The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

Episode: Is Scott Friends with Tech CEOs?, Who Should Run in 2028, and Overcoming Rejection
Date: February 23, 2026
Host: Scott Galloway
Format: Office Hours Q&A

Episode Overview

In this episode, Scott Galloway tackles questions from listeners about his relationships with tech CEOs, his picks for the 2028 presidential race, and the personal habits that have most shaped his professional journey. Blending frank assessments of the tech and political landscapes with candid personal stories, Scott delivers his signature brand of hard-hitting analysis and self-deprecating humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Does Scott Get Heat from Tech Executives? (Starts ~02:10)

Polite Pushback from Big Tech:
Scott explains that, despite his critical stance on tech companies and their leaders, he rarely faces overt backlash from those at the top.

“Their response when you are critical of them is, ‘Hey Scott, I'd love to meet the next time in town, let's have lunch.’ And I almost always say, no, I don't want to know them.” (03:10)
Why Scott Declines CEO Invitations:
He intentionally avoids meeting tech leaders, noting their personal charm is a strategic asset to win over critics.

“I have no desire to understand how charming someone is who's figured out a business model to convince young people to start cutting themselves.” (03:30)
Pushback from Unexpected Places:
While tech execs use politeness to potentially co-opt critics, Scott says harsher responses come from academics and venture capitalists (VCs).
- After critiquing higher education, he received three cease-and-desist letters from universities.
“It's just funny that the people who come after me most aggressively would be other academics.” (05:00)
- From VCs:
“I looked at their portfolio and their portfolio is basically a septic tank of shit.” (06:20)
Online Pushback and Bots:
Most aggressive online criticism comes from bot accounts, possibly tied to foreign actors like the GRU and the CCP, especially when he expresses pro-Ukraine views.
Summary Insight:
Scott identifies that tech leaders' approach is to co-opt through charm rather than confrontation, while most overt criticism comes from sectors he least expects.

2. Who Should Run for President in 2028? (Starts ~10:20)

On VP Harris:
Scott does not support Vice President Harris for a 2028 run due to concerns about her candidacy, including the risk of prolonged setbacks for future female Democratic candidates.

“I would not like to see Vice President Harris run again…if a woman runs for a third time and loses on the Democratic ticket, we're not going to have a female Democratic president for 50 years.” (10:40)
His Bench Picks:
Praises a range of Democratic politicians, naming Governors Shapiro, Newsom, Whitmer, Moore; Secretary Buttigieg; Senators Murphy and Bennet.

“I'm giving money and time to all of them because I have a habit of picking people who don't win.” (12:05)
Track Record as a Backer:
Scott pokes fun at his own political instincts, recounting his support for losing Democratic candidates like Dukakis and Senator Michael Bennett.
Polls and Prediction:
Citing examples like Rudy Giuliani, Herman Cain, and Fred Thompson, Scott argues being an early front-runner rarely predicts eventual party nominees.

“Being at the top right now isn't necessarily a good thing.” (14:00) “If I had to bet on somebody, it would be TBD and that is, nobody had heard of Bill Clinton or Barack Obama at this point.” (14:40)
On the Primary Process:
Scott champions competitive primaries, not coronations, for producing candidates suited for the moment, contrasting this with the Democratic Party's approach to Biden.

“If you were to let the primary process run, it's an incredible process because it not only picks the right person, it picks the right person for the moment.” (16:09)
Republican Moderation:
Expresses hope for moderate Republican candidates like Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis (though he wouldn’t vote for the latter).

“Governor DeSantis is someone I could work with. He seems very data driven, served his country. Is he who I will vote for…? Absolutely not. But he seems reasonable.” (18:00)
His Commitment:
Scott pledges involvement in highlighting moderate, competent candidates to “make America America again.”

3. Overcoming Rejection and Professional Success (Starts ~23:40)

Scott's "Superpower":
Candidly details personal and professional rejections: asking out women, losing student elections, business failures, and job applications.

