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- [00:01]
Kara Swisher
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.
- [00:31]
Scott Galloway
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.
- [01:05]
Kara Swisher
Support for the show comes from User testing. Your brand is only as strong as the decisions you make behind it. User Testing's Human insight engine helps marketing, product and business leaders make smarter, faster decisions with real human feedback. AI driven insights and the world's strongest participant network. Equip your team with the power to validate every decision co innovate at scale and build digital and in person experiences with confidence. The best brands don't guess, they test. See how@usertesting.com pivot.
- [01:38]
Scott Galloway
I'm sure there are lesbians who have cybertrucks, but I'm not speaking to them anymore. Hi everyone, this is Pivot from New York Magazine and the Vox Media podcast network.
- [01:48]
Kara Swisher
I'm Kara Swisher and I heard you're going on vacation.
- [01:51]
Scott Galloway
I am. Just for a few short days.
- [01:54]
Kara Swisher
I don't think I've ever known you to go on a vacation.
- [01:56]
Scott Galloway
I know, I know. Amanda required it. He didn't require it. Actually, my two younger kids have different vacations because they're at different schools and this was the only crossover. And then Louie's coming too. Alex just recently went on his own vacation, so he's not coming. He's got school. But yeah, I know I'm gonna not do anything for four days, which is probably not true, but I'll probably be talking to you.
- [02:21]
Kara Swisher
Well, you may be too old for this to really have an impact on you, but my wife claims that she just loves to fuck on vacation, which was kind of a weird postcard to get Death.
- [02:34]
Scott Galloway
Go. Oh, my God. Where are you coming up with all these bad jokes? Did you get a joke book?
- [02:39]
Kara Swisher
That's good. It's called the Internet. What is the Internet for other than watching videos?
- [02:44]
Scott Galloway
I know, I know, I know. But lately there's been five or six really tracking jokes.
- [02:48]
Kara Swisher
Tracking the slow descent into fascism and funny jokes. That's it.
- [02:51]
Scott Galloway
Yeah, that's true. That's true.
- [02:53]
Kara Swisher
I am so pissed off. I believe I'm that dad. I send at least two dozen ridiculously hilarious memes to my sons every day. And I will see. I will wake. I will get up at 2 in the morning and find out that they still have not seen them, much less respondent. They don't even open or look at my memes anymore.
- [03:12]
Scott Galloway
No text. You text them. My sons don't pay attention. Oh, I didn't read your text. I didn't read your text as a one.
- [03:17]
Kara Swisher
How can you not read a text?
- [03:18]
Scott Galloway
I agree. I don't even understand.
- [03:20]
Kara Swisher
What if the house is on fire?
- [03:21]
Scott Galloway
I know that. Well, you wouldn't text that, would you? Would you text that?
- [03:25]
Kara Swisher
I don't know. I thought about it.
- [03:27]
Scott Galloway
Probably call anyways.
- [03:29]
Kara Swisher
Are you staying? What's the. Is it the Four Seasons of the Ritz Carlton?
- [03:33]
Scott Galloway
No, we rented an Airbnb by the ocean and so it's near El Yunque. Amanda loves Puerto Rico. I went there as a kid. I haven't been there in a long time. It's a beautiful place. And so it's near. It's on the beach and it's near the beautiful rainforest there. So we're gonna go hiking. Get Louis to cook, obviously. Cause he's. He's now the babysitter and cook for the situation and just relax for just a few days. It's just not very long. But I need it. I think I finally.
- [04:00]
Kara Swisher
Oh, you've needed it for a few years.
- [04:02]
Scott Galloway
Yes. I haven't vacationed in a long time. When I vacation, I don't vacation for people who need to understand this. I don't take time off.
- [04:08]
Kara Swisher
I'm pretty much on an extended vacation. I'm not exaggerating. I think I vacation arguably like 15 to 20 weeks a year, and I'm planning to increase it.
- [04:16]
Scott Galloway
Yeah, I know that. I'm aware. I'm aware of the entire thing. We're gonna have some guest hosts in a few weeks. Because actually, you're doing a thing with your kid. That's different. That's a little different.
- [04:24]
Kara Swisher
College tour.
- [04:25]
Scott Galloway
College tour. Oh, my God.
- [04:26]
Kara Swisher
Where are we going to next? That you have absolutely no chance of getting in.
- [04:30]
Scott Galloway
No, don't say that. It's hard to get in. But actually I heard Harvard was off, like in terms of applications.
- [04:35]
Kara Swisher
Harvard. Oh my God. But you know, by the way, can we just, can we just talk for a moment about Harvard?
- [04:41]
Scott Galloway
Yes.
- [04:41]
Kara Swisher
Okay, sure. Harvard puts out this ridiculously, this virtue signaling of all virtually Wokistan meets total virtue signaling bullshit. Okay? They announced that anyone, any family that makes less than $200,000 has free tuition. Well, aren't they just fucking amazing? But here's the thing. I think I did the math, okay? So you have about 1500 students, I bet maybe a third come from families that make less than $200,000. And of those, they would have gotten some financial aid. So call it, call it. I don't know, 500 kids are going to get a $50,000 benefit. And that's being really, really generous. I think it comes out to about 20 or $25 million. Yeah, okay.
- [05:25]
Scott Galloway
It's not that big a deal.
- [05:26]
Kara Swisher
So they have a $53 billion endowment. If it's matching the market, it's doing about 4 billion a year. So they've decided to step up and give a whopping, what is that, a whopping half a percent and put out a press release rather than taking some of that $52 billion and stop acting like rejectionist, exclusionary, self important jurors and expand the number. And it is, it makes things even worse because this is what's happening in America. If you're the son of somebody who's rich or the daughter of someone who's rich or freakishly fucking remarkable, you not only get into an amazing university, you get to go for free, but the rest, the other 99.9% of America gets arbed down to a mediocre school that doesn't have a $53 billion endowment. This is nothing but making everything worse in terms of income inequality. And yet they have the fucking nads to put out a thing, acting as if they're doing the world a service. Here's what you do, folks. You take some of that $52 billion end and you make your freshman class bigger than what a good Starbucks serves you.
- [06:26]
Scott Galloway
I would agree, except for your obsession with woke ast colleges because I think they're mostly beaten down by now. So I think we can move along on that issue. I think that has been.
- [06:35]
Kara Swisher
Oh, I don't think so.
- [06:36]
Scott Galloway
Okay. In any case, a lot of colleges do do this for people who don't know. It's not a new and fresh Idea from Harvard, that was the thing I was not aware of and it is true. And if you make under a certain amount, you get the whole thing free. Right? That was. If you get in. If you get in.
