The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
Episode: Why Scott Shut Down His AI Persona, His Daily Routine, and When to Give Kids Money
Release Date: January 9, 2026
Episode Overview
In this Office Hours episode, Scott Galloway responds to three listener questions, covering:
- Why he shut down his Google/AI persona and his views on character AIs
- An honest breakdown of his daily routine when not on book tour
- His take on the best ways—and pitfalls—of giving money to your children, including commentary on inheritance strategies
The tone is classic Galloway: candid, introspective, practical, and at times self-deprecating.
1. Why Scott Shut Down His AI Persona
[01:31 – 06:35]
Background and Intentions
- Origin: A former student, now at Google, invited Scott to take part in a project creating AI versions of prominent people, so users could interact with their “character.”
- Scott’s Motivation:
“I get between 20 and 30, that's conservative, outreaches a day—from single mothers, from young men, from people in the mental health profession, from high school teachers looking for help, advice, insight… and I can't get to 1% of them. So I thought, how could I come up with something that would say, hey, here's my character AI, ask it the same question and there's an 80% probability it'll get it 80% right.” (Scott Galloway, 02:54)
- No money was involved; it was about helping more people than he could personally.
Why He Pulled the Plug
- Changes in AI: During the year-long development, “character AIs became a thing,” and it emerged that minors (especially young men) were building intense, sometimes unhealthy, relationships with these AI personas.
- Ethical Concerns:
“I just was so uncomfortable with the idea of contributing to the sequestration of young men from their parents, their mentors and their friends. And I thought, if I'm in any way giving a young man an excuse to spend less time pursuing offline relationships, then that is bad and I don't want to engage in it.” (Scott Galloway, 04:02)
- Quote on Decision:
“If you're having trouble making a decision, the answer is usually no.” (Citing Naval, 04:24)
- Was live for only four hours before Scott asked Google to take it down.
- Key Stand: He will not do character AIs again unless there is verified age gating.
“I don't think anyone under the age of 18 should be in a synthetic relationship. And supposedly three quarters are already in some sort of synthetic relationship.” (Scott Galloway, 05:16)
- In summary: Potential upside exists, but the downside is “unknown.” The issue needs more guardrails and ethical scrutiny.
Notable Moment
- Memorable line:
“Started out as a good idea… but increasingly uncomfortable with the development and evolution of character AIs and decided to pull it down.” (Scott Galloway, 05:48)
2. Scott’s Real Daily Routine
[06:36 – 09:36]
Initial Joke
- Scott sarcastically describes an absurd influencer-style morning routine (“cold plunge… sheep oil… serum mined from algae off the coast of Sri Lanka”), then debunks it:
“None of this is true. Alright, let's start with night…” (Scott Galloway, 06:40)
Actual Daily Rhythm
- Nights:
- Evenings are spent with friends, family, watching TV, writing, with his dogs on the couch.
- Used to drink, but no longer—citing both health and concerns about the anti-alcohol movement.
- Sometimes takes an edible, stays up working or thinking until 2 or 3 am.
- Self-aware joke:
“So I can… I'd like to think I'm creative. I can definitely confirm I'm not that productive.” (Scott Galloway, 07:46)
- Mornings:
- Sleeps in—gets up around 10:00 or, if he feels like it, 10:30.
- Nothing is scheduled before noon (helped by London/New York time difference).
- Quick coffee, then breakfast and a workout (free weights, rowing machine, a tonal-equivalent device).
- Daytime:
- Podcasting, writing, meetings, interviews run from noon to 8 or 9 pm.
- Late Evening:
- Goes out to dinner, socializes, then works late again from 11pm–2am.
Struggles & Honesty
- Mentions dealing with anxiety or fear lately; needs to get outside more (hates the London weather:
“It's dark at 4pm right now, so I don't go outside as much as I should, which is a really bad thing. All the things I preach to people… cobbler's kids have no shoes.” (Scott Galloway, 08:49)
- Important advice:
“I keep very odd hours and I don't. I've been struggling a little bit lately… I would not recommend this to anybody. I'm not saying it's the right way, it's just my way.” (Scott Galloway, 09:19)
Summary Table of His Routine
| Time | Activity | |----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10am | Wakes up, coffee, breakfast, works out | | Noon–8pm | Podcasting, writing, meetings | | 8pm–11pm | Dinner/social time | | 11pm–2am | Thinking, writing, relaxing (TV/internet/dogs/edibles) |
3. When—and How—to Give Kids Money
[12:28 – 16:53]
Listener Question
- Charles from Texas asks: Instead of giving a big inheritance at 70, what about earlier staged gifts: $25k at 18, $100k at 30, $1 million at 40, and then cut them off? “Genius or financial cosplay?”
(Listener Email, 12:28)
Scott’s Analysis
- When inheritance usually arrives: Median age is around 49–50. This is likely to get later as people live longer.
- Younger people spend windfalls on life necessities; older inheritors often spend on “discretionary spending.”
- Benefit of Early, Targeted Gifts:
Lump sums for housing, business seed capital, or education “can be more financially productive than inheriting money late for discretionary spending.” - Key Principle:
“You want to give your kids enough money so they can do anything, but not enough money so they can do nothing. That's a Warren Buffett quote.” (Scott Galloway, 14:38)
Personal Plan & Flexibility
- Scott prefers flexibility and ongoing assessment over rigid formulas.
- If a kid works hard (nonprofit, teaching) but makes little money, he’ll help. If a kid is just partying, he’ll withhold:
“If my kid is not doing a whole lot of anything but partying and I keep seeing on his Instagram he's in Ibiza… I'm not going to give him dick.” (Scott Galloway, 15:23)
- Adapt support to the child’s conduct, not just their age.
- Also suggests possibly limiting what money can be used for (e.g., education, primary residence under 40).
- Doesn’t believe anyone has “figured this out.” Strongly advises not to “lock yourself into anything.”
Closing Thoughts
- Contrasts two examples: friends who totally cut kids off after college vs. those whose kids never fly commercial.
- Advocates for a tailored, ongoing approach, with the only strong advice being:
“My only advice is not to lock yourself into a construction.” (Scott Galloway, 16:42)
Notable Quotes
- On ethical ambiguity of AI personas:
“If I'm in any way giving a young man an excuse to spend less time pursuing offline relationships, then that is bad and I don't want to engage in it.” (Scott Galloway, 04:02)
- On routines and productivity:
“I keep very odd hours... I would not recommend this to anybody. I'm not saying it's the right way, it's just my way.” (Scott Galloway, 09:19)
- On inheritance philosophy:
“You want to give your kids enough money so they can do anything, but not enough money so they can do nothing.” (Scott Galloway, quoting Buffett, 14:38)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [01:31] – Scott’s AI Persona and why he killed it
- [06:36] – Scott’s real daily routine, personal struggles, and sleep schedule
- [12:28] – Inheritance strategies: How and when to help your kids financially
Summary Takeaways
- Scott Galloway is uncomfortable with current character AIs and withdrew his involvement to avoid unintended harm—especially to young people.
- His routine is honest, unconventional, and not an ideal to copy (late nights, late mornings, lots of podcasting, and candid self-reflection).
- On giving kids money: flexibility and responsiveness to character matter more than formulas or fixed schedules. Don’t “lock yourself in.”
For more, reach out to officehours@profgmedia.com or the Scott Galloway subreddit with your questions.