“I have the ability to get shot in the fucking face, and then a little bit like Wolverine, I heal and I get up and I try again. That is my superpower.” (24:40)
Perspective-Reset Practice:
Shares a moving story about how he manages self-pity: he keeps a photo of Otto Frank in his home, reflecting twice daily on Frank's hardships for perspective.

“I look at Otto, and I imagine just like, where does he go from here after experiencing what he’s experienced?...I have some inconveniences in my life, but I have no problems.” (26:05)
Self-Compassion and Comparison:
Scott admits to bouts of self-pity and cures them by comparing his “worst days” to the suffering of others historically.
- Reiterates gratitude for his circumstances, acknowledging that many people have had it far worse.
Notable Weakness:
He identifies his own tendency for self-pity as a major weakness and actively works to overcome it using these perspective techniques.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Tech CEO Charm:

“They’re nice to you…would you like to get together? By the way, would you ever consider speaking at one of our events for which I'm sure they would pay me my full freight? I don't do that.” (05:30)
On Academic Pushback:

“The people who would come after me most aggressively would be other academics.” (05:02)
On the Primary Process:

“It is not easy to go to Iowa and pretend like fried snickers. It is not easy to listen to a bunch of old people in Florida and hear about their concerns and them drone on.” (15:55)
On Mourning and Moving On:

“My superpower is that I'm able to mourn and move on. And I'm not afraid of public failure.” (27:50)
On Perspective:

“I'm washed over with the truth…that I may have some inconveniences in my life, but I have no problems.” (28:40)

Timestamps for Key Segments

02:10 – Discussion of tech leaders’ reaction to criticism
06:40 – Pushback from VCs and academics
10:20 – Presidential picks and primary analysis
14:40 – Early frontrunners rarely succeed in primaries
16:20 – Why a competitive primary is important
18:00 – Views on moderate Republicans
23:40 – On dealing with failure and rejection
26:05 – Scott’s Otto Frank photo perspective ritual
28:40 – Closing reflections on gratitude and self-pity

Summary

Scott Galloway offers his unique, sharp assessment of both Silicon Valley and US politics, reinforcing his stance as a provocateur unafraid of pushback. This episode stands out for its blend of industry insight and heartfelt life advice, most notably his honest reflections on failure and perspective. For listeners seeking candor on business, politics, and personal growth—with plenty of wit and a few well-placed expletives—Scott delivers.

Transcript

A (0:00)