- [06:53]
Kara Swisher
Pricing at elite universities is the following. There's the sticker price, which is for foreign students and rich people so they can charge them a ridiculous amount of money and almost everybody else does not pay the sticker price. And the problem with these elite universities that hoard this amazing drug called higher education is that they have so much money that it means absolutely nothing for the. If you get into Princeton or Harvard, it doesn't matter how much money. If you have enough money, then. Then don't worry about it. If you don't, you will absolutely get financial aid. It's the other 99% of our youth that has to go to a university that doesn't have these enormous endowments that has to go into student debt, end up with a degree in philosophy from a Joey bag of donuts university that they can't not only pay off, but is one of the few, few forms of debt that is not dischargeable in bankruptcy. And they want to put out a press release acting like, we'll fucking smell you, Harvard. Aren't you. Aren't you good people?
- [07:48]
Scott Galloway
Okay, you know, I'm going to Puerto Rico. Did I tell you?
- [07:51]
Kara Swisher
Oh, yeah, sorry. Go ahead.
- [07:51]
Scott Galloway
Really fun. I'm going to.
- [07:52]
Kara Swisher
Go ahead. Lot of sunblock. Lot of sunbloc.
- [07:54]
Scott Galloway
Sunblock. Sunblock. They are also under siege by the government right now.
- [07:58]
Kara Swisher
Under siege. Under siege. Yeah, they're.
- [08:01]
Scott Galloway
Come on, stop it. Trump is acting like a total asshole. Anyway, we've got a lot to get to today, including more presidential power grabs, the Chinese EV company putting Tesla on blast, and the fast fashion war claims its latest victim. By the way, I had a little text thing with Jessica. Jess Tarlov. She'll come to Paris with me. I'm just saying.
- [08:20]
Kara Swisher
Yeah, you too. She's.
- [08:21]
Scott Galloway
She's. I'm gonna take. I'm gonna steal you from her. I can't steal her from you.
- [08:26]
Kara Swisher
You guys have a little bit of a crush on her.
- [08:28]
Scott Galloway
Really?
- [08:28]
Kara Swisher
Yeah. Yeah. No, you guys seem to like each other.
- [08:31]
Scott Galloway
Okay, all right. Okay. No, I just like her. She was teasing. She goes, I can't believe you weren't gonna. Now, you know that there was a movie where all the people who had affairs with the guy got together and took revenge on him. It's with Cameron Diaz and. Oh, my God, what's that movie called? Anyway, that's. What's Happening here. All your exes are getting together and we're gonna take revenge on you. Wow.
- [08:50]
Kara Swisher
We could fit all those people in a closet.
- [08:52]
Scott Galloway
That is correct.
- [08:53]
Kara Swisher
That a line is long of lovers of the dog. I know that's right. In any case.
- [08:59]
Scott Galloway
In any case, almost all of them.
- [09:01]
Kara Swisher
Still have their teeth. Yeah, yeah.
- [09:02]
Scott Galloway
Okay. Anyway, let's bring it back. All right. First, speaking of losing, the judiciary is really pushing back on Donald Trump. Chief Justice John Roberts clapping back against President Trump. Earlier this week, Trump called for the impeachment of a district judge who'd ruled against him over the deportation of Venezuelans, which led Roberts to issue a very rare response. Let me read part of it. For more than two centuries been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose. It's a little bit weak sauce, but there was one GOP representative introduced articles of impeachment against the judge. Let's listen to what President Trump had to say about it on Laura Ingraham. We have bad judges. We have very bad judges. And these are judges that shouldn't be allowed. I think at a certain point you have to start looking at what do you do when you have a rogue judge. The judge that we're talking about, he's. You look at his other rulings, I mean, rulings unrelated, but having to do with me. He's a lunatic. This is what he said about every judge who deals with him. This is just a typical thing he does is insults the judges. Anyway. According to his sworn filing in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, many of those deported did not have criminal records. It's really quite amazing. They just grab people. He's lost, I think six times with judges. So again, appellate courts are the way you win here. Donald Trump, you tend not to win because what you do is illegal. But anyway, this is a major showdown, I think, between Trump and the Supreme Court. And he's setting up a real fight with the Supreme Court because all of these are going to eventually get to the Supreme Court. Any thoughts?
- [10:44]
Kara Swisher
Well, this is, I think probably one of the most significant historical events happened. Kind of. It got some coverage, but I don't think people realized how important it was. And that is, the White House essentially defied a court order and let those planes carrying the people they wanted deported, some of whom had done nothing but had the wrong tattoo. And then they created what I think is basically a Republican snuff film. Did you see the video of them being dragged off planes?
- [11:11]
Scott Galloway
Yeah, that was by the guy who runs El Salvador, who seems like an asshole. I think that was his. With the music. I think he put them up.
- [11:19]
Kara Swisher
I mean, El Salvador is a really interesting situation. What's happened there? But that's another talk show. But effectively, if the White House is going to ignore court orders, the question is, well, okay, what power does the judiciary or the court have if they start violating court orders? And what the power they have is, they could say, all right, if you carry out these, if, if you actively are the individuals defying these court orders, we can put you in jail or fine you, but the problem is the president can then pardon them. So if you have. We're in uncharted territories. Look, we have a criminal as president, and this is a convicted felon, someone who appears to have absolutely no regard for the law, who's set or seems comfortable carving up the world with another mob boss, another autocrat who is now defying court orders. And if he has the power of the pardon and can threaten judges and appears to be comfortable defying court orders, then, folks, it might feel good, right? A decent number of Democrats and Republicans have both said in polls they'd be comfortable with an autocrat as long as he or she agreed with their views. All right, Just wait until that knock on the door comes for you and your nephew or your outspoken friend on politics is kind of disappeared, is shipped off, is put on a plane to somewhere where they don't, aren't protected by the law, is incarcerated without due process, has their livelihood taken away and has no recourse. I mean, it's really interesting. They are doing exactly what they said they would do. When he said, I will concede the election if I win, that was a blatant, I'm going to be an autocrat. And everyone is like, oh, isn't that funny? Isn't that cute? He doesn't really mean it. He's pretty much done everything he said he was going to do. But if the courts are neutered by the power of the pardon, or a president or an administration supported by one party that controls Congress says it's okay to violate court orders, we're essentially done.
- [13:30]
Scott Galloway
Well, I think that's why Roberts did that. He's issuing a warning because he's lost in the Supreme Court several times recently, especially because of Amy Coney Barrett and Roberts together with the liberal wing of the party. It keeps being five, four. And I think that he doesn't seem to the Supreme Court orders he has yet to over not do. The issue is he's also the enforcer of these things. And JD Vance keeps quoting Andrew Jackson. Let him enforce it. If he wants to say this, let him enforce it. What was also really, this is what he's doing. And what he's doing is he's raising. He goes, you can't do that. However, we have bad judges. The only judge he likes is Eileen Cannon and who does whatever he wants, right? Anything that's for him. And she's an incompetent judge essentially. But she gets to stay there until they remove her and she can be overturned on appellate court. And that's the whole system, which is what Roberts was talking about. But we'll see how far he goes here. He's already gone very, very far down the line. And his little handmaidens to sedition like Laura Ingraham are really disturbing. It's a disturbing thing to agree that you're gonna attack judges now in other countries where they've TR the guys typically they don't win. The courts tend to win. But we'll see, we'll see what happens.
