Mr. Zuckerberg goes to Washington ... again

37m
Kara and Scott talk about Congressional hearings on tech platforms responsibility for spreading white nationalism and other hate speech. New Zealand, Australia and the EU are so far ahead of the US in regulations ... when will we catch up? They also discuss the Pinterest IPO and AirBnB reversing their decision to pull out of the West Bank. MacKenzie Bezos becoming the 3rd richest woman in the world is a win. And Scott has some predictions for 2020.
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Transcript

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Hi, everyone.

This is Pivot from the Vox Media Podcast Network.

I'm Kara Swisher.

And this is Scott Galloway.

Scott, we just had a long interview

about your book, The Algebra of Happiness.

I know.

I'm glad you got the title.

I feel spent.

I feel emotionally vulnerable.

I feel emotionally vulnerable.

Yeah.

So you're not going to like whip up another rant like last week about Lyft.

No,

I'm on my meds.

Yeah.

Which is something I probably shouldn't joke about, right?

Is that a hate crime now?

Anyway.

In any case.

Yeah, I'm feeling kind of mellow.

I'm going to be visiting the Lyft guys next week.

I'm going to be curious to be listening to.

Throw a dime at their head.

Say, can you drive me somewhere and throw a dime at their head?

Say that's what you do to your 1.4 million drivers.

No, I'm not going to do that.

No, shit, don't get me started.

Seriously?

Don't get me started.

I won't get you started on that.

Would you hate the Uber people more?

Because I'm going to see them do.

I think think everyone names it.

I think ride-hailing is, I got a ton of shit saying this on Twitter.

I think ride-hailing is the tobacco of the gig economy.

I think we've figured out a way to separate

the everyday workers from the white people who split all the money with their.

I shall see what they say.

Yeah.

They're nicer than the Uber people.

They were in the old days.

They're nicer.

I'm just saying.

I mean, they're all nice.

No, they're not.

Really?

N to the O, my friend.

Yeah.

They look nice.

Do you think that matters?

See, I don't think it really matters if they're nice or not.

I think it matters what they're doing.

I would agree.

Anyway, there's so many big stories.

there's so many big stories this week already uh obviously these these hearings on white nationalism yeah crazy where they're just discovering that it's available online it's incredible that this i was talking to someone pretty high up at one of the tech companies who isn't one of those social power and they're like you know what's amazing around the world like in new zealand and australia and europe they're already like making moves about how to fix this and like

here we're just deciding whether it's a problem but that's the myth kara the myth ridiculous i would agree i didn't think of that.

I'm like, you're right.

They're like debating the problem.

Well, in Germany, where they're more liable for it, Germany has figured out a way to have more moderators and the content slowly but surely has become less offensive.

I'm telling you, start finding them a billion dollars a day.

They'll figure it out.

No, they'll figure it out.

Like New Zealand is just shuts it down.

New Zealand's going to just send us on it.

Like that kind of stuff.

You know, and so is Europe.

The perfect metaphor for me is they can literally target.

households with teens who just got their driver's licenses, but they can't figure out a way for me to stop getting birthday alerts from a friend of mine who died of ovarian cancer four years ago.

It's like, okay, where are their priorities?

All right.

Yeah, I think it's interesting with this because one of the issues was when they had the hearings yesterday, it was kind of ugly.

Candace Owens was there fighting with Ted Liu.

That was ridiculous.

The whole thing.

You know, the whole thing.

It just brings out all so much hate.

And they didn't get to the point, which is how do you protect people, make people safe online and prevent attacks like this from ginning everybody up.

What was really interesting is that the comments on YouTube had to be shut down.

Didn't they anticipate that?

So you know the big winners.

The big winner, it was such an incredibly depressing.

The big winners were the haters.

Yeah.

the haters showed up started making anti-semitic comments and that was the story all kinds of it it's like and you had you had people on the far left and the far right trying to embarrass each other not make any progress around the issue i think these hearings i missed the wonks of like rostenkowski and dingle who actually dug in barney frank actually dug in right to the content

i used to love this name bonnie frank bonnet

for you he's fantastic he's great yeah i used to watch him on season no he's he's he's a he's a he's a gangster i think he lives someone told me he lives like up in near Boston.

He's on the Cape or something like that.

