Scott Galloway · 48:47
And that is downloads. They say of the app had been really anemic or have not met expectations. I don't know how much truth that is, or I don't know if that's true or not.
Speaker · 48:55
If it
Kara Swisher · 48:55
was doing really well, they'd release the numbers. You know that. You got that. Right?
Scott Galloway · 48:59
Yeah. They would put out... They would they would counter it.
Kara Swisher · 49:01
They would make you dress up in some fashion and be on the
Speaker · 49:05
balance would of make
Scott Galloway · 49:06
undress, Kara?
Kara Swisher · 49:09
No. No. But you would be on the corner
Scott Galloway · 49:11
Dad, another three down. With a
Kara Swisher · 49:12
big swirling sign talking about it, but go ahead.
Scott Galloway · 49:15
But here's the thing. They have a lot I wrote this... I wrote a piece on this in No Mercy, No Malice. It is very difficult to start a streaming network when you're not all in. And that is, I think, that the only way this works as a standalone streaming network is if at the end of every program, Anderson Cooper or Farid Zakaria says, if you wanna see this without commercials, it starts ten minutes late and it's on CNN plus, or slowly but surely, they start to put their best program
Kara Swisher · 49:41
Great idea.
Scott Galloway · 49:42
Behind a wall. It is very hard. There hasn't been a streaming network started that's worked that's been an adjunct to anything that hasn't been all in. Now having said that, I think the potential for CNN plus and what I've told my team is that if you make a great show, it doesn't... The distribution will find you. Yeah. And that is you could see CNN plus becoming the r and d lab for Turner, Warner, Discovery, HBO Max. The program, if it's good, if the content, if it's good, will find distribution. And another interesting observation is that if you look at, for example, my program, no, mister Malice, it's always twenty one minutes. And why do you think they've decided to have it be twenty one minutes?
Kara Swisher · 50:25
I don't know. Please tell me.
Scott Galloway · 50:28
Because should they decide to put it on an ad supported channel, it'll be exactly thirty with nine minutes of ads telling you you have restless legs or opioid induced constipation.
Kara Swisher · 50:37
Do you
Scott Galloway · 50:38
So that is clearly their plan b. They're setting everything up such that if this streaming thing doesn't work on CNN plus, they can either go to other subscription, HBO, or they can put it on ad supported, and maybe that's their little R and D lab. But you're gonna see consolidation. I'm sorry.
Kara Swisher · 50:54
Go ahead. Care. Listen. Here's the problem. I've been musing it again this thing because I watch you. You know? And, I gotta say, I don't I don't necessarily wanna hear Anderson Cooper talking about parenthood or Jake Tapper talking about books, and I think they're both really
Speaker · 51:07
Don't say that about Anderson.
Kara Swisher · 51:08
I know
Speaker · 51:09
Don't say that about Anderson.
Kara Swisher · 51:10
He's dreamy.
Scott Galloway · 51:11
He's a good father.
Kara Swisher · 51:12
That's great. That's great. It's just the... It's like least effort here in terms of... I think your show still remains one of the best, and the old Larry King lives because I like to watch a dead guy. Mhmm. So I think it's pro... That's what's popular on that, which is really interesting. We'll see. I I agree with you. Good content always finds a way out, and what... I like what you're making. The other stuff, I I I can't point to something that I love on that thing.
Scott Galloway · 51:39
But you know what else has really hurt it, Tara? What? The bottom line is, the two people running it, Andrew Morris and Rebecca Cutler, are both super talented Fantastic. But you know what? You know what's probably, to some extent, didn't sink it, but dramatically increased the infant mortality or the opportunity for sudden infant death syndrome here, is they lost their cloud cover when they fired Jeff Zucker. Jeff Zucker has the gravitas.
Kara Swisher · 52:04
With Zaslov.
