The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

Episode: The Future of Prof G Media, How We Make the Podcast, and Why Scott Became a Professor

Date: August 25, 2025

Episode Overview

In this special "Office Hours" episode, Scott Galloway responds to questions about the future of Prof G Media, the behind-the-scenes mechanics of producing the podcast network, and his path to—and philosophy on—teaching. The episode offers candid insights into media business strategy, succession planning, personal values, scaling creative work, and the rewards and pitfalls of academic life. Scott answers listener questions with his signature humor and directness, providing both practical and philosophical takeaways for entrepreneurs, content creators, and aspiring educators.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Succession Planning at Prof G Media

[02:50–05:37]

Listener Barbara S. from Istanbul asks about Prof G Media’s succession plan, given its heavy reliance on Scott’s personal brand.
Scott’s Response:
- He jokes about immortality, then gets serious about strategic planning.
- Quote: "When it's just a group of a small number of individuals, you don't have a business or an enterprise. You have practice and people are too dependent upon one individual." [03:07]
- He acknowledges the risk of over-reliance on himself and details steps to decentralize:
  - Bringing in co-host Ed Elson and prepping him to host without Scott, making "Markets" a brand rather than a personality-driven show.
  - Aiming for $20–30 million in revenue with $15 million in EBITDA within 3–4 years.
  - Building a roster of hosts to eventually dilute dependence on Scott’s voice.
  - Granting revenue percentages to most full-time employees to align incentives and foster ownership mentality.
  - Cites the German CEO-sabbatical standard as a best practice for testing true business resilience.
- Quote: "A board strategy, a good fiduciary focuses on succession strategy, and that is German companies demand that the CEO take at least four weeks off every year and if the company goes to shit when they're gone, they fire the CEO because they need an enterprise, they don't need a practice." [05:21]
  - Emphasizes that his partner, Katherine Dillon, operates the business itself, and his goal is to gradually diversify the talent pool and decrease frontman risk.

2. How Prof G Media Produces Its Podcasts

[05:41–15:30]

Structure & Portfolio

The Prof G universe:
- Pivot (with Kara Swisher, owned by Vox),
- Prof G (solo and signature segments),
- Prof G Conversations (long-form interviews),
- Prof G Markets (co-hosted with Ed Elson),
- Raging Moderates (with Jessica Tarlov),
- Office Hours (Q&A),
- No Mercy / No Malice (newsletter-read podcast by George Hahn).
Approximately 12–14 episodes published weekly.

Production Workflow

Guest Selection:
- They prefer fresh, under-exposed thinkers over incessantly publicized CEOs.
- Quote: "I would rather find someone that people don't know. Then I when people come on, some famous CEO comes on, I'm like, okay boss, you're fucking everywhere. What are you going to tell me you haven't said everywhere in the last 48 hours?" [08:31]
Team Structure:
- 14–16 full-time staff; 6–8 contractors.
- Roles: producers, video editors, data analysts, fact checkers, finance staff, technical support.
- Katherine Dillon manages operations.
Efficiency & Content Scaling:
- Recording is “batch processed”: Scott will sit down for several hours, generating content for a week or more in one sitting.
- Post-recording, the team edits, packages, and deploys content across various channels.
- Considering global operations for continuous workflow (e.g., London-based producer to manage time zone handoffs).

The Content Flywheel & Monetization

Strong synergy between podcasts, speaking gigs, books, and newsletters.
Prof G by the numbers:
- ~$17–20 million in annual revenue; high profitability (growing 20–30% per year).
- Audience: primarily 34-year-old males, ~$150k income—"brands want to reach because they're in their mating years and spending money on stupid shit like coffee and watches and shoes and I don't know, SaaS based software because they want to be more attractive to mates or get promoted or scale their business." [07:39]
- Top-tier CPM ($30–$50) vs. baseline ($2–$3) due to audience quality.
- Staff paid 30–50% above market—"they don't leave," quips Scott.
Quote: "Greatness is in the agency of others. What you're seeing or what you're hearing is about an hour and a half of my time. And I would bet every episode is somewhere between 20 and 40 hours of someone else's time." [13:56]
Scott aims to launch more shows (e.g., a China-focused and an economics podcast).
Key Insight: The means of production are notably efficient compared to traditional media: "for every one person we have, we get about 50,000 downloads or listeners ... with Comcast and Disney, they're getting about 10 or 15,000." [11:56]