Anyway.

But yesterday it was just partisan bickering, and then the platform got shut down because of all the hate commentary.

It's literally a large part of the state.

Didn't they anticipate, like, I would know to turn that one off?

Like, that one is not one.

Just shut the comments off.

Shut the comments.

Why can't they just do that?

Common sense.

Well, here's the thing, and this is what's so ironic, is they claim they don't want to have editorial control, and they wrap themselves in First Amendment.

First Amendment is for the public square, not for a private company.

And also, they are the master, you know, they are the Uber editors, if you will, because their algorithms decide which content we see more of.

So they're editing to the, you know, they're editing on steroids.

They've been editing for a while.

So why couldn't they just edit more responsibly?

So the whole thing, but yeah, yesterday was, I mean, I think the appropriate term for yesterday was, it was just a total shit show.

Yeah, it really was.

And the Republicans bringing Tannis Owen, who's so controversial with so many people,

it was just like they're making fun of it.

They don't want to actually get something done.

It said, Republicans turn white nationalism hearing into a GOP pity party.

You know,

the whole, you're right, the whole side, but the whole idea of like having these moments of not revelation, what's the opposite of revelation or solution building?

Like, what do we do about this?

And other countries are onto it, like onto the idea.

Like Britain with their new proposals this year, this week that they dropped, which is essentially, you're going to pay for this.

Yeah, we've had it.

We've made a mess.

We've had it, and we're going to have.

And Theresa May backed it.

It seems so civil.

Like, this is what we're going to do.

reasonable.

We're going to think about it.

We're going to do it right.

And I think it's going to go further than that.

I think we're going to have, and I've been saying this for a while and been wrong.

I think we're going to have a Latin American or small European nation, Northern European, ban one of these guys.

Enough already.

Right.

You're out.

We're done.

We'll be fine.

Our kids will be angry for a weekend, and then we'll be fine.

But what's interesting is it's coming from Australia, New Zealand, and Europe, which is really, you know, and a little bit California.

Like, California's not going that far, but it's a really interesting, I mean, it sort of jumped the Pacific, just the Atlantic to the Pacific, and they're doing something about it.

But it's how that we're just discussing the issue is really amazing.

Just discussing the issue.

Are you, let me ask you this.

I'm exhausted by the whole thing.

Do you think that's their strategy, that they just exhaust us and we discussed?

That's the Trump strategy.

That's the.

It's just kind of, oh, God, enough already.

You win.

No, they're not going to win.

No, I'm not exhausted.

Yeah, you think it's coming.

Yeah.

I could do this all day.

Yeah.

You watch Captain America?

You don't watch Avengers, do you?

You're so on to Captain America.

I'm not Captain America.

Captain Marvel's my favorite.

But the new Avengers movie is coming out in a few weeks.

And it's got that woman from the movie The Room, which is a fantastic movie.

That's Captain Marvel.

Oh, my God.

I'm not speaking with you anymore.

You know what I did, though?

You're like this.

My youngest was a sleepover.

My wife was away.

So I said to my 11-year-old, I said, it's just you and me.

Let's do something totally inappropriate.

We're going to watch a movie you shouldn't watch.

I mean, you know what we watched?

Deadpool.

I would say Ted.

Oh, Deadpool.

Oh, my God.

Deadpool is a little bit ass.

That is a fantastic movie.

I took my kids to that.

That's an outstanding movie.

I took a bunch of eighth graders to it.

We need Deadpool at one of these.

I asked the parents.

I did ask the parents.

Initially, I thought, I'm not going to ask the parents.

And then I did, because Deadpool is kind of dirty.

Deadpool 2.

I took a packet of groups.

And my son

is so prude and so good.

He would actually ask me to fast-forward certain scenes.

They were just too much for me.

Really?

Yeah.

Deadpool?

Yeah.

It's like joke a minute.

I'll tell you what's an awkward situation: bringing your son.

My other son was a bit older, but I took him to Sausage Party.

That was an error.

Sausage Party?

There's a movie called Sausage Party.

Oh, yeah.

It's with Seth Rogan.

There's a bunch of people.

And at first, you're like, oh, that's interesting.

But then at the end, there's a real.

What are you, hiccup and looper?

No, can I just tell you, there's a terrible part at the end.