- [14:51]
Kara Swisher
Look what's going on in Hungary. I mean Viktor Orban, who's sort of the role model or the idol here for how Trump is executing his presidential powers. There's enormous protests in Hungary, which is actually really hopeful.
- [15:07]
Scott Galloway
I do too. I see the future of the GOP right here. Right here it is. You can only do so much. We'll see what happens. And I think Roberts is a critically important character even though most people think he's a limp noodle. But he did that and for him that was like screaming. I think I believe according to lawyers, I know and by the way, Trump is lost and lost and lost yesterday, particularly over and over and over again.
- [15:28]
Kara Swisher
But the question then becomes, does that mean anything when you lose? If they just stop? If they just start ignoring those Gore decisions.
- [15:36]
Scott Galloway
Right. I think he has started to not ignore them on some things and the others they play fast and cute. Especially that border czar, Tom Homan. What a clown. Well, he looks like he's enjoying a cocktail or two when he speaks to the press, but he says we'll do what we want. He seems so dumb and a clown. Anyway, President Trump just fired, by the way, the two Democratic members of the ftc. Which is very illegal, saying their services is inconsistent with my administration's policies. That's right. Cuz they're Democrats. Just for people to know, the FTC typically has five members with the President's party holding three of those seats. They're seven year terms. You can't fire them, except for gross incompetence, not inconsistent with my administration's policies. That's the whole point of having two members be from a different party. The two fired Democrats, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, who I know very well, and Alvara Bedoya, plan to challenge Trump's decision in court. Obviously, Bedoya told the New York Times, when people hear the news, they need not think about me. They need to think about the billionaires behind the president and his inauguration. And that's exactly what this is. This is a payback to the people who sat on the front row. FTC is investigating all of these companies. Whether you agree with them or not, they'll lose in court if they don't have a good case again. And the guy who runs the FTC is such an unctuous toady. Andrew Ferguson, let me name him. You're an unctuous toady. To allow these people, they're going to have a dominance. They need to add one more person to the ftc, but they're gonna have a dominance anyway. So I don't know why they need to do this, but it really does. It feels like payback to everybody standing up there at Trump, all the tech billionaires in terms of antitrust cases and everything else. Even if you didn't agree with Lina Khan, that's the whole point here is the person the party in power gets to decide. And this is just a wholesale give away to the billionaires again.
- [17:37]
Kara Swisher
Once again, yeah, you have essentially what people, or what Democrats have failed to do is connect antitrust with lower inflation. And that is, it's no accident that Google announced they were going to acquire. It was called Wiz, a company last year and the FTC and DOJ said, we have some concerns, and they called it off. And what just happened? The Wiz filed to go public. Now, had Biden been reelected or, excuse me, Harris been elected, it's likely that Wiz would have gone public and Google would have had a competitor, which would have meant that enterprises that use these products would have had more options, which results in competition, which results in lower prices. But because Trump was elected, the ofTC and the DOJ have effectively have an entirely different complexion now in terms of the bar, or how high the bar needs to be to file an action to block a merger and acquisition. And what do you know, Google came back and said, let's acquire this company. So under the Biden administration, you know, last year was a record low for M and A, but you're going to see a lot. You're Going to see a further consolidation of power. And one of the biggest issues facing our economy is really boring. You know, it's the boring stuff that moves the needle. And it's the fact that across everything from home renovations to chicken to things like fertilizer, much less digital media, there are a small handful of companies that control the entire market. And the result is in concentrated industries they can charge higher rents on corporations and on consumers. So if you want, I mean it sounds really boring, but if you want inflation to come down over the medium and the long term, you want a really robust FTC and DOJ and they're no longer that they're basically there to say okay. Jonathan Kanter, who I had on the podcast was more optimistic. He said that a lot of people still at the FTC and the DOJ are not exactly. They're not just going to roll over, especially the doj. We still haven't been able to effectively on the left communicate that M and A while it feels like capitalism and it's more macho and get out of the way of companies. There are a surprise. We have seven companies basically driving the stock market right now.
- [19:53]
Scott Galloway
Google bought the Wiz for $32 billion. For people who don't know, it's a security cloud company. Cloud security.
- [19:59]
Kara Swisher
I think it's the biggest acquisition ever.
- [20:00]
Scott Galloway
It is, it's enormous. So it really is anti competitive because it's one of the most fast growing software companies in the world right now. So it's taking out again a really a robust competitor, which is really something.
- [20:17]
Kara Swisher
Well, when companies. So it sounds okay, it's their biggest acquisition ever, it's only a one and a half percent dilution to their stock price. They have a $2 trillion market cap, they can make a $30 billion acquisition. I mean these companies are just so enormous and have so much capital that they can, I mean quite frankly they could afford to buy this and they're not going to do it here, but they could afford to buy this and do an acro kill and just kill it if they were bothering them. Because a 1.5% dilution of the stock price, it's just not, quite frankly, $32 billion is a lot of money. A dilution of 1.5% of your outstanding stock is not. And these companies, these big companies have such an advantage because the reality is if they see sort of strategic reason whatsoever to acquire a company, no one else can compete. There's a small handful of companies that have multi trillion dollar market caps that you just can't. It's like when the kingdom decides they're bidding on the World cup, no other bidder even shows up because every other country was like, why bother? Why even go through the hassle of finding the former governor of the province of Brazil or whatever, putting together a team, putting together a group of people, putting our best foot forward. Why even bother when we know the kingdom is showing up? And if one of these players shows up for an acquisition, it's over, it's over, it's done.
- [21:41]
Scott Galloway
FTC Chairperson Ferguson, again, unctuous Toady is his new nickname, posted a statement on X saying he had no doubts about Trump's constitutional authority to remove commissioners. Oh my God. It literally says he can't remove commissioners. It's so weird. It's like them saying, oh, president, someone met her. MAGA are saying president can stay three terms. And I was like, the 22nd Amendment says you can't. And these people are arguing the Constitution says you can't. Literally the opposite of what it says they say. And it's so irritating. Senator Maria Cantwell and Amy Klobuchar, by the way, who serve on the committees that oversee the ftc, even though they don't have power right now. President Trump's dismissal of Commissioner Slaughter and Bedoya not only illegal, but also hurts consumers by undermining an independent agency that Congress established to protect consumers from fraud, scams and monopoly power. Now the FTC is moving forward with its Meta lawsuits, he said. Ferguson said they're gonna move forward with Meta, but we'll see. We'll see. I think that's probably their strongest case. And again, they can move forward with these things and if they lose, they lose, Right? So we'll see how much they're gonna forward. So I guess Mark Zuckerberg's appearance didn't help, as the others, essentially. Anyway, let's go on a quick break. When we come back, Starlink gets installed at the White House. Even worse. God, it just gets worse and worse. Support for Pivot comes from Deleteme. It's pretty safe for me to assume that your personal information is accessible online. And no, I'm not just talking about your name or your pictures of the year you graduated high school. I'm talking about even more sensitive information. And a lot of that data can be collected and sold to the highest bidders by data brokers, which can lead to identity theft, phishing attempts, harassment, unwanted spam calls and more. But Deleteme wants to help you protect your privacy. Deleteme is a hands free data removal service that will monitor or remove the personal information you don't want on the Internet. I've been using DeleteMe for a while now. I have to say I am still shocked by how much of my personal information is on the Internet and how it's collected and especially someone like me who knows a lot about privacy and a lot about the these issues. Well, you can take control of your data and keep your privately private by signing up at Deleteme now at a special discount for our listeners. Get 20% off your Delete Me plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com pivot and use the promo code PIVOT at checkout. The only way to get 20% off is to go to JoinDeleteMe.com pivot and enter code pivot at checkout. That's JoinDeleteMe.com pivot CodePivot.
