Kara Swisher · 53:20
Google and others were in the health care. Remember HealthVault, Microsoft, and they were always gonna... This was always gonna apply, and it... You know, now it's now it's AI that's gonna save us. Like, it's gonna know what you have by speaking into it and this and that. So I don't know. Scott, what do you think?
Scott Galloway · 53:39
I don't wanna say I've given up on the notion that in the current construct, the technology is gonna save us. So I'm sort of... It's been interesting living in The UK contrasting or comparing and contrasting the health... The approach to health care. And where I start is that it's almost impossible to fix a system where infant mortality and obesity and depression greater despite the fact we spend on average $12.5 per citizen as opposed to Australia, Canada, and The UK that spend $6,500 It's literally the... Arguably the most wasteful biggest tax on the American economy is The US health care system. And if you want evidence of that, just look at every hospital system and insurance company that every year increases their earnings and their profits through regulatory capture. They have quietly weaponized government and have created a ton of moats around any... Even Google and Amazon can't can't crack this nut.
Kara Swisher · 54:35
Well, I I think One Medical. I'm going there tomorrow. I have something I want. But
Scott Galloway · 54:40
I'm a member. I love One Medical. We're talking about a pimple on the
Kara Swisher · 54:43
pimple of the elephant right now. Agree.
Scott Galloway · 54:45
And where I am is gigantic structural change over the long term, and that is I'm an advocate for, if you look at The UK system, kind of what you call the I don't want call them the bottom 90, but ninetieth percentile and lower access NHS. And I've accessed NHS, the waits are longer, it can be frustrating. But there's something really wonderful knowing that if your wife gets lung cancer, it doesn't mean you're going to go bankrupt. You know, that is six of the 10 happiest countries in the world are socialist countries in Northern Europe, and it's not only a function of what you have, but absence from having things taken away from you, specifically your dignity if you get sick. We do not have the absence from that fear in The United States. So the question is, how do you disrupt the traditional system? And where I am is the following: is that Medicare each year for the next sixty five years should be lowered by a year until it's all Medicare. We need nationalized health care. The only way you're going to get there Hillary couldn't do it is to say, all right, every year we're going to lower the age of Medicare until we do away what is with the most profitable, unearned regulatory capture profits in history, and that is the privatization of health care. I don't want to say I've given up. There'll be just some disruption, but we need massive structural change in
Kara Swisher · 56:00
Doctors hate it, patients hate it. Government doesn't really like it. How we develop drugs is also so antiquated. Whenever I feel sick, I feel frustrated because I don't understand it, and I'm a very aggressive consumer you know, in that...
Scott Galloway · 56:22
And there's there's hacks. We need better tax policy because we're so narcissistic or jingo, whatever you want to call it. I mean, Japan tries to figure out ways to incorporate exercise into people's lives. There's just we we don't want kids to eat well because guess what? Once they get obese, there's a ton of money in it for us.
Kara Swisher · 56:42
Yeah. I call it the diabetes industrial complex.
Scott Galloway · 56:46
I wonder where you got that. Anyways, so there are too many economic incentives and too many people making too much money to pretend that they give a good goddamn around the long term health health benefits of American citizens. And government needs to pass a law and say, okay. We're done trying to fine tune this. Too many of us have been weaponized. We're gonna lower Medicare, which is nationalized health care and health care for all, which, by the way, the majority of medic... Medicare recipients are pretty happy with. And also, on a cost basis, it's pretty efficient. And every year for the next sixty five years, we're gonna lower it. Yeah. Well,
Kara Swisher · 57:19
we'll see. We don't think there's much tech in it. There's tech applied to it, and people have great hopes for generative AI, Brian. But we've seen this before, so it really does take a bigger effort on the behalf of the government and industry to make this turnaround. But, yeah, there's only one payer. There's only one if they all complain about it too. Anyway, we'll see. We'll see. By the way, next week, we're gonna try something a little different with our listener mail. We'll be taking calls directly from you during our regular taping. Little scary. That's right. You can ask us your questions to our faces, well, over over digital, so you can't touch us, I mean, as much as Scott might like that. Call 85551 pivot to tell us what you might like to ask, and leave your name, age, and where you're from and where we can reach you. We won't be able to fit everybody in, but our producers might be reaching out to you to join the show. So get those questions in now. You can talk to Scott directly. Alright, Scott. One more quick break. We'll be back for predictions.
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— Predictions segment begins —
Kara Swisher · 59:48
Okay, Scott. Let's hear a prediction.
Scott Galloway · 59:50
So I'm gonna do a quick prediction, and I wanna take license here and talk about a win or something that really moved me this week. My prediction is that Coinbase is the AOL of... You know, I said it. I I... The stock's up. I mean, the stock has just skyrocketed. I think it's overvalued. I think it's a good firm that's well run. I think it has a role to play, and they'll find new ways. But it's just... It's like AOL. It's gonna dramatically shed a ton of value, I think, over the next few years because it's been the on ramp into crypto, and people no longer need a safe, you've got mail, kind of friendly place to buy crypto. So occasionally, you see something or a piece of piece of content that inspires you, and I bond with my kids over media. I send them Tom Petty, which they don't listen to, and they send me rap that I don't get. But, anyways, we we watch full shows together. I'm watching with my 13 year old. Have you seen the last of us?
— Predictions segment ends —
Kara Swisher · 1:00:46
Yeah. Parts of it. Like, I I... It's not... It hasn't caught on with me yet, but that one with the gaze, I saw the gaze one.