And my son turned to me and he goes, bad parenting.

Bad parenting.

And it was this.

He goes, this is awkward.

Bad parenting.

And I go, I agree.

I don't know what to do.

Do we leave?

We had a discussion.

And he and I were both like, it was the worst.

And we just sat there like, would you like some red vines?

This is a moment.

And he literally said, bad parenting.

Bad parenting.

And I was like, I agree completely.

I concur.

And that's it.

Anyway, back to this.

Where is it going to go with this?

When are our lawmakers going to actually do something about it?

Well, I don't know if you saw the riff today, but now they're for the conservative guy.

Ted Cruz said he's threatened.

I got excited.

It said, Ted Cruz, Senator Cruz threatens antitrust action.

I'm like, oh, wow, he's got the right script because of conservative bias.

And so now they're bringing up this notion of conservative bias again, which is, again, going to be another illusionist trick where they're going to say, hey, look over here, everybody.

Oh, Ted Cruz.

Well, but the problem is, I think Facebook and social media will embrace it because

they will eventually be able to dispel it.

No, they won't.

No, no, no, dispel the notion that these platforms have a conservative, anti-conservative bias.

They don't.

They don't.

I know, but that's my point.

They have nothing.

They wish they had a bias.

I wish they believed in something.

That's my feeling.

No, they don't look left.

They don't look right.

They look down.

They just, I want to ignore it.

You know,

Here No Evil See No.

Oh, wait, kids are depressed.

Oh wait, this mass shooting was probably motivated by your platform or at least was there trafficking in it?

Yeah.

We don't want to know.

We're First Amendment.

We don't want to know what it is.

You know, interestingly, I had an interesting interview with Roger McNamee this weekend at the Annapolis Book Fair, which was fascinating.

I put him on my Twitter feed, which was fun and interesting.

And then I interviewed Scott McNeely this week.

Of Sun?

Of Sun.

Run?

Yeah.

Privacy, get over it.

You have no privacy, get over it.

Right.

It's like it's a utility for privacy.

We've already made the trade-off.

And he said that 25 years ago.

So I wrote a column this week in the Times about that and I talked to him.

And what's Roger?

I find Roger.

He still thinks we have no privacy.

And you should still get over it.

That's

the stop with me alley.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I'm not getting used to it too bad.

I actually don't think privacy is the biggest issue.

I think the biggest issue is that these platforms have shown no regard for the sovereignty of our nation or our government.

I think it's interlinked.

I think you've got privacy linked with hate speech, linked with addiction.

I think they're all around the same.

It's all part of the same stew.

Same stew.

But so what do you think?

I was talking, I do.

You need to see the ecosystem, Scott.

Yeah,

the force for the trees.

You must see ecosystems.

The structural underpinnings are

all together and they're all linked.

It's the force.

Yeah.

Kind of like Vision's brain when they were trying to take out the soul stone.

So

you're on something today.

There were 31 years ago.

You're highly caffeinated.

Network's not highly caffeinated.

It's just, I had to see Endgones.

I see this enormous empty.

Infinity stones because I'm going to see Endgame.

You need to see.

I don't know either of those things.

What are they?

You don't know what they're doing.

These cultural references.

I don't know what they are.

It's only going to be a lot of people.

So, what do you think is going to happen here?

I don't know what's going to happen.

I don't know.

Hopefully, a privacy bill will pass.

I hope they will start.

I think this stuff in Europe is going to, Europe and Australia and New Zealand will try to press them.

And maybe some other country is going to take this lead here.

Maybe some other countries.

But it's a global.

That's what's going to happen.

Anyway, next story.

I think they still don't get it.

I still don't think they get it.

Pinterest IPO.

Yeah, this one's interesting.

So about, I think, 680 or or 700 million revenue grew 60%, which is really impressive.

And Pinterest has sort of been the little engine that could.

They have carved out a nice niche for themselves.

Do you have boards that you pin to?

I don't, but I like Pinterest.

Yeah, it's nice.

I always thought it was

if you're decorating a house or getting married, it's sort of perfect.

But there's a lot of other stuff, and you can see how the ad model works.

But the fact they were able to grow 60%, and given just how ridiculous some of these companies are, the fact that they only lost $70 million.

