Scott Galloway · 38:50
Billion dollar global video game industry and said well what if we started producing games because we can can foist a shittier game on Amazon Prime members where we control 78% of US households and one third of all clicks online come through our algorithms, we can begin foisting on the public our shittier content at a higher price, and it doesn't matter because we'll start
Kara Swisher · 39:13
living through the website. It's the old Microsoft stuff.
Scott Galloway · 39:15
That's right. That's why we stepped in in '99. The DOJ got off their ass and stepped in. So d o So sure.
Kara Swisher · 39:21
I do think... I'm gonna push back a little bit. I think gaming... I think the... Like, Spotify is better than... Of course, they're getting... Like, they... As the big players move in, they're gonna do a product that's gonna be competitive. But in in this area, it does matter a lot of of who has the best designers and the best creativity. I don't think you can just voice crappy shows on people the same way. You can't voice crappy games. I think these gamers are quite discerning. And, you know, my kids know a lot. They're like, no. That's bad this way. They're very... They... I don't think they would take bad games just to play games. I just don't. I think there's a there's a little bit of creativity that does reign here. But, you know, it'd be really interesting to have Bobby Kotick on to talk about this because I think they're... You know, Amazon's coming for him, and and others because they're just in the creative business. And and, eventually, you know, they own Twitch. They... That's that also creates excitement around games because people watch people play games and things like that. So it's... It it is it it is a question when they're buying every piece of the of the system. They're buying the watching of the games. They're buying the distribution of the games, the selling of the games, and now they're gonna make the games. So you're right. I mean, that that is the that is the financial play here even if it's it's pretty frightening for a lot of these companies.
Scott Galloway · 40:34
Well, you're you're you're absolutely right. So the the community won't accept a bad game, but that's the the... I put forward the wrong... I looked at this through the wrong rubot. So let me ask it a different way. Would the gaming community take 80% of the best game for free with their prime membership? Would the gaming community take take a game that's 80% as good as the best game for free that's also by the way incredibly easy to play and download because they already have interface with Amazon across all these and they already have our credit card and maybe we can even order it with voice. Maybe we come home and your Amazon or your Alexa says, try the latest Star Wars game or NBA game or whatever it is from Amazon Games. Say, tell me more. Say, say start Amazon Games right now. The the example I use is the morning show, and that is Apple took Game of Thrones like budget to produce Murphy Brown. Any other entertainment firm, traditional entertainment firm, that would be written up in variety as as one of the biggest disasters in the history of media. They would say okay these guys spent $130,000,000 per episode for Reese Witherspoon to reanimate Reese Witherspoon as a plucky young reporter and Jennifer Aniston and Stephen Crowell and by the way they're all great in it. It's a good show. It's not a great show, it's a good show. But Heaven's Gate was a good movie, but it wasn't worth $200,000,000 It was a disaster. And so from any other media company this would have been a disaster.
Kara Swisher · 42:04
They're not allowed.
Scott Galloway · 42:05
Because it's from Apple, and all they need to do is sell a few more phones, and because a billion dollars is a rounding error, they can come in and produce ridiculously noneconomic content, which puts incredible pressure on an entire industry that hires caterers, gaffers, creative directors, showrunners, and that is the definition of anti competitive behavior. Anyway, so I... Yeah. The video game industry, they should be rightfully terrified that Amazon is getting into this business and they should be contacting their lobbyists and saying, hey, are you to let what happened to retail happen to this industry? Because we employ a lot of people. And we employ a lot of people that... If the gaming industry goes away to Amazon, you're literally gonna have millions of kids not moving out of their parents' basement. It's like, okay. He dropped out of college, and he's in our basement, but he got a job with some gaming company. Whenever Amazon moves in, it destroys jobs.
Kara Swisher · 43:05
Yeah. It's interesting. One of the things that's... That that it also is... It's also more in their in their wheelhouse. It's game... It's it's it's software. It's software making, software distributing, and so and technology. It's... Of all the industries, gaming is most... You know, it's it's closer to tech than any other. And you're right. So Stephanie from Wellesley, Massachusetts. We... This was a great question. I am gonna have Bobby Kotick on, Rico Dico to talk about this because I think it's a great question. Alright, Scott. We're gonna take one more break. We'll be back for predictions.
[Ad break]
— Predictions segment begins —
Kara Swisher · 45:13
Okay, Scott. We're back. Last week, you made the incredible prediction that universities wouldn't be reopening for the fall semester, which I told my son and he was beside himself. Do you have another prediction this week?