When the political winds change, will there be accountability for those who bent the knee for the Trump administration? If these corporations think that the Democrats, when they come back in power, are gonna play by the old rules and say, oh, never mind, we'll forgive you, I think they've got another thing coming. I'm Preet Bharara, and this week Ambassador Susan Rice joins me to discuss leadership, decision making and the state of the rule of law in America. The episode is out now. Search and Follow Stay tuned with Preet Wherever you get your podcasts. You don't normally tune into a late night TV show expecting a rigorous debate about free speech, but somehow this is the world we live in. This week on the Vergecast, we're talking about how FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr has turned his agency into the speech police and why it's falling to people like Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel to fight back. That, plus the gadgets we are and maybe aren't getting from Apple and others this year. And the latest in the chatbot wars on the Vergecast. Wherever you get podcasts, Welcome to Office Hours with Prof. G. This is the part of the show where we answer your questions about business, big tech, entrepreneurship, and whatever else is on your mind. If you'd like to submit a question for next time, you can send a voice recording to office hoursprovgmedia.com Again, that's office hours@propertymedia.com or post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit and we just might feature it in our next episode. First question Our first question comes from bduran5 on Instagram. They say, do you ever get heat for your views from biz heads? Not really. The few times I've gotten really severe pushback, it hasn't been where you'd expect it. I'd say the people I have had the most critical views on have been big tech executives and and generally speaking, they're very respectful and what they want to do. Their response when you are critical of them is, hey Scott, I'd love to meet the next time in town, let's have lunch. And I almost always say, no, I don't want to know them. I have no desire to understand how charming someone is who's figured out a business model to convince young people to start cutting themselves. I have no desire to hear someone's vision for the future of ride hailing. I find these people up close and personal boring and they don't drink, so I have no interest in getting to know them. I do get some pushback that says, well, you're talking openly about our firm. You have a responsibility to hear our side. No, I don't. I'm not a fucking journalist. I don't have any responsibility to hang out with a bunch of people to brighten up the room by leaving it. The times I've gotten pushback. Kind of unusual. I wrote a blog post about three years ago talking about how corrupt higher education was and then saying that there were a lot of universities that were sort of in the kill zone or on a ventilator because they did not have the capital to survive a drop in enrollments. They were too dependent upon foreign students with weak grades, and their admissions rates were so high that it was clearly more like adult daycare. And as soon as they hit a bump in the road, they were going to go out of business. And I called it the nitroglycerin cocktail of and I had a framework. It got written up in the Journal of Higher Education. I received three cease and desist letters from universities. It's just funny that the people who would come after me most aggressively would be other academics. But in terms of big tech, they're smarter than that. They're nice to you. I love your stuff. Would you like to get together? By the way, would you ever consider speaking in one of our events for which I'm sure they would pay me my full freight? I don't do that. Sometimes I do take their advertising. We take advertising from Apple and I think from Alphabet. But Generally speaking, the CEOs of these companies got there because they're very, very charming and they can co opt you. I just met, I met Bezos recently. He's incredibly charming and likable. I talked to Ted Sarandos on Saturday morning, the CEO of Netflix, who I just think is a wonderful guy. And this is the problem, and this is why I purposely avoid meeting with or having open communications with them is they co opt you because they're charming people and you stop speaking your mind. So I've gotten pushback in places I didn't expect it. I've gotten a lot of pushback from VCs but. And I couldn't figure out why. And then I looked at their portfolio and their portfolio is basically a septic tank of shit. And I have called out or said one of their companies is overvalued and they decide that's a crime against humanity and then start shitposting me online. I've also received some online pushback from Elon Musk. He's called me out a few times, but that's Fine, that's probably a symbol that I'm doing something well. But in general, big tech executives and the executives of companies are very good at what I'll call winning you over or polite pushback. They don't come after you. They just don't do that. So my pushback has been in places I didn't expect it, it's online. I don't know how much of it is bots. I would say the most pushback I receive is from bots being controlled by the GRU because have been pro Ukraine or from the CCP who just want to create agita and dissent wherever there is. If you go onto your feed, whenever you say anything political, the really incendiary vile shit is usually dog mom112 with 22 followers, we have created the most porous propaganda