Yeah, $70.

If they can grow 60% to the next two years,

you're looking at a company that lose $70 million.

They don't lose that much money, right?

But they took the price.

It's a real business.

They took the price down.

They adjusted the IPO down.

They don't want to be a broker.

Down from its valuation, its private valuation.

It's by several billion dollars.

It's last private round.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But it's

the tough part about Pinterest, so

nice market.

They've carved out something interesting.

The economics actually look decent here.

The hard part, I struggle with Pinterest is what happens if and when it becomes a big enough business that Instagram or Amazon I always thought they get bought.

I always thought they bought who do you think buys them?

Oh, Amazon or Google?

I think that might be bought.

Either one.

Or Alibaba, any of them.

There's all three of them.

There's, you know, it's really interesting.

I know Ben very well, Ben Silverman.

He's a very quiet, brainy guy.

He does not, yes, and he doesn't, he worked at Google many years ago.

He doesn't seek out the public.

It'll be interesting to have him being a public company CEO.

He almost doesn't want to be.

He feels like he's not.

I don't think that works any longer.

I think you have to be a fantastic storyteller.

He isn't.

So it'll be interesting.

I'm fascinated by, I was just emailing with him because I wanted to see him when I was in San Francisco next week, and he's busy on his, on his thing, but I'm like, I can't believe you on a roadshow.

It was, you know, he's,

several times I've had dinner with him, and we never talk about tech.

It's always something.

But it's not a Tim Cook kind of quiet.

It's a real quiet.

It's a real deep quiet.

He has big questions, and it's always like, let's talk about marriage.

And you're like, okay.

Like, you know what I mean?

It's like, you know, instead of like, let's talk about it.

What do you want to know?

He's done it twice.

What do you want to know?

He doesn't gossip.

He doesn't.

I haven't been married twice.

He doesn't gossip.

He doesn't engage in small talk.

He's a really interesting person and he's super careful.

Now, he's not perfect.

I've heard lots of different things inside, like about dysfunction, like any company.

Well, that's weird because I think everyone's very brainy.

That's really shocking because I think that every major tech CEO is perfect.

These guys are wonderful human beings.

No, but it's interesting because

he's not the Mark Zuckerberg awkward thing.

He's very facile and talking and stuff like that.

It's just, he's a really, it'll be really interesting.

And I agree.

I think it's a really promising.

I always thought I was going to get bought.

That was always my.

And do you know any of the, I always like to see the layer down.

Do you know any of the kind of the other managers?

I like them.

They've had a little bit of a spin.

It's been a revolving door.

It's been a lot of a robot door.

Sam laughed too much.

Yeah, lots of people.

The other guy, there's a, there's, I think the two founders are still there.

Yeah.

Ben, and I can't totally blank on the other guy.

But it's an interesting, it's just an interesting, I find it to, they move through lots of people, actually.

So that's an that's always a, hmm, what's going on there?

But Facebook did.

Well, what happens if Amazon launches a board and says 10% off anything you pin or if Instagram,

but that's that's the interesting thing, and that is, is it because it's not big enough they don't care?

Yeah.

I mean, it's this isn't a huge.

Is it a small business?

And then I was saying, what are the adjacent businesses?

Are they going to sell stuff?

That's what they really have to show is what are the adjacent, what are the companies?

How do they represent?

Because 700 million, unfortunately.

House does that too?

Another interesting thing.

That's a great company.

I love the woman who runs that company.

She's amazing.

I've had her on stage at Code before.

It's really, it's a question of how big it can get.

I think you're right.

That's exactly right.

But I think they've decided we want to pop.

We want sustainability.

We want the stock to go up.

It's a nice market.

I've always been very critical of Pinterest.

I thought Pinterest was going to get squashed and made no sense.

I was wrong.

That's because he's creative and they're not creative over there at Amazon.

Yeah, but there's clearly someone with a business mind.

If they're figuring out a way to do it.

No, no, no.

They're not creative at Google and Amazon enough to create create that.

Then again, Snapchat got crushed, right?

Because he's more creative than Velkerberg ever could be and twice on Sunday.

And it doesn't matter because they can replicate.

But this thing,

I think Pinterest will not make sense in terms of its valuation out of the gates, but

it'll be less ridiculous than, for example, Lyft.