Scott Galloway · 52:06
Yeah, he has the gravitas, the leadership, and he has the authority to walk into Zaslov's office and say, okay, this is what's right, this is what's wrong, this is how we're fixing it, and hands off of it. We're gonna keep going for this for two years. You know, they real... I think, quite frankly, dad's not home, I mean, is the way I would describe it. We don't have any we don't have any cloud cover.
Kara Swisher · 52:29
And it's Daslov's got enough things to do, including having lunch with Steven Spielberg and Oprah, stuff like that. Yeah. I agree. And they're big cost cutters at Discovery. They're tough mothers as I recall.
Scott Galloway · 52:40
Is that right?
Kara Swisher · 52:41
And that's... Yes. They are. They're real good at it. And, yeah, you can make fun of them as cheapsters, but you know what? They know how to run a beeswax. So Netflix, Disney, Warner Brothers, Comcast, and Paramount, Cool Book, 70% of the audience demand. This is all these different brands. Consolidation is happening individually at these places and all over the place. You'll see deals of plenty, I think.
Scott Galloway · 53:02
Yeah. People are gonna have to bulk up and get Like cut
Kara Swisher · 53:05
I said, they gotta be bigger. Okay. So, let's see what's else in the news this week very briefly. Staff at App... Tell me what you like. I'm gonna list them, and I think we'll know which one we want in a second.
Scott Galloway · 53:15
Mhmm.
Kara Swisher · 53:16
Staff at Apple's flagship store in Grand Central are collecting signatures to form a union. The organizers voted to affiliate with Workers United. According to the, Washington Post, organizers say Apple has made efforts for months to convince employees unionizing is a bad idea, including giving them fancy new t shirts. No. I'm teasing. Complaints include Apple's pay, not keeping up with inflation and inability to hold managers accountable. A lot of people who work at Apple stores are pretty happy. When I talk to them, they may be lying, but they seem happier the most, but still unionization. And then your other choice to talk about is Tucker Carlson's new documentary, which is raising eyebrows and other things. Trailer for the end of men features shirtless men wrestling, chopping wood, a new man who appears to be tanning his testicles.
Speaker · 53:54
Hard iron sharpens iron, as they say. And those hard times inevitably produce men who are tough, men who are resourceful, men who are strong enough to survive.
Kara Swisher · 54:06
Pick one. Unionization at Apple or ball tanning?
Scott Galloway · 54:09
Oh, this is this is easy. This is easy. The Tucker Carlson take on masculinity. By the way, my episode this week on No Mercy, No Malice dropping Tuesday morning is on masculinity, and I watched the opening scene for that. And all I can tell you is as a a man, I have never so badly I have never so badly wanted to fuck other men as when I watched
Kara Swisher · 54:29
straight men said.
Scott Galloway · 54:30
I mean, Jesus Christ. I... I'm literally... I'm ready. Like, let's get down. Nothing nothing screams masculinity like the bow ties and homoerotica, the Tucker Carlson. Did you see that thing? I thought it was
Kara Swisher · 54:43
like I did.
Scott Galloway · 54:44
It was like Grindr meets Quentin Tarantino meets Cinemax.
Kara Swisher · 54:48
So many straight men who said, now I'm gay. I just can't understand Okay. You,
Speaker · 54:52
Maybe maybe it's time to give it a whirl. Maybe it's time to give it a whirl.
Scott Galloway · 54:56
I mean, they... I thought it was a parody. Have you seen it?
Kara Swisher · 55:01
I have not. I just I just... It's just
Scott Galloway · 55:03
too frustrating
Kara Swisher · 55:04
to make sense.
Scott Galloway · 55:04
It's
Kara Swisher · 55:05
I saw the video. It's very... I've seen enough gay video. I live in the Castro. My goodness. I can just go down the street right now and enjoy my... Myself some IRL such things. In any case...
Scott Galloway · 55:18
No. I'm I'm I'm in. I mean, you know...
