craig, can go for five or six films.

[Kara Swisher]

He was spectacular. I love him. I love all the Bonds. I think he's spectacular. I don't know. Sean Connery remains the boy.

[Scott Galloway]

That's sentimental. Daniel Craig was.

[Kara Swisher]

I just. I watched them.

[Scott Galloway]

Daniel Carter is a better actor and brought more physicality to the role.

[Kara Swisher]

I thought I wanted to fuck Sean Connery. And that's not something I want to do. So I'm just saying.

[Scott Galloway]

I know Roger Moore's pretty dreamy.

[Kara Swisher]

He was until he got silly. I love Bond movies. I don't know if, you know, it's one of my things, Bond movies. I own them all. I love them.

[Scott Galloway]

What's your favorite?

[Kara Swisher]

All of them. There's not one. You know, different parts of it. Some of them are the Goldfinger, for some reason I love cause about, you know, Fort Knox. Like, stupid idiot Elon wants to go see the gold. What a fucking idiot he is anyway. Someone who people don't like even more. Speaking of which, Democrats and Republicans are aligned on one thing. Neither likes Mark Zuckerberg. A Pew study of likability of the Meta CEO and Elon Musk found that 54% of US adults don't like Musk and 67% don't like Zuckerberg. While Musk's results falls on party lines with 85% of Democrats having unfavorable views and stuff, 73% Republicans feeling favorable, although I think that is falling. Mark Zuckerberg is a great uniter with both. 60% of Republicans and 76% of Democrats hold unfavorable views. What is happening? What is happening?

[Scott Galloway]

What I don't get is why. Why do they put themselves up for public perception? I. I understand that over time, the personification of a company is really important, but if I were Mark Zuckerberg, I would be like, okay, I'm not. I just don't have those skills. I'm not likable. That's okay. And a lot of people realize that and say, I'm not a likable person. Most CEOs aren't like, well, that's actually not true. Most CEOs are likable. But I don't understand why he keeps trying. It feels like all this stuff around videos of him doing jiu Jitsu and hunting, riding.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, that.

[Scott Galloway]

It feels very like, I desperately want to be liked.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, it's very thirsty.

[Scott Galloway]

And if he just was in the background as this brilliant. He's arguably one of the most brilliant businessmen of the last 50 years. I think it would be better than if he was out there saying, okay, I need pictures of me hunting or fighting.

[Kara Swisher]

They all think they're Steve Jobs who did it successfully, but he did it with class and grace. Right? I don't know. I think they all think that. Like, Bezos, too. He's like. I'm like, go home, go home, be with the kids. Go away. Like that kind of thing.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, I think Tim Cook's done a really good job managing his brand, but.

[Kara Swisher]

He'S not around that much.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, but when he's public, he's very manicured and he's very thoughtful about his statements. He has a very strong brand. He's very likable. Most of these guys do a very good job of most of them. Trying to come across as Satya Nadella is very likable. And whenever you meet them, does it say too much? The only time I've ever met these guys is at your conference, and they're all surrounded by PR people parsing every word and saying, okay, here's your 10 minutes with this. And they're all very nice and friendly. And the moment, if you ask them a question or it gets awkward, someone, like, couriers them off. I think they think a lot about their public image and their perception. I think Brian Chesky is very good at managing his brand and coming across as likable. But the reality is, in a constant media cycle with social now, their public perception is pretty important.

[Kara Swisher]

I know, but Mark should stop threading. He should stop showing up. He should stop pontificating. He's just bad at it.

[Scott Galloway]

I agree.

[Kara Swisher]

It's like you want to hear from the most annoying person you know?

[Scott Galloway]

Well, he needs another Sheryl Sandberg. He needs another heat shield to be more likable. He had Cheryl and he had Nick, the guy who's really done a great job of storytelling. Although his book is this weird techno libertarian, 100%. Alex Karp.

[Kara Swisher]

Alex Karp, yeah. He's an interesting fella.

[Scott Galloway]

And going on Bill Maher, his kind of real time or videos of his earnings calls, his full embrace, wrapping himself in the flesh. I think he's managed his brand really well. He's been aggressive, he's taken risks, and they've paid off. And the result is the company trades at, like, 90 times revenues. It's insanely overvalued, although it's dropped about 20% in the last two trading days.