This company could be a profitable...

Any company near profitability, growing 60% a year is worth looking at.

It's slower than it was before.

That's the only thing.

There's a limit, right?

60% is still pretty gangster gross.

It was like 400 before, though.

Anyway, it's interesting.

So, Airbnb, last one, Airbnb backtracking his decision to pause at the West Bank.

Oh, boy.

But say you're the same.

He's done like that.

They did it with immigration.

He went out on a limb on immigration.

With the Super Bowl ad, he's gone out on a limb on a lot of things.

Well, what do you do?

If you're advising him on that issue, what do you like him for it?

He's like the others.

He's got it hard.

You know what I mean?

Everything's not perfect like anywhere else in Airbnb.

But Brian Chesky's got it.

I think it was heart in the right place.

So it'd explain to the listeners what's the whole issue about

pulling listings on the West Bank because of activity.

It created, oh, God, it went back so much.

They got killed on that, pulling listings.

And now they're putting back.

But who knows what will happen now that Netanyahu seems to have won and is going to form a coalition.

And he's going to annex it.

It's going to be just, they've sucked themselves in like a millennial age crisis.

It just feels to me like this is something they should have just pivoted and figured out a way to avoid the whole thing.

Like, why are we even talking about the West Bank and Airbnb?

You know, they have apartments everywhere.

People want to go to the West Bank.

You know, they were sued by a bunch of travelers who wanted to go.

You know, it was that

it was anti-religious.

It was interesting.

There's always you're going to do one thing.

But I do like that he is willing to take he's very eager to take political stands, and that's going to always catch him.

There's no, you know, especially in some of these.

And they've done they did it in Charlottesville.

That worked out okay.

Like he was one of the first to like like cut listings there for uh for white nationalists and that was a long time ago um so i kind of i like the instinct i like you know he wants to run the company when he wants to run it yeah i think i think airbnb

too i think airbnb is going to the most valuable company i really think it's private right i think it's the most valuable private company right now we just don't know it yet yeah i agree i i like him hard kind of our metrics around ipos going back to pinterest you want you want explosive growth, you want network effects, and ideally you want some sort of recurring revenue stream.

And Pinterest has two of those things: 60% is explosive growth.

There are network effects.

The more people to pin pictures of their favorite dog leash, you know, it makes the platform more robust.

It just doesn't, it doesn't have recurring revenue.

It doesn't have the scale and targeting of a Facebook or Google.

But you're right.

You could see, I don't know if Alibaba could do it for xenophobic reasons.

I don't know if the other guys can do it because of antitrust or concerns about raising antitrust.

So they sort of have to go down there and build a nice small business, and then things get looser.

And it's going to get pretty expensive pretty fast.

But it's, look, good for them.

Hope they get it.

They'll get out.

Hope they get a big pop.

I like, I want, I am rooting for Pinterest.

Yep, I agree.

I like him.

I like Chusky.

Those are two people I really do enjoy talking to.

And it's

actually fat, it's interesting to talk to them.

I like enjoy it.

I actually enjoy talking to them.

And they're very thoughtful.

Both of them are incredibly thoughtful.

And again, not perfect, but

they're certainly very thoughtful.

So were the Lyft guys.

I'm sorry, they are.

So are the Uber guys.

But those two are particularly thoughtful.

And I like their designs.

I think the reason the sites are so interesting is because they're interesting.

Which sites do you think are interesting?

Pinterest and Airbnb.

Yeah, they both know what they're doing.

The others are just radioing services.

I don't think they're interested in it.

Can I tell my Airbnb story?

I almost got kicked out of faculty housing for listing my place on Airbnb.

Oh, really?

Yeah, that's against faculty.

You're not allowed to list your place.

I got a note saying we need you to move out of faculty housing.

You violated our terms and service.

And that's me turning you in.

Yeah.

I did that.

I'm really sorry.

That's nice.

You need to stop breaking.

I'm literally, this is is how bad faculty housing is.

I'm hands down the coolest person in the entire building.

It is just the, it is where literally where lame goes to die.

It is like, okay, the widow of a 90-year-old humanities professor who stacks his newspapers a mile high and has a fire hazard, and then some Albanian grad student, which is, I'm sure, racist things.