Kara Swisher · 55:21
The guy... I did an interview with Tony Kushner today about Don't Say Gay and stuff like that, and his husband, I believe it was his husband, said, I'm a gay man who's sitting with my gay husband working on my gay book, and I'm not as gay as Tucker Carlson's.
Scott Galloway · 55:34
I couldn't get over it. It was it was like, okay, Tucker. Are you gonna do a are you gonna do a documentary on what it what it means to have a wide stance in public bathrooms and and airports? It just Right. It's so kinda oddly strangely
Kara Swisher · 55:49
Men are ending, but they're not. I've just had... I have three of them.
Scott Galloway · 55:52
Just didn't get it.
Kara Swisher · 55:53
Raising, so they don't seem ending to me. Do you have any comments about Apple's flagship store? In light of this, we have some other things to discuss.
Scott Galloway · 56:00
Don't I don't I don't... I think there'll be some very well publicized examples of union victories where they sign up 10, 12, or dozens of people. Yeah. And I think it's... The unions have been the the perfect enemy for corporations who continue to suppress the wages of frontline workers. And I think the market has stepped in here.
Kara Swisher · 56:18
I think Apple will pay up.
Scott Galloway · 56:19
Yeah. Fine. I like the fact that for the first time, the market is stepping in, and I don't see any reason why the federal government couldn't move minimum wage to $20 an hour over the course of the next three years.
Kara Swisher · 56:29
Yeah. Okay. Couple more things. Online shopping isn't as dominant post pandemic. It's falling off according to Mastercard data. Online spending is down 3.3%, although it had a huge boom. The first year year over year decline since 2013. Brick and mortar spending was up. People liking to get out. Online... Sorry, note Amazon fell by 1%, the first decline since the metric was disclosed. So I... This is not a surprise. People wanna get out and about to
Scott Galloway · 56:53
to I think that's right.
Kara Swisher · 56:53
To begin. Everyone was everywhere. That said, it's been a very secular move. People are very used to buying online now too.
Scott Galloway · 57:01
Part record. Story What misses is a nuance. And at Panera, we found is over 50% of our orders begin digitally. So what is online? What is offline? And I do think that you've seen what I'll call a little bit of sugar high for people who want to go out to the mall and get back into stores. But I think the same trends. Essentially pretty much every year since '99, the percentage of online retail has grown by 1% as a percentage of all retail. And that continues. Now whether we're gonna, obviously it's gonna check back from the pandemic, but I still think ecommerce marches on.
Kara Swisher · 57:36
Yep. Agree. I think it's just whatever. I think people will do, but people are thrilled to be out. The stores were full. The restaurants were full. I'm thrilled. I've been to lots of restaurants.
Scott Galloway · 57:44
Getting COVID. Yep. Getting... I
Kara Swisher · 57:47
still didn't get... Me and the cold and shot are the only people that aren't getting COVID. It's weird.
Scott Galloway · 57:51
Yeah. And yours truly. It's the pivot it's the pivot vaccine. By the way, I got my second booster.
Kara Swisher · 57:55
So did I. So did I. Everybody go out and
Scott Galloway · 57:57
get We're boosted. And I didn't feel anything. I felt loopy on the first three. I didn't
[Ad break]
Kara Swisher · 58:02
I feel fine. Anyway, oh, it won't be for younger people. If you, you know, you... If you're older and you have issues, you definitely should get it. Otherwise, talk to your doctor. Anyway, Alex Jones Infowars isn't just morally bankrupt. The company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection along with two other Alex Jones companies after several defamation suits, including his claim that Sandy Hook was a a hoax. They had some... Him up for... He didn't show up at trials. We had Elizabeth on Mhmm. Talking about this. The judge find Jones liable for damages to relatives of students and teachers killed in the massacre, a trial to decide how much he owes them was set for August. Elizabeth had been talking about this, but he was on the hook, so this is not a surprise. He remains a fucker to do this, of course, because he wants to get out of it, and protect his his wealth from selling shitty vitamins. Scott, any thoughts on this?