[Kara Swisher]

I just like Mark. Nobody likes you. They just don't. They've never have. Not since the movie. And let me tell you, that tracks in real life, too, for people who don't know. Just like I could not get away fast enough from Mark Zuckerberg. All right, we like the chains, Mark. We do like the chains. All right, Scott, one more quick break. We'll be back for wins and fails. Hi, this is Kara Swisher, host of on with Kara Swisher. Over the past few weeks, I'VE been covering President Trump and Elon Musk as they continue to attack the federal government and dismantle our democracy. At least that's my opinion. I hosted a panel on Elon's takeover with Anne Applebaum, Owen Higgins, and Ryan Mack. I had a conversation on the constitutional crisis we may or may not be in with Preet Bharara, George Conway, Jamie Gangel and Jonathan Kanter. And I took a look at trumponomics with economists Oren Cass, Paul Krugman, and Mariana Matsucato. But life is too short to only talk politics. And honestly, politics may make our lives shorter. These days, it's important to find moments of levity, too. So I've also interviewed brilliant actors like Laverne Cox, Ben Stiller, and Cynthia Erivo. We've talked about their work and what it's like to make art in these new times and to listen to any and all of these conversations. Search for on with Kara Swisher wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to follow on with Kara Swisher for more. We talk about it in whispers. Hey, my name. I'm not gonna say it. I would like to remain anonymous if any of this is being used. Hi, I would like to stay anonymous.

[Scott Galloway]

And my parents did recently buy me a house.

[Kara Swisher]

We inquire about it gently. How can you afford this neighborhood or that school?

[Scott Galloway]

My dad used to pay off my.

[Kara Swisher]

Credit card every month up until pretty recently. My parents did pay for my rent. They pay for some of my credit card bills, kind of my like emergency money groceries as well.

[Scott Galloway]

I am in my mid-20s and received.

[Kara Swisher]

About $1.3 million over the course of.

[Scott Galloway]

14 years, including about $500,000.

[Kara Swisher]

Trillions of dollars are flowing from baby boomers to their adult kids and upending American norms and housing prices. We're talking through it on Today explained every weekday wherever you get your podcasts.

[Scott Galloway]

I'm Josh Muccio, host of the Pitch, where startup founders raise millions and listeners can invest. For lucky season 13, we looked at 2000 companies and selected 12 of the very best founders to pitch in Miami. They flew in from all over the country and the world.

[Kara Swisher]

My name is Michele and I'm from Italy. I'm originally from Medellin, Colombia.

[Scott Galloway]

I was born and raised in Maizeville, Kentucky.

[Kara Swisher]

I'm from Baltimore, Maryland and I am from Finland.

[Scott Galloway]

This season we're diving even deeper into the human side of venture as these founders pitch the sharpest early stage VCs in the game.

[Kara Swisher]

I normally don't like ed tech, but.

[Scott Galloway]

I really like you.

[Kara Swisher]

I echo those sentiments. I do want to push back, though. Toughen up there, lady. That's healthcare. I feel like I'm the lone dissenter. Ooh, Charles, spicy. So I'm out.

[Scott Galloway]

I'm sure when they air this episode.

[Kara Swisher]

They'Ll be like, charles was really dumb. For those who can't see, my jaw is currently on the floor.

[Scott Galloway]

Season 13 of the Pitch starts March 5. Episodes are available to watch on YouTube or listen on your podcast player of choice. So subscribe to the Pitch right now.

[Kara Swisher]

Okay, Scott, let's hear some wins and fails. Would you like to go first or shall I?

[Scott Galloway]

You go first, Kara.