Scott Galloway · 45:23
My prediction is more boring, but I think more important. And that is you're about to see a concerted multi prong attack on the World Health Organization from the current administration. And that is they realize how badly they fucked up. They realize there are more people who will never get off a ventilator. They realize there's more fear, there's more panic, there's more economic destruction because of their incompetence and their inability to invest and their inability to lead. So the American brand comes out of this as incompetently or dangerously incompetent. When I say dangerous, mean more people are, we now have more infections than China, Italy, and Spain combined. Anyway, so they need they need to blame somebody. And and Donald Trump is the master of the pivot to blame, and his new target is gonna be the World Health Organization. And you already see evidence of He's already Oh, yeah. It's just starting. It's gonna get worse. And the big winner here is the virus because a key a key to any war is atomizing and dividing your enemies. The reason World War two... The turning point in World War two wasn't D Day. It wasn't the Battle of the Bulge. It wasn't even dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The key turning point in World War two where it would have turned out much differently was when was when the Germans and the Russians split apart and declared... And and Hitler and Germany declared war on Russia. And the virus... President Trump is playing into the virus on our enemy's hands right now by instead of instead of figuring out a way to grab hands and unify through global institutions that can serve to connect us and have a unified treaty and a unified front against this enemy, he's dividing us and he's complaining
Kara Swisher · 47:08
about Well, it's the the same playbook.
Scott Galloway · 47:09
58.
Kara Swisher · 47:10
It's the same playbook. Yeah. He's been... It. Over it.
Scott Galloway · 47:12
But it literally playing into the hands of this enemy. The enemy wants this shit. The enemy, the virus wants us to be divided. And the few things, we do have infrastructure and systems and structures in place to try and fight this thing on a global level. And one of those infrastructures and systems and organizations is the World Health Organization, which by the way, we gave $58,000,000 to. Too bad we didn't give them $58,000,000,000 right? This was a huge opportunity missed in terms of giving the World Health Organization more legitimacy and more funding. And what is he going to do now? He's going to basically say all right, let's further divide us. Let's further emasculate and neuter our response as an army. This is just, it's a terrible move. It reflects the narcissism, the ignorance and the incompetence of this administration and unfortunately more generally of our society right now, but the World Health Organization is about to come out
Kara Swisher · 48:08
of I have an idea. Why doesn't some billionaire give the World Health Organization a pile of money? There you go. Like, hello. You know, just like if Bill Gates stepped up and said, here's $500,000,000 Yeah. There... Trump is wrong. That would be, like, beautiful.
Scott Galloway · 48:22
Yeah. He won't. I I hear you. That's... But that... I mean, it's it's sad that that's where we are. Yeah. It's sad that that's where we are. Anyways, World Health Organization is about to take a bunch of ridiculous incoming fire that damage... The collateral damages all of us.
— Predictions segment ends —
Kara Swisher · 48:35
The blame game. Like, they... He blamed the governors. He blamed... His blame game has really lost its mind, like in terms of how he finds blame.
Scott Galloway · 48:42
But you know what? He's probably I used to think this was gonna end his presidency. I don't know. We're talking a little bit about the Sanders dropping out. You know what? Trump, as bad as he looks right now, he looks stronger than Biden. He's just hiding in his basins... Basement talking to his grandkids through
Kara Swisher · 48:57
a window. I've been polling my conservative relatives, and they're not happy with Trump.
Scott Galloway · 49:03
Yeah. It's not it's not. But here's the thing. Think about Biden right now. Where's where's Joe? He's in a... He's hiding in a basement
Kara Swisher · 49:10
right now. It's like so early. I don't agree with you. I... We're gonna talk about this next. We'll talk a little bit next. But I think it's very early, and we got plenty of time for... And if he picks
Scott Galloway · 49:19
his about Bernie being out?
Kara Swisher · 49:21
I'm fine.
Scott Galloway · 49:21
We didn't even talk about it. We didn't even talk about it.
Kara Swisher · 49:24
We'll talk about it Monday. How about that? We'll talk about it Monday. We didn't talk about Steakums, and I love Steakums. Can I just say I wanna marry Steakums? Because I love... They're the smartest Twitter account on Twitter right now in terms of deal... Talking it. You should read the Stacombs accounts because they're very... They talk about these things too, Scott.
Scott Galloway · 49:40
You're so cocky now that you have UTA representation telling me what to do. Telling me what Just to
Kara Swisher · 49:47
go... Trust me. Go read Stacombs.
Scott Galloway · 49:49
You'll a lot them. And my my favorite account is the Twitter feed of the voice of god. I think that one is hilarious. I forget the comedian who does that, but that's really good.
Kara Swisher · 49:57
One is good too.
Scott Galloway · 49:57
Yeah. Okay. I'll go look at Steak. Go...