- [24:15]
Kara Swisher
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.
- [24:46]
Scott Galloway
Support for today's show comes from Chevrolet. Whether it's a quick jaunt or a long journey, no matter where you're going, the all electric Equinox EV allows you to travel with confidence, comfort and connectivity. Equinox EV comes equipped with a standard 17.7 inch diagonal color display touchscreen, making it the largest center screen among EVs in its class. Its sleek lines and a commanding stance define the exterior of Equinox ev, while the no compromises interior has a cargo room and storage that let you do you at a starting price of around $34,995. Equinox EV a vehicle you know value you'd expect and a dealer right down the street. You can go EV without changing a thing. Learn more@chevy.com Equinox EV based on latest competitive data, the manufacturer's suggested retail price excludes tax, title, license, dealer fees and optional equipment. Dealer sets final price Scott, we're back. Starlink is now accessible at the White House. White House officials said the move was an effort to increase Internet availability, saying some areas of property couldn't get self service. This is nonsense. The system was reportedly routed through the White House Data center officials said Starlink donated the service and the gift was vetted by lawyers overseeing ethics issues at the White House Counsel's office. So many tech types I talked to say this is dangerous. It's like, like putting Putin's listening device in the White House. But that might already be there in the form of the president. So I don't know. What do you think? It's also ethically ridiculous.
- [26:21]
Kara Swisher
Well, it's more just sort of the White House is turning into a giant infomercial for its political allies. But in addition, I think it's stupid of SpaceX and Starlink. Starlink. I absolutely love Starlink. I think it's an amazing product. It's a superior product and its competitors all of a sudden have seen their stock prices surge and have access to capital to potentially at some and be a competitor. I think Jeff Bezos, I think everyone is eyeing this space going, these guys have created an opening because of Musk's kind of overt political activity. I'm now thinking how do I get rid of or how do I not use Starlink? And I just think this is a dumb move for them. He is alienating 52% of the population overnight with his products. And I just want to give a shout out to me, I sold my Tesla before it was cool three years ago and I don't know if you saw the Senator Kelly just made a big deal of him selling his Tesla. This is next Starlink. They basically decided to politicize this product. And I think just on an economic level, shareholders, SpaceX is one of the most actively traded and most valuable private companies on the secondary market. It's also also responsible now for the majority. It's the largest source of wealth now for Musk because he owns so much of it and it's an incredible product, but it looks like it's going to go the same way of Tesla and that is it's attracting a ton of competition. People will catch up and then people given sort of a coin flip or a tiebreaker will opt for the company that's not run by someone whose politics they don't agree with. So I think it's a stupid move.
- [28:07]
Scott Galloway
I just don't know why they the security issue issues to me or whatever. They can get whatever they want from this guy, the Russians, but you can imagine this creates a more porous environment, which is maybe the point. Another thing they're doing, besides making us less secure is also from a technical point of view, is removing information from websites all over the government that mentions people and there's two things that really stood out. The first, the HHS has removed the Surgeon General's advisory on gun violence from its website. Spokesperson for the agency said the content was moved to comply with Trump's executive order to protect Second Amendment rights. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the US Also recently removed. This was heinous. Articles about Native American code talkers have been removed from some military websites having been labeled dei. The Navajo code talkers aided America's victory at Iwo Jima. Historically critically important group of people who did this. And I think they're removing all kinds of things that, that, well, some words don't work and they end up removing the wrong thing because they have a list of fucking words that don't work. Instead of going through this kind of thing, they just do this wholesale cut and paste essentially. Replacing this information is going to be very difficult over time because it will be replaced eventually. But between the firearms and these code talkers, I feel like I'm living in 1984. In the book 1984, I don't know how you feel this is.
- [29:34]
Kara Swisher
I mean again, it's difficult to know where to focus because the hits keep on coming. But as you reference, number one source of death for children in the United States, past accidents, cancer, drowning, drug poisonings, is now firearms. And as someone who left the US 18 or 2 and a half years ago, I'm just telling you a free gift with purchase living in the UK is you don't have these horror fantasies involving gun deaths or mass shooters. And yeah, you talk about that. 54% of US adults report that either they or a family member have experienced a firearm related incident. One in five have a family member who was killed by a firearm, including suicide. And then going back to. I always like to ground everything in a personal parable. When I sold my first company profit that there was a like a 20 year anniversary of the company. I started a company when I was 26 and me and the other co founder were not invited. The CEO wanted it to be all about him. Fine, okay, how about it? And we used to joke that we were like that we were living in a fascist state and we were Trotsky being erased from photos. And even we heard about them showing up to clients and referring to themselves as the founders. Like we were literally erased from the scrolls of history from this company, despite the fact that we had had hired everybody that was now claiming they were the founders. And to go back in history and say to the two and a Half million African Americans that registered for the draft. The 1 million African Americans that fought in World War II. The 33,000 Japanese Americans who fought mostly in the European theater, despite the fact that maybe their parents had been sent to confinement camps. 120,000Americans of Japanese ancestors history, and then to not at least nod that many of them served In World War II. There was 20,000 Chinese Americans. There were 44,000 Native Americans. Somewhere between 5 and 10% of the entire indigenous population fought in World War II. A quarter of a million Filipino Americans, 400,000 Hispanic Americans. And to not acknowledge that is to not acknowledge one of the great. One of the great victories, one of the great civil rights advancements in American history that makes our military so. The US Military, I believe, is the most impressive organization in history. And across many of its achievements and many of its victories, it was also a tremendous means of progress in civil rights. Because there's something about wearing the same uniform and being dependent upon the guy or the gal next to you that has a tendency to make you look at each other for your character and your skills and nothing else. And the armed services have been an outstanding means of progress for special interest groups. And to remove their commitment and their sacrifice, it's just so un American. And it basically.