[Kara Swisher]

Well, the German election, I think, you know, even though Europe is gonna have to pull its own, put its shoulder into it. The Conservative party won, but the ADF did. This is a fail. I guess what's happening in Germany is young people they're voting for. It's interesting because the left had a big sur read. Something from a friend of mine who's German, who gave me some insight, was showing me sort of the election results by age. Young people really leaned into the left party, 25% and 20% for the right party, which was interesting. So they're really going, the young people are going different directions. 18 to 24 versus the older people who stayed with the Conservative Party or the or the version of the Democrats. The Greens lost some ground, obviously. The version of Democrats called the SPD lost ground. The CDU will now form a government, but they have to have to get together with others. And this is what my friend wrote. As expected, young voters voting extreme, highly influenced by social media. Unclear how long it will take to build a government. Schultz. The chancellor did the Biden by not stepping down in time. Big questions about the transatlantic relationship. Metz is an old fashioned transatlanticist, but with supporting ADF, we'll see a baseline. It's great that 85% turnout, a very vivid democracy. But 20% voting for an anti migrant pro Russia party was worrisome. I thought that was but she was saying social media leads them, the left and the right to support extremes. So I'm worried. Germany is a linchpin of Europe and they're really as a chancellor, new possible chancellor said are on their own in lots of ways. So they have to get together. My win is the main governor who stood up to Trump who was threatening her. I appeared this week at the Governor's Forum. Jared Paulus had me in to talk about education, which was interesting to the group. And I met some very nice governors. But Maine governor Janet Mills told President Trump, we'll see you in court. During this exchange about around transgender athletes, he called her out specifically, and I think she's like, I'm gonna run my state the way we have our rules. So he threatened defunding, et cetera. It just was kind of a gross thing. But I kind of thought that was badass of her. And then secondly, just goes for the win. People don't know Roberta Flack just died. And I love Roberta Flack. I love Rip Flack so much. And I think two songs, obviously they're most famous for her is the first time ever I Saw youw Face. I don't Remember when that was Scott and Killing Me Softly with his song. And that's how I think of you when I listen to that song.

[Scott Galloway]

That's right. We met at dld. That's the first I. Roberta Flack. Yeah. Wow. Good one. Long life. Yeah. You know what really hurt the far right party in Germany was Vance and Musk's endorsement.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, it brought him down. Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

What does that say about you when you make Nazis less likable? Anyway?

[Kara Swisher]

Run by a lesbian. Run by a lesbian.

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, that's right. But they still got about 22% right?

[Kara Swisher]

20. 20. A little bit over 20. Just where they thought. It didn't improve it or lessen it. It didn't increase it for sure.

[Scott Galloway]

So look, my win is Canada defeated USA Thursday to win the first ever four Nations Face off hockey tournament, which capped what had become a heated and politically charged event. But. But it was just such an incredible spectacle of sports and hockey. I went to hockey games with my son and my dad, and when you get on the ice, you just see these players. There's just no phoning it in. It really is an incredible spectator sport. And an overtime goal from Connor McDavid, who's arguably the best player in the league, sealed the 32 win for Canada at the TD Garden in Boston, where ticket prices had just soared. And obviously, this. This meant more than just a hockey tournament. And it's very strange to be rooting for another nation, but I think there were a lot of Americans rooting for Team Canada here. And I think a lot of us take for granted what has been just arguably one of the great alliances in history or the great friendships. Do you realize the U.S. canadian border is the largest undefended border in the world? I mean, what does that say about our relationship with them? In World War II, Canada entered the war two years before the U.S. and trained over 130,000 Allied airmen during the Iran hostage crisis. Canadian diplomats sheltered six American embassy staff and helped orchestrate their escape. If they had been caught doing this, they would have been hanged from cranes. After 9 11, Canada launched Operation Yellow Ribbon, accepting 224 diverted flights when U.S. airspace closed, sheltering 33,000 stranded passengers. Passengers. Canada has fought alongside the U.S. in World War I, World War II, Korea, the Persian Gulf, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and against ISIS. I mean, there's just so many. Canada is America's largest trading partner. They supply more energy to the US Than any other country. The countries share critical supply chains and manufacturing, especially automotive. They consistently support US diplomatic initiatives internationally. They coordinate on Arctic policy. They worked with the U.S. germany.

[Kara Swisher]

Canadians are the good people people.