Scott Galloway · 1:00:52
You're stealing my thunder. So I have no interest in anything around the zombie apocalypse. It's a genre that has no interest for me. I haven't watched a single episode of The Walking Dead nor will I ever, but my son wanted to watch The of Us. And I'm like, oh god. Here we go again. Episode one is... I think Pedro Pascal is a is a leading man. I love him. I loved him in Narcos. He's the best guy with a mask on in The Mandalorian. Episode three, which you just referenced, is so moving and such a great piece of art. And it's about... I I won't give it away, but it's about a survivalist slash prepper played by Nick Offerman from Parks and Rec. And then... But the story is about he helps protect somebody, and he falls in love. And it's just the story of these two men. And the the reason why... It was such a nice moment for my son and I because we were talking about it afterwards. And the thing I take from it, I've been thinking a lot about masculinity. I'm trying to write a book on it. And here you had a guy who brings what Richard Reeves, who's sort of my yoda around this stuff and is able to kind of articulate the things I'm feeling and seeing. But he talks about the notion of men and their need to create surplus value. And what do we mean by that? That when you become a man isn't about reading from some religious scripture or having sex or turning 18 or getting a job, that when you become a man is when you start adding surplus value. And as a boy, your return on investment is negative. People give you love. They give you resources. They give you attention. They spoil you. And quite frankly, other than the people who love you, you don't add a lot back to society. And some people never grow out of that. Some people just for their whole lives take more than they return. And his notion is, and I love this, that what it means to be a man is you add surplus value. That the time, the attention, and the resources you take in, that you are so skilled and you acquire so many strengths and competences that you produce more than you consume. You add surplus value. And I absolutely love that as a metric. And here's this guy, this prepper and the survivalist, who is so talented. And obviously, you know, those politics are a little bit crazy. But this guy is so talented. Not only can he put up... Create a compound with electrified fences that zap the zombies, but he raises chickens. He's a great cook. He's figured out a way to maintain running hot water in the middle of a zombie. He's so talented. But the surplus value is that he finds someone to protect and to love. And I I absolutely
Kara Swisher · 1:03:26
love It's that a very it's a really good show. Let me... May I recommend another one to... This is a... It's a gay love story, really, but is, Sanjit Pero on, did you ever see that? On I didn't. On... Please please avail yourself to that. And it's got a very similar vibe, it's about two women, and they're in a virtual reality setting. And I think you will weep, weep giant tears.
Scott Galloway · 1:03:53
I love the idea of this notion of defining manhood and masculinity as surplus value. And then I thought this represented that, and this is the conversation I was having with my 13 year old. I'm like, this is what men do. They develop the skills and they acquire the strength such that they can protect and love others. And there's this great line at the end, you know, this guy Nick Offerman says, at the very end of it, and I won't spoil the end of many, he says, you gave me purpose. And that's, I love that. I'm like, that's what it means to be a man. You you find purpose, and your purpose is to protect others. I just thought it was wonderful. Anyways, my win, episode three, season one, Last of Us.
Kara Swisher · 1:04:29
I'm surprised you haven't seen it. It's so funny because it... For a while, when it appeared, people went crazy for it. May I ask you a question? Yes. Doesn't that apply to women?
Scott Galloway · 1:04:39
Masculinity is not the domain Right. Domain. Yeah.
Kara Swisher · 1:04:42
I'm going to... Let me finish.
Scott Galloway · 1:04:44
Okay.
Kara Swisher · 1:04:46
Does it... Don't... Aren't women supposed to protect and add at the same time?
Scott Galloway · 1:04:51
Masculinity and femininity are social constructs that we invent. They are not the domain of people born as men and women. However, people born as men and people born as women have instinctual predilections and competences that oftentimes lend them towards more feminine or more masculine attributes. I believe femininity is more about nurturing and more about being loving and also protecting. And I think a lot of women demonstrate wonderful masculine attributes. And I think a lot of men, also the men I'm usually attracted to as friends, can indicate and represent wonderful feminine attributes. But I think masculinity, which typically, typically people born as men have an easier time embracing, is again, redefinition. It needs a modern aspirational definition. Because unfortunately, now, anything that is seen as masculine is conflated with toxicity, and that's bullshit. It's not it's not... It... It's not sequestered from women nor is femininity sequestered from men. We need to... We we we we absolutely appreciate femininity. I would argue it's more being about more nurturing, more loving, more graceful, less prone to judgment.
Kara Swisher · 1:06:03
Maybe we need new words. Maybe we need new words.
Scott Galloway · 1:06:07
I'm I'm up for it, sister, because we need a better dialogue around this stuff. We need to respect the fact that most people, 90 to 95% of people, identify as binary, and the attributes and competencies and feelings and instincts they feel are wonderful. And that doesn't mean it's sequestered from the other gender. You know, I think you demonstrate a lot of wonderful masculine attributes. I'd like to I'd like to believe I demonstrate a lot of wonderful feminine attributes. Mhmm. You do. Celebrate both those things.
Kara Swisher · 1:06:35
Need new words. We need new words. Anyway, that's a good one. It's a great show. You should see it. But I promise you if you watch black mirror that San Junipero, it'll it'll make your heart sing. It's beautiful. The same way.
Scott Galloway · 1:06:45
Black Mirror. Can you say it again?
Kara Swisher · 1:06:47
Black Mirror, San Junipero. Yep. Is. It's very tech focused too, which is interesting, and it's really cool. Anyway, we'll be back next week. Read us out, Scott.
Scott Galloway · 1:06:58
Today's show is produced by Lara Naaman, Zoe Marcus, and Taylor Griffin. Ernie and her Todd engineered this episode. Thanks also to Drew Bros and Neil Savario. 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 at nymag.com/pod. We'll be back next week for another breakdown of all things tech and business. Season one, episode three, The Last of Us.
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