- [32:35]
Scott Galloway
It's petty and it's cruel and it's weird. It's just weird. It's just so weird. I mean, especially these. Now, the gun stuff is beyond belief. It's just a fact. And I think what's really, you know, obviously it's yet another attempt, like with the judges. This has a theme. Everybody. You remove the judges, you remove information. You only tell people. I don't think it works at all. I honestly don't. I think people are sick and tired of this, and they get it. And Americans are a uniquely difficult group of people. And so I don't think it works. I don't think it holds. I think in other countries, sometimes it does, but in this one, I think people get furious about. Especially stuff like this. I mean, literally, just to. They have one issue with DEI and they cannot. Cannot stop. That's the thing. They cannot stop with one or two things. They've got to completely erase everything, especially this cut and paste of words like they. I forget what. They took out some dumb thing and. But that's beyond belief. This is. This, to me, is ridiculous. And everyone. Everyone knows that gun violence kills kids. That's it. There's. I don't care how many things they take down. Everybody knows. And everyone's aware of it. And they will pay the price here for going overboard on almost everything.
- [33:45]
Kara Swisher
Well, we hope. We hope they'll pay the price.
- [33:47]
Scott Galloway
I think they will pay the price.
- [33:47]
Kara Swisher
So far they. So far they haven' we keep hoping and waiting. But just back to the erasing people from photos of history and a really positive part of our history. You go into Puerto Rico, 53,000 Puerto Ricans fought in World War II.
- [34:01]
Scott Galloway
I love all your stats, Scott.
- [34:03]
Kara Swisher
400,000 Hispanic Americans, including 350,000 Mexican Americans. These are people who came here, felt really fortunate to be a part of this great experiment called America and decided to put themselves, you know, and risk bodily harm to serve in a uniform to fight for the rights of all Americans. And we're erasing them from history. It's very strange and self defeating. And how likely are people going to be to raise their hand and say, I will fight for my country, thinking that at some point my contribution might be starts from history? It's very disappointing to say the least.
- [34:44]
Scott Galloway
And it's very typical. It's not a surprise. I think karma's a bitch. I think putting people in jail that never had a criminal record without due process, everything is, karma's gonna be such a bitch here. I just believe that because it's one thing after the next where injustice happens. And so we'll see. Let's go on a quick break. We come back, we'll talk about BYD's big breakthrough. Support for this show comes from Smartsheet. You know that feeling you get when you're so into a task that the world around you goes quiet? Maybe you're out for a run and start feeling like you're flying. Or maybe you're playing the guitar and an hour zip by. Or maybe you're so focused on a work desk you actually forget it's work this time. Stopping world quieting Focused feeling is called flow. In today's workplace, that state of flow is very hard to come by. There are all those different applications you have to toggle between, calls that could have been emails, and no one central place where you can tackle all your tasks. Except there is such a place. Smartsheet. Smartsheet is the work management platform where work progresses smoothly and efficiently, enabling teams to operate at their peak. Smartsheet isn't just a tool. It's a place where teams can operate in a state of flow no matter the scale or complexity of their work. Let time stop, let the world fall away. Smartsheet can handle the rest. Smartsheet where workflows visit smartsheet.com today to learn more.
- [36:07]
Kara Swisher
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- [37:12]
Scott Galloway
This episode is brought to you by Lifelock. It's tax season and we're all a bit tired of numbers, but here's one you need to hear. $16.5 billion. That's how much the IRS flagged for possible identity fraud last night. Year. Now here's a good number. 100 million. That's how many data points Lifelock monitors every second. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it. Guaranteed. Save up to 40% your first year@lifelock.com podcast terms apply. Scott we're back. Chinese EV company BYD is promoting a new fast charging technology that can allegedly add 250 mile range in a 5 minute charge. Woo. I was very excited about this. The new battery and charging system be used in BYD's next generation vehicles. The company plans to build more than 4000 ultra fast chargers across China. This puts BYD well ahead of Tesla whose Supercharger is currently at around 170 miles on a range of range for a 15 minute charge. It takes longer than that. Just so you know, BYD shares hit record high yesterday on the news. The company is up more than 50% for the year with a $160 billion market cap as Tesla is down 30 some percent. 37%. It goes up and down, but it's mostly 30% for the is this Tesla's deep seek moment? Tesla stock is currently headed for its nine straight weekly loss it's now 53% below all time highs. Statistically, everybody's gaining, including us, makers of EVs all over the place. And Tesla is losing market share. And of course there's the protests that go on across the country. Attorney General. But he's trying to get an assist from. Attorney General Pam Bondi is labeling recent attacks on Tesla dealerships an act of domestic terrorism directed at Elon Musk. Musk, who was weeping about it on Fox News, saying he's only done lovely things for people his whole life and he's never been violent. Well, fine, he's created a situation where people die, but that's whatever you say. Elon Bondi said in a statement that the DOJ will investigate these incidents and pose severe consequences on the people involved. There's definitely an organized protest across, interestingly, by the person paying for it is the wife of Steve Jervison, who is Elon's pal. The ex wife, who's a big Democratic donor is helping, helping get these things organized, these protests, which is perfectly within the rights of her and the protesters to do. Obviously not within the rights are violence, but they're certainly allowed to cause all kinds of ruckuses in front of these places and put up Nazi pictures of Elon and stuff like that. BYD is doing the innovative things Tesla should be doing if its CEO was paying attention. And secondly, if people don't like Elon Musk, they can protest against him. And for the Attorney General to call it domestic terrorism is really beyond the pale. Again, an ad for Elon Musk by the President, his own personal Attorney General.
- [40:09]
Kara Swisher
In the first two months of this year, Tesla sold 60,000 vehicles. BYD sold 481,000. And that represents a 75% increase year on year of BYD and a 14% decline for Tesla. And despite Tesla losing a third of its value in the last month, month, it's still if Tesla trades like other car companies that are growing at the same rate, which is declining now, the majority of car companies are growing faster than Tesla. That puts its stock at about $14 a share. So the notion that somehow Tesla has had some market correction. We haven't even seen a correction around.
- [40:57]
Scott Galloway
Tesla, not compared to what it does. What do you think of Bond Monday doing this and the protests? What do you think of the protests? They continue, they haven't stopped, which is really interesting.
- [41:06]
Kara Swisher
I'm of two minds and that is I don't think people should damage physical property. I joke that whenever I get a Tesla I cancel or I let it Wait outside. I have started canceling when I get Teslas and I try to put it in the notes, although you can on Uber. I don't think people should deface property. I don't think people should feel unsafe in their car. But protests, peaceful protest, is an American right.
- [41:30]
Scott Galloway
We're calling it cybertruck Owner an asshole. If you choose to buy it, I think that's perfectly fine. I think of it.
- [41:36]
Kara Swisher
As long as I don't agree. You buy a cybertruck. I do think there needs to be.
- [41:41]
Scott Galloway
It's such an.
- [41:42]
Kara Swisher
For the benefit of all of us.
- [41:44]
Scott Galloway
I don't do it.