[Scott Galloway]

They support U.S. positions on international organizations including NATO and the UN. Deep people to people connections with extensive family ties across borders. My parents first came to Toronto where I was conceived, and then came to San Diego where I was born. They have shared values around democracy, human rights and free markets, cooperation on environmental protection of shared waterways and natural resources. And also, just in case you needed any reminder, they are the best in the world at hockey this game. Connor McDavid, arguably the best player in the league, took this thing in sudden death overtime and you could hear a roar across Canada as the 11th province. The United States basically lost in overtime. And it's a strange feeling, but Canada, it is insane that we would be. You don't treat when your neighbor is this good to you and just defaults to being your neighbor and being a wonderful ally. You don't treat them this way. And this game was, I'll tell you, the sport occasionally gets it right. This was an outstanding team. USA played exceptional. They were outstanding on the ice. And actually American hockey is now almost rivaling Canadian hockey. But this was an incredible event. I mean, it was one of those moments in sporting history where it was about the game, but it wasn't about the game game. And it was just an outstanding game. Anyways, my win is Team Canada in the four nations Face Off Hockey Tournament. My fail is this what I'll call the surrender domino of Big Tech. And that is. It's easy to rationalize why Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos show up and agree to sit side by side such that that the President can pony them around and say ca the most powerful, wealthiest tech executives in the world like me, and then bully them into giving them a million dollars. But here's the problem. Okay, so you're protecting shareholder value. But when the three of them and Sam Altman do this, it makes it Easier for someone like Linda Yaccarino to start threatening government retribution against IPG and Omnicom. She basically threatened to block the merger unless they advertise on the platform. It leads to Amazon paying Melania Trump an irrational for her biography, thinking that we are now full kleptocrat. And the lack of separation of business and state is really not as important, but right up there with the importance of separation of church and state. Because in the 30s, Hitler basically said to corporations, if you support me and give me money, I'll bust the unions. And they became sort of intertwined until we lost kind of. They lost sort of any difference. It is a key step to fascist is when corporations are bullied into supporting one group and then unfortunately, because the other group decides to engage in fair play, the incentives are to support the autocrat.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. Can I add something? Just today before we're on, Apple said it will create 20,000 jobs and open a new manufacturing facility in Houston as part of more than $500 billion investment in the United States. They're opening. This Texas plant, assembles servers previously manufactured outside the US this is according to the Washington Post, they're expanding data center capacity, et cetera. Now, just so you're aware, this is part of a thing that they announced in 2021 where it would spend $430 billion and add 20,000 jobs in the United States over five years. So it's an overlap with the latest announcement. I'm not really clear, but it feels a lot. He met with Trump last week and he's. And this is obviously a version of that. Whatever, we'll see.

[Scott Galloway]

I understand the rationalization that okay, this sucks, but your. Aw, shucks, I hate to be here, but I gotta be here. It's still cowardice. It might be lowercase cowardice. You might be able to justify it by saying, I'm a fiduciary for shareholders. But for the last 20 years, you have been claiming that you're a fiduciary for stakeholders. And American rule of law and decency and democracy is what got you so fucking rich in the first place. And if business leaders who control two thirds of the economy don't step up and say enough at the expense of their own pocketbooks and quite frankly, their shareholders, we are going to be rolling over on this march to fascism. And at some point, I'd like to think there's a business leader out there. I don't know if it's Jamie Dimon. I don't know if it's one of these tech leaders. Who stands up and says, no, we are going to do what's right. We are not going to be bullied into supporting any political candidate, and if it hurts our shareholder values, so be it. But what is the point, Tim Cook, of being a multi billionaire and claiming that privacy is a basic human right? Well, okay, how do feel about democracy? Okay, Sam Altman, in your hushed tones, worried about the safety of the world and concerned about AI? Well, are you concerned about America? Because you are being used as a little fucking bitch and you are enabling it. At some point on his deathbed, Jeff Bezos is going to go, I had all the yachts, I had all the thongs. Was I an American? Is that thought perhaps going to haunt you on your deathbed? Did I stand up? Did I answer the call? Okay, maybe I would have been worth 90 billion instead of 120 billion, and maybe my shareholders would have been angry. But I think that's gonna be a really good look when you get towards the end that you were the guy or one of the guys, and we're still looking for this guy. Because let's be clear, they're all men. We're still waiting for one of them to stand up and say, I'm not going to be a brick in the fascist wall. And my guess is that is going to play really well. History is going to look on you and say, good for you. Yeah, it cost you 10 or 20 billion of your 100 billion in wealth. I think that's a really good trade right now. But the corruption of the domino of cowardice here is in full speed and in full light of day in corporate America, especially among big tech. Who is going to step up here and say no? That's my speech.