Kara Swisher · 50:00
I'm telling you. You'll like it. I wanna... I want your questions about how they're handling their brand. I think they're doing a beautiful job, but I am not an expert like you are.
Scott Galloway · 50:07
Oh,
Kara Swisher · 50:07
yeah. By the way, Scott, did I tell you you're a genius?
Speaker · 50:10
You're hired. Season three pivot.
Scott Galloway · 50:14
Season three pivot. It was so odd, but don't... It was just so funny because I remember sitting there thinking, this is so nakedly sycophantic, and it is so It is so effective. Effective. Are hired, my You are hired.
Kara Swisher · 50:30
Let me just say, Scott, your amazing head of hair is so attractive attractive to me. Like, I don't know what
Scott Galloway · 50:36
Josh leaving David Worsch after. Greatness is in the agency of others. Wonderful people creatively trying to figure out a way
Kara Swisher · 50:42
to get Alright.
Speaker · 50:42
To spread
Scott Galloway · 50:43
a little dog around the world. Spread a little dog.
Kara Swisher · 50:47
You're like a low rent Trump.
Speaker · 50:49
Anyway He's lifting his leg and he's his
Kara Swisher · 50:52
and he's
Speaker · 50:52
springing the world.
Kara Swisher · 50:53
Week for religious gatherings, I know you're an atheist. Do you have any creative ways you've been staying tele connected with your community? Anything? Anything? This is the this is the season of kindness.
Scott Galloway · 51:07
I've been screaming at everyone. It's my neighbors. I've been eavesdropping on all the arguments to make me feel better about myself.
Kara Swisher · 51:13
Okay. That's
Scott Galloway · 51:14
not Not that's not Nothing. Yeah. I don't have I don't have a hallmark moment. I don't I don't You don't. Yeah. I know we're all looking for those right now so we can wallpaper over the fact that we have fucked this up so royally, but no. No Hallmark moments today.
Kara Swisher · 51:26
See where you are. I see where you are. I'm gonna leave you there Yeah. Down in the hole.
Scott Galloway · 51:30
How about you?
Kara Swisher · 51:30
I'm gonna leave you.
Scott Galloway · 51:31
What have you been doing? Me? You've been Zooming with your baby. What have you been doing?
Kara Swisher · 51:35
Yes. We Zoom. The baby's... Honestly, there's no way you're bringing me down. Like, every morning I get up. I'm like, oh god. Here we are still. And then the baby smiles, and I'm like, okay. Yeah. Like, it's just How's lucky? Like, she's having her best pandemic life ever. It's just like... Is she just literally... It's hard.
Scott Galloway · 51:51
Living her best corona?
Kara Swisher · 51:52
Corona. Because literally, lucky is good. Lucky is really good. She was starting to spout some of this new Spock stuff that was going on, like, bring back not not bring back the economy. She doesn't think that. She's really interesting. She's like, we should stay, you know, shuttered. She's not going with the Fox line. Oh, that'll take three weeks for them to convince her of it. But she was, she was doing the line of that maybe it's safer, and it's not yet, and so that was it. She hasn't fallen for the Does she believe
Scott Galloway · 52:22
like most Fox viewers that Jesus is coming back and He's going to turn water into hydrochloroquine? He's gonna turn water into hydrochloroquine wine? Get it? No. Get it? No. Yeah. No.
Kara Swisher · 52:33
She told me for the first time she thought Trump wasn't gonna win, which is she was saying he was gonna win. It was interesting, and she had a whole bunch... She had a whole theory. She she she... This has not made her amused by him in any way. So we'll see. We'll see. You know, obviously, the the numbers are interesting. Men support him more than women. Women do not Mhmm. By a large amount. So it'll be interesting to see if he can get all these sort of... His base to really support him, and maybe he can. We'll see. Anyway, don't forget if you have a story in the news, you wanna hear our opinion, just like Stephanie from Wellesley, was a great question. Email us at pivot@voxmedia.com to be featured on the show. Scott, please read us out.
Scott Galloway · 53:11
Today's episode was produced by Rebecca Sinanis. Our executive producer is Erica Anderson. Special thanks to Drew Burrows and Rebecca Castro. If you like what you heard, please subscribe. We'll be back at the beginning of next week for a breakdown of all things tech and business. We're getting through this, Karen.
Kara Swisher · 53:28
Stable genius.
Speaker · 53:29
That's right. Genius. A. Oh, smell me. Smell the jungle care.
Kara Swisher · 53:33
Genius. Are so handsome. You are so handsome. It's just... I don't know how you
Speaker · 53:37
Season three of pivot. It's on. It's on.