- [41:45]
Kara Swisher
I think we err on the side of civility. Quite frankly, I didn't like it when J.D. vance gets booed on a ski mountain with his family. I. It tickles my sensors. But I think that in America, ideally, you want to err on the side of giving people some grace when they're out in public, including driving their car. I'm turning into an old person.
- [42:05]
Scott Galloway
You are. Because I think that's exactly what it is to be an American. I think Americans do that. I think you pro. I didn't mind when all the Christians went nuts about Disney. They can protest. I didn't love the Nazis.
- [42:16]
Kara Swisher
I'm not saying you can't protest. What I'm saying is if someone is out skiing with their family, if someone is driving a car, I don't think verbally assaulting them or verbally screaming at them, that's your right. I'm not saying it's not legal, but it doesn't mean it's right. And I think one of the nice things about America is that we do have a certain level of comity or respect for each other. I was at a party, an F1 party in Las Vegas, and someone showed up wearing a MAGA hat. And that individual, a woman, was kind of immediately surrounded and people started shouting at her. I did not think that was right either. Either they should be able to wear a MAGA hat. And I think we have to err on the side when we're out in public. Err on the side of civility. You have the right to say things. But calling someone an asshole because they get out of a certain brand of car, we're just a slow burn into an erosion in everyone's quality of life.
- [43:08]
Scott Galloway
I don't know. I think it's sort of a long tradition of the United States doing this. I think you're living in a country that doesn't. I mean, I. You know, I. I just. I feel Like, I don't love a lot of it, but this cybertruck in particular is somewhat offensive to my eyes. And that's probably one of the reasons compared to a lot of cars. But you know, you've been in a, in a line and some dick douche noise drives up in a Ferrari who obviously is just rich and it's compensating and everyone goes like this under the breath, right? Yeah.
- [43:37]
Kara Swisher
But they don't start screaming, hey, you little dick weirdo. They just say, let him, let him or her get his or her coffee and get about their day. I don't trust. True, true, true.
- [43:46]
Scott Galloway
I don't know. I think the protests in front of these Tesla showrooms are fine. I think that's the way you express your.
- [43:54]
Kara Swisher
I agree. I think there's a difference between that and yelling at people while they're going about their day. I don't anyway, stop yelling at you, Scott.
- [44:03]
Scott Galloway
Okay, fine. You want a fine dick dick. Oh, I didn't go.
- [44:09]
Kara Swisher
So I have to pay women to yell at me.
- [44:12]
Scott Galloway
I should do that to you. I, I don't know, Scott. I like your, like, niceness, but I think it's okay if people want to express themselves. I think people get the message. Obviously a lot of people are selling them because they don't like being called.
- [44:22]
Kara Swisher
Yeah, but Kara, there's places in, there's very Republican dominated MAGA loving parts of this country that I think you and I can go to go about our day. And people generally say, I don't agree with their politics. Maybe I don't even think they're. Maybe I even think Kara and Scott are bad for America. But I'm going to let them get on with their day.
- [44:40]
Scott Galloway
See, you live a different life than I've been called a dyke in so many southern states. I can't even tell you.
- [44:44]
Kara Swisher
And that's wrong. And that's wrong.
- [44:46]
Scott Galloway
I'm fine. I'm like, whatever, dude. And I always have a line. They'll say something and I'll go, you're the alternative. And then it tends to shut it down. I always have a line. And I feel like you should be.
- [44:58]
Kara Swisher
Able to have a certain confidence in America. You're going to be able to live your life without worrying about being verbally assaulted or treated with a lack of respect or dignity. That's what you do in a civil society. That's what you do in America.
- [45:11]
Scott Galloway
It would be nice for all of us who aren't some people, but it doesn't happen.
- [45:15]
Kara Swisher
Well, again, I don't have Your lived experience. But don't you generally feel that you're. That you're fairly. You can go about your day and. I mean, is that the case? You really feel like in. In a lot of places.
- [45:26]
Scott Galloway
I don't go. Yeah. I keep telling you this. I feel uncomfortable. I feel like if I say something about my kids or Amanda and I express any affection in public, I'm very worried. And especially comments. It's always comments, comments. And I, you know, I. It's something you think about in the back of your mind. And I think a lot of people. Very different people think about it all the time. Women walking down the street at night. You know, it just is. It's a very different lived experience. But I always have a line back. I always. You know, because I've gotten it so much. I always have, like, are you the alternative? Blah, blah, blah. I have a bunch of them that I do, and it feels like it's like breathing, you know, you endure it all the time. One time, it happens when I was the kids who. You know, who's the Not. Who's the mother? That's another one people loved. Who's the dad? They always like to do that one, which is fine. When I. Dad.
- [46:18]
Kara Swisher
For people driving a certain car and for people of a different sexual orientation, I think that we should shame anyone that gives those people a hard time. I don't.
- [46:27]
Scott Galloway
What about a lesbian in a cybertruck?
- [46:29]
Kara Swisher
There you go.
- [46:29]
Scott Galloway
Why do you do that?
- [46:31]
Kara Swisher
If you'd said a lesbian and a Subaru, I would have said, well, that's redundant.
- [46:34]
Scott Galloway
Yeah, that's true. See, we don't mind. We're fine with that. I don't care. But I'm sure there are lesbians who have cybertrucks, but I'm not speaking to them anymore.
- [46:42]
Kara Swisher
I don't think so.
- [46:43]
Scott Galloway
I don't think. I've never seen a lesbian. And you'd think that would be a car. No, it's a really ugly car. It's just an ugly fucking car. Every time I see it, it offends my eyes. And I don't say anything to them. I think, what an asshole. And they always take up and they always go first at the stop sign, these people, consistently. But I don't yell asshole to them. This Tesla backlash is not gonna stop. And Scott's right. It's gonna extend to Starlink next.
- [47:06]
Kara Swisher
Well, the thing that you gotta be really fearful of is that the LGBT starts a militia and they call themselves Al Gaeda.
- [47:13]
Scott Galloway
Oh, my God, it's militia. Etheridge no, that's right.
- [47:15]
Kara Swisher
Sorry.
- [47:16]
Scott Galloway
That's right. Anyway, Al Qaeda. That's very funny. I like that. So this is one that's sort of in your wheelhouse. Forever 21 filed for bankruptcy this week, the second time in six years. This time putting the blame on fast fashion retailers Temu and Sheehan. In the court filing, Forever 21 noted non US retailers selling products at drastically lower prices made it difficult to retain a core customer base. Company plans to liquidate while looking for a buyer for its business or its assets. Sheehan and Temu are facing their own struggles with Trump's tarot. So he delayed cracking down on the loophole that exempts low cost items from getting taxed. He probably won't delay on it. I don't know. I just think forever 21 sucks. But what do you think here? I just think it sucks. It sucks. And the other two don't. And the other two, they don't even, even if they have advantages in China.