[Kara Swisher]

Thank you. I love it. I love the whole thing. Speech. Sing it, sister. I like it. I like the whole thing. Anyway, I agree with Scott 100%. They're a bunch of wimps. And please read my paperback. Coming out soon. A burn book where I add a chapter saying, thus, what a bunch of. They have just. They're such selfish pricks. Selfish pricks and boss dicks, that's what they are. Everything has come around to you, Scott Galloway. Dicks. Dick sticks. Dicks as far as the eye can see. Anyway, we want to hear from you. Send us your questions about business, tech or whatever's on your mind. Go to nymag.com pivots submit a question for the show or call 85551, pivot. And all you Dan Bongino listeners, come on over to Pivot. And we'll serve you much better. Anyway, now that he's. Whatever he's doing elsewhere in the Scott and Kara universe, I talk with comedian Ronnie Chang for the latest episode of on with Kara Swisher. Let's listen. You don't want to be an edgelord, Ronnie? No, I don't be an Edge Lord, no. I think there's, you know, and that's a real shame.

[Scott Galloway]

Right.

[Kara Swisher]

I think a lot of complex comedy. I think what has happened is that there's been a lot of really funny, edgy comics who've managed to find a niche on the Internet. And I think, unfortunately, what has happened is that they've kind of inspired a lot of these copycat like, people who watch what they do, and they. Because when you're good at it, you make it look easy, and so you inspire all these kind of, quite frankly, untalented, like, angry edge. Lordy. People who watch edgy comedy and they think that they're. They think, oh, that's what it is. I can do it. Comedy is just about saying the most you could say in any given situation, but they miss the nuance and they miss the art and they miss the, you know, they miss the. The. The underlying ability. Yeah. Anyway, it was a great name. He says, hi, Scott. He loves you.

[Scott Galloway]

Hi. Oh, thanks. That's nice. He's a very thoughtful guy.

[Kara Swisher]

He is. I'm having a lot more comics on because I just can't take any more shit. So I like.

[Scott Galloway]

That's a good idea.

[Kara Swisher]

You know what? They're great guests. They're really smart. That was a really amazing insight into what's happening.

[Scott Galloway]

Higher propensity of depression also.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, I know.

[Scott Galloway]

I'm having the big handsome. I'm trying to get. Actually, I'm trying to get the big handsome guy on. He has a book out called Lucky Loser.

[Kara Swisher]

What big handsome guy?

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, he's like a big handsome. He always wears Tommy Bahama. He's dreamy.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, okay. All right. Get him all on.

[Scott Galloway]

Speaking of which, have you watched Reacher on Amazon?

[Kara Swisher]

I love Reacher. Of course. I love the original Tom Cruise movies, and I watch it on Amazon. Absolutely.

[Scott Galloway]

But I'm so fascinated by what it says about America. It used to be that the heroes were especially skilled or amazing fighters or super smart. Now it's just. I'm just so fucking big. I can solve every problem.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, I know, I know.

[Scott Galloway]

Just with size. But, you know, what's out now? You know, it comes out. Episode two came out today or last night. I'll give you two hints White and Lotus.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, yeah, I haven't. I gotta get into that. I know you love those guys.

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, it's so good.

[Kara Swisher]

Is it okay?

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, my God, it's so, so good.

[Kara Swisher]

Anyway, that's the show. We'll be back on Friday. Scott read us out.

[Scott Galloway]

Today's show was produced by Lauren Amen, Zoe Marcus and Taylor Griffin. Ernie Andershad engineered this episode. Thanks also to Drew Burrows, Mia Sivera on Dan Schulan. Nishad Kurwa is Vox Media's executive producer of audio. Make sure you subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening to Pivot from your magazine, 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 care. Have a great rest of the week.