machine in the world that our adversaries can weaponize. But on the whole, I don't get. I wouldn't say I got a ton of pushback. I get some and some criticism. That's fair. But. But no big tech executives. They're more about trying to co opt you, win you over and then create a series of incentives such that you just kind of keep quiet if you will. Thanks for the thoughtful question. Question number two also comes from Instagram. They say, who is someone that you would like to see run for president in 28? Almost all of them. I would not like to see Vice President Harris run again. While I think she did. She was handed a difficult situation. I do not think she is a tal wanted candidate. Also, I think if a woman runs for a third time and loses on the Democratic ticket, we're not going to have a female Democratic president for 50 years anyways. Who do I. I think there's. I think we have an incredibly strong bench. I'm a big fan of Governor Shapiro and Newsom. I think Secretary Buttigieg is fantastic. I think Governor Whitmer is fantastic. I think Governor Moore is fantastic. I'm a big fan of Senators Murphy, Senators Bennett. There's always someone, quite frankly, you haven't thought of before, who would be fantastic. And I'm giving money and time to all of them because I have a habit of picking people who don't win. I'm the guy in my fraternity that had a Dukakis or a Mondale poster in his window when all my friends would basically walk by my room and go, pussy. Reagan's a stud. No joke. I supported Dukakis in 92, six years. When was it not the last one? Five years ago. I supported Michael. Senator Michael Bennett for president. So I'm not great at backing the right horse, if you will. So what I'm going to do this time is just try and bring a bunch of oxygen and attention to who I think are a series of just outstanding candidates. And if you look back on who is usually leading in the polls at this moment, they almost always win. Just let me give you some Republicans who are number one, who were the most likely person to get capt the Republican nomination at this point in the cycle. Here's three of them, different cycles. Rudy Giuliani, right, America's mayor, was the leading candidate for the Republican nomination at this point. Herman Cain, remember him like 7771, ended up dying of COVID And then my favorite, Fred Thompson from Law and Order was the leading presidential candidate at this point in the election cycle. So being at the top right now isn't necessarily a good thing. And typically it's some. If I had to bet on somebody, it would be tbd and that is nobody had heard of Bill Clinton or Barack Obama at this point. But I think we have a fantastic bench. I think we have some wonderful candidates. I think if you let the primary process run its course, don't have a coronation, but a competition, which really is or was President Biden's mistake and his sycophants who stuck their head up their ass, not even in the sand, and pretended that he wasn't too fucking old. Which I said early on, quite frankly. And then people would email me and say, scott, you don't understand the assignment. You're going to get Trump elected. Well, okay, let's take our hands off our eyes and ears. Anyways, enough of my patting myself on the back. If you were to let the primary process run, it's an incredible process because it not only picks the right person, it picks the right person for the moment. It is not easy to go to Iowa and pretend to like fried snickers. It is not easy to listen to a bunch of old people to villages in Florida and hear about their concerns and them drone on. It is not easy to basically go around and lie all the fucking time. And that's unfortunately what most politicians have to do based on the audience they're in front of, who just wants handouts. That's one of the things I hate about the Democratic Party is their solution is to promise people more money. Well, okay, well then who's gonna pay for all this shit anyway? Not why you're here, but I think the primary process of the electoral process is an outstanding means of maturing a great candidate for the moment. So I would love to see Nikki Haley run. I think G.L. youngkin not just Democrats. I'd love to see some moderates run. I think JD Vance is a fucking weirdo and a sycophant. By the way, boss, how did it work out for his last VP when he sent people with nooses and zip ties hunting for them? Yeah, that's gotta be fun. I think Ron DeSantis is reasonable and I'm gonna get a lot of pushback from my Democratic brothers and sisters, but I feel like Governor DeSantis is someone I could work with. He seems very data driven, served his country. Is he who I will vote for, who I will give money to? Absolutely not. But he seems reasonable. So I'm hoping, I think Ambassador Haley or Governor Haley is a reasonable person. I'm hoping we can move back to this weird thing called reasonable or a reasonable middle. But I'm going to get very involved with my time, treasure and talent to bring a lot of attention and oxygen to the great bench that the Democratic Party has right now. And then one or two leaders emerge and pull out ahead. I'm going to get as involved as I can to be very supportive of one and try and restore kind of democracy, rule of law, competitive markets to the U.S. in sum, I'm going to do my best to make America America again. We'll be right back after a quick break. 