- [48:08]
Kara Swisher
Look, I've said this, that a de minimis loophole that favors foreign retailers over domestic. Fine. I think there's an argument that they should do away with it, create a level playing field. I get that. But forever 21, I group into a group of specialty retailers whose value proposition I would identify is dressing 15 year old girls up, up like slots. I just, I, that I know that there was an entire genre of retailers who literally like send your 15 year old and we'll make her look like a. I mean that's essentially what the fashion was or the genre it was, you know. Anyways, I don't, I would agree.
- [48:47]
Scott Galloway
I had, I, I used to, I, I get some. Even today, a lot of the girls clothes are really questionable. And the boys clothes rock. They're like so cool. They're like so interesting. And the girls clothes are always like, some of them are like, no, no, no, no.
- [49:00]
Kara Swisher
I think it's Instagram. I think it's the algorithm sexualizing your own.
- [49:04]
Scott Galloway
I'm talking about five year olds.
- [49:05]
Kara Swisher
Yeah, but look, there is, I mean if you look at what's happening, and I love this, that if you look at. Over the past 20 years, inflation adjusted clothing prices have dropped about 50% and unit consumption has doubled. And this kind of connects back to antitrust. The clothing and apparel industry is globalized, it's relatively tariff friendly and it's incredibly robust, meaning there's a ton of competition. What does that mean? It means that Americans can buy more at a lower price on an inflation adjusted basis. The price of apparel has been cut in Half. And by the way, folks, when things get cut in half in price, it means your prosperity skyrockets. We want competition. We want. And if you don't realize what tariffs are going to do about 99% of our clothes. No, I'm sorry, 97% of our clothes are made abroad.
- [50:00]
Scott Galloway
What's a good US retailer that competes with Shein and Temu? Who would you say? I mean, they're all the expensive ones, right? The Gap sort of, doesn't it?
- [50:09]
Kara Swisher
Oh, there's no low cost maker.
- [50:10]
Scott Galloway
There's no low cost. There's expensive ones like Hannah Anderson Rocks or there's all kinds of really wonderful higher end children's clothing, for example. I'm just thinking of children's clothing. But it's. I mean, I'm trying to think H and M I like a lot. I like the. The other one.
- [50:27]
Kara Swisher
H and M is not us.
- [50:29]
Scott Galloway
Yeah, no, they're not us.
- [50:30]
Kara Swisher
The iconic US fashion specialty retailers are, in my opinion, Urban Outfitters. Urban and Free People are two of the hottest brands, but the majority, if not all of their manufacturing is abroad. I remember in the. I always love an opportunity to have a professional flex. The first. One of the first consulting clients I had had, one of my mentors was a guy named Warren Hellman of Hellman and Friedman. And he said, I have a great assignment for you. I was like 27 and I'd started this quote unquote strategy firm. He said, I wanted you to come to Levi Strauss and company board meetings. I don't want you to talk to anybody. I want you to listen to the entire board meeting. And then I want you to stand up and give your view. And it was me and a guy named Lee Clow from Chia Day got to do this for four board meetings. And one of the first things I said was they had back in the 90s, Levi Strauss and company still had domestic manufacturing. And the Haas family, who are very paternal and really civic minded, we're very committed to keeping domestic manufacturing. And the CFO got up there and I can do math. I said, what is the cost per unit producing domestically? And it was like, I think it was 11 bucks a pair. And the cost to bring in the same quality from just across the border in Mexico, or I forget where we were. Honduras was $3.80. And so I'm like, okay, but just to be clear, what you have decided is that you're giving people naturally artificially high wages, that once they're laid off, there's going to be nowhere else to go. And eventually, of course, they outsourced all of their production. We are meant to go to the lowest cost provider for more prosperity. We need to maintain a certain level of domestic production. For example, the shoe industry has these ridiculous tariffs claiming that if we go to war, we need domestic manufacturer of boots, which is just stupid, right? We could spin up a factory to build boots pretty quick. But the clothing industry is an example of an increase in prosperity because we've globalized it and we don't have massive tariffs. So, I mean, it's striking how Temu and shein, like one out of five things purchased over the holidays were from those two companies. But Forever 21, you know, it just like you said, it just didn't. It just couldn't compete, nor should it. I like it when nations compete for our dollar.
- [52:41]
Scott Galloway
It just sucked. Ugh. I never could go in that store. It was like, terrible. And I like a cheap clothing store. In any case, we'll see what happens with the others. But obviously, as Scott said, it's global. Okay, Scott, let's pivot to a listener question. The question comes from Kyle. Let's listen. Hey, Scott. Kara, it's Kyle from New York. Big fan of the show. I had a question about Trump's proposed federal income tax elimination for anyone making less than $150,000 a year. Year. I've heard a lot of discussion recently about how Trump's economic policies really only benefit the wealthy and harm the younger, less wealthy portion of the population. This policy seems like it's in response to that discussion. I'm curious, from your perspective, is this a moment where credit is given, where credit is due, or is this more annual waiting? Curious your thoughts? Thanks, guys.
- [53:39]
Kara Swisher
I would like to see a tax holiday on anyone making under a certain amount or people under the age of 40, similar to what Portugal's done. The problem is, will this come at the cost of Social Security? We need to hear more. I hope it's not populist bullshit. I need to do more analysis. I think it makes a lot more sense than this ridiculous. No tax on tips. The waiter gets a tax cut, but not the dishwasher. And the reaction? Reality is the majority of people in the services industry don't pay any taxes anyways because they don't make enough money. But I just need to understand more about this. We'll see.
- [54:11]
Scott Galloway
Yeah, yeah, we'll see. I mean, in concept, it's a great idea. And you know, again, what's really the point is rich people need to pay more taxes. Like, I don't know, why that and corporations. Corporations. That's really.
- [54:22]
Kara Swisher
We're paying the lowest, lowest amount of GDP as represented by the taxes since 1939 people. It's worth noting that Americans in this income range who make less than $150,000, they pay more in payroll taxes than an income tax.
- [54:34]
Scott Galloway
Taxes and soon tariffs. Yeah. So hand waving for right now anyway. You got a question your own. Go to nymag.com pivot, submit a question for the show or call 85551 pivot. Okay, Scott, one more quick break. We'll be back for predictions. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint Mo. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying. No judgments. But that's weird. Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a try@mintmobile.com 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 terms@mintmobile.com hi, this is Javon.
- [55:22]
Kara Swisher
Your blinds.com design consultant.
- [55:24]
Scott Galloway
Oh wow. Wow, a real person.
- [55:26]
Kara Swisher
Yep. I'm here to help with everything from selecting the perfect window treatments to. Well, I've got a complicated project. No problem. I can even help schedule a professional measuring install. We can also send you samples fast and free.
- [55:39]
Scott Galloway
I just might have to do more.
- [55:40]
Kara Swisher
Whatever you need.
- [55:41]
Scott Galloway
So the first room we're looking at is for Shop blinds.com now and save up to 45% sitewide.