Scott Galloway · 58:51
No. Look, we have we have corporations that create legal legal protection between corporate assets and personal assets. I would hope that they would be able to create enough legal arguments around slander and defamation that they would be able to go after his personal assets. I think what has gone on here is worse than being, I don't think he's crazy. I think he knew what he was doing, and I think he was trading people's despair. Yes. And I think he was I think he was arbitraging and prostituting tragedy in people's pain for economic gain. Absolutely. And I think America... That... That's just not what America's about. And we have correctly hit back on on things like that, and I hope we continue to do that here.
Kara Swisher · 59:33
Yeah. Let me just say, it also does send a signal, though, of having to go bankrupt is that it's not so... Don't don't go as far as Alex Jones. This is where it ends up. People do slap back, and now he's here. Nonetheless, you know, his involvement with January 6, everything else is just... This guy is a toxic waste dump of a person, and anything that can take money away from him is is thrilling. We'll see what happens here. He'll be protected, of course, but it's really gross that he's doing this to these people who who he's caused so much enormous, and incalculable pain. And whatever it takes to to bring him low by them legally is fantastic. Alright, Scott. One more quick break. We'll be back for predictions really quick.
[Ad break]
— Predictions segment begins —
Kara Swisher · 1:01:08
Alright, Scott. Let's very quickly some predictions really fast.
Scott Galloway · 1:01:11
Two players are gonna emerge in the Twitter battle, the SEC and Salesforce.
Kara Swisher · 1:01:18
Okay. Oh, wow. Alright. Okay. I I I I don't know, but that's an interesting thing to say. That is an interesting thing to say. I'm not sure. Okay. Well, we'll leave it at that. That's a really good one. This was a really good show.
— Predictions segment ends —
Scott Galloway · 1:01:30
And I'm taking human growth hormone and, and clipping, and I'm in the next... I am in season two of Tucker Carlson's homoerotica adventures. I'm in.
Kara Swisher · 1:01:40
Like to be. Jesus. Like to be. I'm so excited for the gay Scott.
Speaker · 1:01:43
I'm so happy.
Scott Galloway · 1:01:44
What is this strange feeling? What are these feelings?
Kara Swisher · 1:01:47
Who would you ask out first? Who would you ask out first?
Speaker · 1:01:49
Oh, George Hawn. G.
Scott Galloway · 1:01:50
Hawn. And Anderson Cooper.
Kara Swisher · 1:01:52
With this. I love your wife.
Speaker · 1:01:53
They get it. They don't they
Scott Galloway · 1:01:54
don't hang ups around threesomes. Is it just Most of the women I've been with don't like the idea of a third person in it. I'm ready to mix it up a little bit. Okay. Well, thank and George Hahn.
Kara Swisher · 1:02:03
Oh. Oh, wow.
Scott Galloway · 1:02:04
Okay. My throuple. The Racanteur, AC, and the duh.
Kara Swisher · 1:02:08
And you will all be tanning your balls with Tucker Carlson. It's really a lovely scene. I love America. I love America.
Scott Galloway · 1:02:15
There you go.
Kara Swisher · 1:02:16
As always, we want your questions. Go to nymag.com/pivot to submit your question for us or call 85551 The link is also in our show notes. Okay, Scott. That is a long show. I will be back on Friday for more. Why don't you read us out?
Scott Galloway · 1:02:31
Today's show was produced by Lara Naaman, Evan Engel, and Taylor Griffin. Ernie Jittat engineered this episode. Thanks also to Drew Bros and Mil Silverio. Make sure you subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening to Pivot from New York Magazine and Vox Media. We'll be back later this week for a breakdown of all things tech and business. Kara, I hope you have a wonderful week.
Kara Swisher · 1:02:48
Thank you, Scott. I will.
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