It is literally.

Oh, are you kidding?

You walk into any building in New York, and there's hot, interesting people everywhere except in my building.

Okay.

People look at me.

They're like, oh, my God, he's so good looking.

And look at his shoes.

Nobody is saying that.

Nobody says that anywhere but in my building.

Oh my God.

I am gangster cool.

I'm fucking the Kardashians and Adidas in my building.

None of that just sounded nothing.

I am so cool.

Who's really cool?

I'm Sean Mendez in my building.

Oh my God.

You know what I'm saying?

All right.

We're going to take a quick break with Sean Mendez.

He's so interesting.

And we'll be back to our show.

He lives in 12K right now.

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We're back to our show.

Scott Galloway is fantasizing how cool he is in

public housing, I guess, or in New York City.

It looks like public housing in Good Dance, Poland.

It's called Faculty Housing.

Faculty Housing at NYU.

You know, my son wants to go to NYU.

He's one of them on this list.

As an undergrad, it's really hard to get into.

We brag about it.

It's a reach.

It's a reach.

Yeah, we're drunk with exclusivity.

We brag like

we're a homeless shelter.

Turning away off the bottom.

I was invited to a dinner party with the president there.

Have you ever been invited to a Disney party?

You're literally shaming me right now.

I said, no.

Wins and losses.

We're going to move on.

Win.

Mackenzie Bezos is now the third richest woman in the world.

Wow.

What do you think of that?

And

he kept all the voting shares, right?

Yes.

Yes, he did.

And so the question I immediately have is, why didn't she get half?

Why did she get a third?

I bet.

I bet.

I don't know.

I didn't have a prenup.

Kids are getting everything.

That's what I'm guessing.

Is that right?

Yes, I don't think there was any acrimony.

It doesn't look like there was any acrimony.

Not publicly.

They're way too smart.

If there was, they wouldn't let her go.

I think she knew them pretty well early in the early days, and

they were so lovely to each other.

I can't believe it would degenerate into something that's not.

That's nice.

I hope not.

I mean, it would be a surprise.

Something big would have to happen.

And she's a class act.

Like he'd have to start sending dick pics out to strangers.

Things happen.

I don't excuse that.

I think it was just a lot of people.

Something to come in between their

great relationship.

Let me just tell you what happened.

What do you you mean we don't know what happened?

We have digital proof of that.

It's a deal.

She's a class act and deserves all the benefits.

I'm thrilled that she's rich.

I like that.

That's Lorraine Jobs.

It's her.

It's the lady from L'Oreal who's like fabulously wealthy.

Ruth Betney Court.

Whatever.

I saw that list.

I was like, oh.

So is McKenzie going to go start buying

every media company in the world?

Is she going to buy it?

No, no, I think that's Lorraine's judge.

That's Lorraine's jobs thing.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Lorraine's job.

Anyway,

wish them the best.

Glad she's a billionaire.

And now, do you realize if you and I make

$50 million a year, it would only take us 1,900 years to match Bezos' wealth.

Well, okay.

So he just lost a ⁇ he's now only worth what, $110 billion on $150?

Whatever.

After the first billion, who cares?

Yeah, there you go.

But I'm glad it's over.

I'm glad that.

Yeah, I think that was a win.

I think they handled it well.

It didn't, like, these things can degenerate.

And I think that, you know, you see the wins, the.

Wait, I'm confused, though.

It's a win she got a bunch of money in a divorce settlement?

No, I think it just was just like, it could have been like, I just remember so many divorces, like, so many lives.

Oh, Oh, the way they're handling it.

Yes, that's what I'm talking about.

That's the win.

Not the win.

Although I'm glad a woman has now $36 billion or whatever.

I'm good.

I'm good.

Well, actually, supposedly, there's more wealth controlled by women.

But anyways, because they live longer.

But anyways, my win is Apple, and I'm going to try and go professorial here.

So

the algorithm for irrational shareholder returns.

End of World War II, the introduction of Google, was to take an average product and create brand codes and create all these intangible associations around American, youthful, and print money.

And that requires brand management, thoughtful brand management.

And then this series of these unbelievable companies that were able to provide 10x, better products, cheap capital, created unbelievable brands, Google, Amazon, et cetera.