- [55:47]
Kara Swisher
Blinds.com rules and restrictions may apply this week on Unexplainable.
- [55:53]
Scott Galloway
I like decided, I don't know, at some point in high school that I would dedicate my life to trying to do as much good as possible.
- [55:59]
Kara Swisher
How a group of moral philosophers started a movement.
- [56:03]
Scott Galloway
I think it appeals to young people. I think it feels like you can do anything.
- [56:08]
Kara Swisher
Whose mission?
- [56:09]
Scott Galloway
I think AI is one of the biggest threats.
- [56:11]
Kara Swisher
But I think we can aspire to guide it in a direction that's beneficial to humanity. Humanity to prevent the AI apocalypse. I'm like, damn, I think I can actually move the needle on this good robot. A four part series about AI from Julia Longoria and Unexplainable wherever you listen.
- [56:35]
Scott Galloway
Okay, Scott, let's hear a prediction.
- [56:38]
Kara Swisher
Look, I'm. I'm gonna go off script here and I'm going to. I don't have a prediction, but I'm especially slow today because I was up till 4am binge watching all four episodes of what I think is so far the media property other than the White Lotus, of course, the media property of 2025 or the media achievement. Have you seen Adolescence, Kara?
- [57:04]
Scott Galloway
No, I haven't. No, I haven't seen it at all. I've heard about it. I've heard it's amazing and depressing and upsetting, but everyone I've heard several people.
- [57:11]
Kara Swisher
Talk about it is really powerful. So I'm not going to give anything away here. It's a British crime drama miniseries from Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham and directed by Philip Barantini. It's about a 13 year old schoolboy who's arrested for the murder of a female classmate. And the interesting thing from a creative standpoint is each scene is shot in one take and it is so powerful it brings up social media. It's, you know, obviously violence, crime, father, son, relationships, families, the impact of social media, the anxiety and depression that young people are dealing with. It's like if you wanted to explain to someone the stress that young people or adolescents are under and facing and what it means and how it ripples out in so many negative ways, it would be really hard to do it more efficiently than watching this four part series.
- [58:12]
Scott Galloway
Can I ask you a question? Is it. Cause I tend to avoid these things now. Even though I've heard a lot about this show and also Euphoria or any of these. There was a documentary about teens. There's all kinds of these things. I kind of avoid them because they're so upsetting to me. How do you deal with that? Cause you're writing a book on it obviously, which comes out when I'm moving it up.
- [58:30]
Kara Swisher
I'm turning in my manuscript early. I'm hoping that it'll come out in November. It was supposed to be streamed next year, but I feel like. Like the moment is going to pass if I don't get it out soon.
- [58:39]
Scott Galloway
No, you should. You've been the leading.
- [58:40]
Kara Swisher
Josh Hawley's writing a book on masculinity. I mean, I got to get it out.
- [58:44]
Scott Galloway
You need to dare him to a fight. But how is it watching these things? Because I think I have noticed. I have tended towards happy things when I'm watching things. And severance because it's so good. By the way, season Ender this Friday. I just. They either have to be really astonishing like severance or very happy like Running Point. Right. I can't talk a little bit about this because you're writing a book on it. These topics are dire how do you manage to feel hopeful watching any of this? And that's one of the reasons I avoided adolescence.
- [59:13]
Kara Swisher
Well, it's easy, Cara. I've leaned into my anger and my depression. I mean, I'm not the person to talk to about maintaining a positive outlook. I struggle with this shit. And what you. One of the things you referenced, which is a social norm, which is kind of interesting, is that in boom times or positive times, tragedies and dramas are more popular. And then in depressing times, romantic comedies are much more popular. People want to get out of the mood they're in.
- [59:39]
Scott Galloway
Or like White Lotus, something that's like.
- [59:41]
Kara Swisher
That's just pure entertainment with some, you know, some subculture. By the way, Sam Rockwell's monologue from last week is incredible.
- [59:48]
Scott Galloway
I heard, I heard.
- [59:49]
Kara Swisher
I haven't seen it yet, but this is. I mean, it talks a lot about. It talks a lot about school bullying via social media centered on incel subculture. And people don't realize how powerful that is. This week's post I'm writing about porn, which I think is playing an unfortunately, increasingly agreed, not important, large role in young men's lives. But this, if you. If you want to. If you've read about this stuff but don't understand it and wonder, want to see how it's really impacting people on a ground level in an exceptionally compelling and gripping way, so. But you asked me how I deal with it. I. To be honest, Kara, I'm having trouble dealing with it. I. For the first time in my life. I was thinking about this the other day. Say I've always been able to disassociate from the news since this last election. I'm having trouble disassociating. I'm that guy who's that fucking downer at a dinner party that turns everything into. Well, yeah. Has anyone.
- [60:42]
Scott Galloway
You are posting happy things on. I've noticed.
- [60:44]
Kara Swisher
I've got to.
- [60:45]
Scott Galloway
You really have. A lot of them are delightful, by the way.
- [60:47]
Kara Swisher
Oh, thanks.
- [60:48]
Scott Galloway
Yeah. But.
- [60:49]
Kara Swisher
Yeah. So the answer is, how do I handle this shit? The answer is not well. But this is such a powerful piece of media that it is because it's so satisfying, because you feel as if you've learned and you can't. I watched. I turned the thing on at midnight and I was up till 4 in the morning. I just couldn't turn away from it.
- [61:09]
Scott Galloway
All right. Adolescence is a recommendation and a prediction, I guess. Okay. Elsewhere in the Kara and Scott universe, this week on Prophet Conversation, Scott spoke another happy thing with Dr. Fiona Hill, a senior fellow at Brookings, chancellor at Durham University and former White House Russia expert. Also testified during the impeachment hearings. Really smart person who worked for us and now does not. Let's listen to a clip. The big difference between Trump and Putin is Trump is a totally one man show. He's destroying the state. Putin operates within the state. He's a creature of the deep state. He's not dismantling the Russian state that was already dismantled, you know, under Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. For Trump, he doesn't really pay any attention to any of the people around him. He uses them as emissaries and envoys, but he doesn't do his homework. They can't actually advise him on anything. And that makes Trump very unpredictable. So I think if Putin's looking at his own crystal ball, he also can't say where this is going to go. Well, that's heartening. That's an interesting thing to say. She's brilliant, actually. She's really brilliant. I'm glad you had her on. Okay, that's the show. Thanks for listening to Pivot. Be sure to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel. We'll be back on Tuesday. Scott, read us out.
- [62:20]
Kara Swisher
Today's show was produced by Lara Nemenzoi, Marcus and Taylor Griffin. Our neater Todd engineered this episode. Thanks also to Drew Burrows, Ms. Silvero and Dan Shalon. Nishat 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 New York Magazine and Vox Media. You can subscribe to the magazine@nmag.com pod we'll be back next week for another breakdown of all things tech and business, Adolescence on Netflix.