3. Why Scott Became a Professor & The Realities of Academic Life

[19:15–26:04]

Listener Sean from Florida asks about Scott’s motivation to teach and concerns about ceiling effects in non-PhD academia.
Scott’s Response:
- Always wanted to teach; nearly pursued a PhD but chose business after his mother's illness made immediate income imperative.
- Returned to teaching at NYU ten years post-MBA, earning $12,000/year as an adjunct.
- Describes academia as a "Caste system," lambasts tenure and its impact on student debt and institutional vitality.
- Quote: "Essentially the people in charge hire their PhD buddies. They write bullshit research which is 98% of peer reviewed academic research. Is this bullshit to give each other citations such that they can qualify, they can get tenure, which is guaranteed lifetime employment which translates to student debt as two thirds of these individuals within 20 years are totally unproductive and overpaid. ... Tenure is this kind of this grift." [21:38]
- Describes NYU’s "ringers"—exceptional practicing professors (often clinicals without PhDs) who build reputations as must-take teachers. He became one by putting “butts in seats,” generating significant revenue for the school.
- Advises non-PhD professors: Your currency = being an outstanding teacher + filling seats. Leverage by periodically interviewing elsewhere to maintain/bargain compensation.
- Urges avoiding most administrative roles: "I find that most of the administration and kind of program stuff on campus is just people pushing paper to each other."
- Advocates transparency in career moves (“I’d be transparent, but this is my current value in the marketplace").
- Quote: "Generally speaking, the people are pretty nice. The best academics are some of the most inspiring people you ever run across. Being on campus is incredibly inspiring. You do feel as if you're adding value." [25:24]
- Ends by acknowledging the emotional highs and scars of academic life: "Lot there, lot there a lot of trauma, a lot of PTSD, but a lot of reward, too." [26:02]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|----------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:07 | Scott Galloway | "When it's just a group of a small number of individuals, you don't have a business or an enterprise. You have practice and people are too dependent upon one individual." | | 05:21 | Scott Galloway | "German companies demand that the CEO take at least four weeks off every year and if the company goes to shit when they're gone, they fire the CEO because they need an enterprise, they don't need a practice." | | 08:31 | Scott Galloway | "I would rather find someone that people don't know. Then when some famous CEO comes on, I'm like, okay boss, you're fucking everywhere. What are you going to tell me you haven't said everywhere in the last 48 hours?" | | 13:56 | Scott Galloway | "Greatness is in the agency of others. What you're seeing or what you're hearing is about an hour and a half of my time. And I would bet every episode is somewhere between 20 and 40 hours of someone else's time." | | 21:38 | Scott Galloway | "Essentially the people in charge hire their PhD buddies. They write bullshit research, which is 98% of peer-reviewed academic research... Tenure is this kind of this grift." | | 25:24 | Scott Galloway | "Generally speaking, the people are pretty nice. The best academics are some of the most inspiring people you ever run across. Being on campus is incredibly inspiring. You do feel as if you're adding value." | | 26:02 | Scott Galloway | "Lot there, lot there a lot of trauma, a lot of PTSD, but a lot of reward, too." |

Timestamps for Key Segments

[02:50] – Succession and future of Prof G Media: decentralization and professionalizing beyond Scott.
[05:41] – Podcast operations: team structure, episode production cycle, guest curation, audience strategy.
[11:07] – Portfolio economics: flywheel mechanics, monetization, and profitability in podcasting.
[19:15] – Scott’s academic journey: motivations, realities of faculty life, practical career advice for non-PhD professors.

Tone and Style

The episode’s tone is candid, irreverent, and practical, staying true to Scott’s brand of humor and blunt business analysis. The conversation is peppered with self-deprecation, hard truths about business and academia, and frequent reminders that success—in media or teaching—comes from relentless work, constant learning, and the ability to build and empower great teams.

Summary Takeaway

Scott Galloway pulls back the curtain on both the media business he’s built and his career as a professor. Listeners are left with entrepreneurial advice on scaling personal brands into sustainable businesses, the importance of succession and teamwork, the surprisingly lucrative economics of podcasting, and an unsparing look at the rewards and challenges of teaching without following a traditional academic path. The episode is essential listening for content creators, business operators, and educators seeking either inspiration or a grounded reality check.