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Upwork is a one stop platform to find, hire and pay expert freelancers across web and software development, data and analytics, marketing, business operations and more. They help grow your business by giving you fast access to specialized talent across 125 plus categories who can fill skill gaps, launch projects faster and scale support up or down without committing to full time headcount. You can browse profiles, review past work and get help scoping the role so you can hire with confidence and get started quickly. With Upwork Business plus, you can access the top 1% of talent on Upwork and with AI powered shortlisting you'll get matched to the right freelancer in just under six hours. No endless searching required. You can visit upwork.com right now to post your job for free and connect with top talent ready to help your business grow. That's upwor.com upwork.com. Welcome back. Our final question comes from Smit Patel on LinkedIn. Which personal habit or mindset has helped you most in your professional success and why? I talked about it before, and that is. I don't know if I played with the wrong toys or the right toys. But I wasn't afraid to ask Maureen Burke to the prom, even though she was much, much hotter than me. She said no. I wasn't afraid to run for sophomore, junior and senior class presidents, and I lost all three times. And based on my track record, run for senior or student body president, where I went on to wait for it. Lose. It's an ability to mourn and move on. That's my superpower. I'm not afraid of public failure. I'm not afraid of taking risks. The majority of my businesses have not worked. The majority of women I have asked out have said no. The majority of my relationships, when I have been head over heels in love, they have not returned my affection. Is that true? Maybe that's not true. Anyways, I've been very lucky with women anyway. But I've had more businesses fail than succeed. I've absolutely had way more schools reject me than admit me. I can't tell you how many jobs I've applied for, but I have the ability to get shot in the fucking face. And then a little bit like Wolverine, I heal and I get up and I try again. That is my superpower. One of my weaknesses that I'm trying to work on is I have a really gross habit of feeling sorry for myself, where I have a day where I do a bunch of podcasts or I feel like things don't work out or I'm frustrated or my work sucks or someone is unkind to me, whatever it is, and I feel sorry for myself. And I think, oh, woe is me. And the way I solve that is I don't own art or wine. I've always thought I didn't grow up with any money. And what I saw amongst my friends when they started making a shit ton of money, specifically, I hung around a lot of really wealthy guys in the early 2000s who were in their 30s, made a shit ton of money and thought that it would was them not recognizing there was this anomaly of 2 and 20, the compensation structure of hedge funds who were making millions, sometimes tens of millions. And I noticed the first thing they did was they started ordering really expensive wine and buying art. I have never done either of those things. Wine tops out at 20 bucks a bottle for me. I'd rather have a beer. I don't really own any art because I think you're. Or at least for me, I'd be trying to pretend that I'm something I'M not. But I do have one piece of art that I spent a decent amount of money on, and it's a photo of Otto Frank in his attic. Otto Frank was the father of Anne Frank, and it's a photo of him after he returned to the attic. They hid out in. In Amsterdam. And the brief backstory is Otto, his wife, and their two daughters, Margot and Anne, who would, of course, go on to write, have her diaries published. They were betrayed in 1944. They were living up there in the attic with another family. The family was sent to Auschwitz, where Otto was separated from his wife. His wife was murdered, and ultimately his daughters, Margot and Anne, were shipped to Bergen Belsen, where they died. Both of them died of typhus just months before liberation. And there's this picture of him standing in the attic. And I purposely placed this photo outside my bedroom. And my practice is the following for resetting my perspective, resetting my mood. The last thing I do every day is I look at this photo for 10 seconds. I'm about to open my bedroom door, I stop and I look at Otto, and I look at the photo for 10 seconds, and I try to imagine what's going through his mind. And then when I wake up in the morning, I come out, I stop for 10 seconds, and I look at Otto and I imagine just like, where does he go from here? After experience? What have you experienced? And at that moment, something really wonderful happens to me. Right away, I'm washed over with the truth. What is that truth? That I may have some inconveniences in my life, but I have no problems. So my superpower is that I'm able to mourn and move on. And I'm not afraid of public failure. And where I'm trying to address my weakness, my Achilles heel is feeling sorry for myself by recognizing that compared to everybody else, compared to so many people in history, my worst days are better than most people's best days. That's all for this episode. If you'd like to submit a question, please email a voice recording to officehoursoroptinemedia.com that's officehoursoroproptinmedia.com or if you prefer to ask on Reddit, just post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit and we just might feature it in an upcoming episode. This episode was produced by Jennifer Sanchez and Laura Genaire. Cammie Rica is our social producer, Brad Williams is our editor, and Drew Burrows is our technical director. Thank you for listening to the propaganda pod from propag Media.