But Apple is still the best brand in the world.

And the reason they're the best brand in the world is they make very thoughtful brand management decisions.

And what they did recently that I thought was just genius was they did something

that we try to introduce in brand strategy called laddering, where they compare them.

They not only look for their best feature to talk about, they look for the feature or their attribute that immediately depositions the competition.

And the thing that they have depositions.

Yeah, it makes someone else look bad.

Like, if you were to say, hi, I'm Kara Swisher and I have great hair, you would be depositioning me.

That might not be your best feature,

but immediately says, okay, we're done.

Game over, right?

We're done.

Hi, I'm the half that has great hair.

Okay.

So laddering is pretty important, right?

And they clearly laddered all the other tech companies and they said, what do we have that they can't follow?

We pull 70 data points a day from your phone.

Android pulls a thousand.

We have encryption.

We refuse to give the phone of the terrorists to the FBI, which they should have in my view.

But anyways, so have you seen their new ads?

They're all about privacy.

Are they?

It's your phone.

It's your life.

And it's genius.

Although I have to say, I've heard some pushback on that by lots of tech executives and not just the ones at Facebook and Google, in that

they pull all that money from Google.

They get all like billions.

It might be bullshit, but it's great.

I'm just saying, they're getting pushback.

I would agree.

I think they're the most, that's why I use them their most private phone, but that if they double down too much on it, people are going to be like, hey, they're taking money here, they're taking money there.

Well, they're setting themselves up for hypocrisy, but hypocrisy doesn't seem to get in the way of anyone's shareholder value these days.

No, but I do think it's hard.

It does think those things.

Just, you know, I interviewed the CTO of Ford Motor Company recently, and he was talking about that.

He said the difficulty of dealing with internet, many Silicon Valley companies, and I think he singled the Apple out.

He was like, not that way, was their obsession with taking everyone's information.

And when they're doing the car stuff, they're like, we think of not using people's information beyond beyond this step.

And so it's really,

it was a constant struggle between

the Silicon Valley tech companies who want to use all the information and they've car come.

And he was like, hey, this is trusted information.

And so anyway, it was interesting.

It was an interesting.

I think Ford's done a pretty shitty job with their brand the last few years.

Agree, but I'm just saying this was an interesting, I think a lot of companies that are coming against them that have more regard for people's privacy are having some troubles with Silicon Valley companies.

But anyways, my win, Apple, I still think is the best brand in the world.

And I think the brand managers there are really, really strong.

And they again laddered the competition and said this may not even be the best attribute but it's the attribute that is going to definitely sets them up and deposition everybody else in compared to others

what is your fail so my fail is I I it's my fail from last week but I was too wimpy and too scared to say it my fail is

the Nevada lawmaker Lucy Flores yeah I think her

complaint or accusation around Joseph

Vice President Biden I don't think she's forwarding the dialogue everyone says we're having an an overdue conversation here, and I don't think that is a conversation.

I think it's an attack.

Do you remember when Angela Merkel, when George Bush?

Angela Merkel, gangster, probably the best leader of the last 50 years.

But anyways, do you remember when George Bush came up behind her and started rubbing her shoulders at a meeting?

And she went, oh my God, and threw up her arms?

No.

I thought that was an entirely, you don't remember that?

No, I did.

That was an entirely, in my opinion, authentic and appropriate reaction.

And I think a lot of people, including our president, learned from that.

In that sort of setting.

This is the other George Bush?

Yeah.

Which one?

W.

W.

Wasn't the dad who had some issues with that.

No, no, no, no.

That was when he was older.

David Coppafield, whatever.

It wasn't that.

This was at a G, I think a GA meeting, and he came up with Rebelish Earth.

Anyways,

I thought that advanced.

I thought there was a lot of public discourse in that advanced the day.

When Assemblywoman or Lawmaker Flores announces this, that she was upset by this, a few days before the vice president is supposed to announce or not announce, actively endorsing

Sanders, her candidate.

It doesn't feel like she's advancing the dialogue.

It feels like she's using the cloud cover of this dialogue to attack somebody.

And I think it's just total bullshit.

You know, Nancy Pelosi, I think, handled it.

Well, I'm doing a podcast with her this week.

Nancy Pelosi.

I heard it.

Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

I only heard that about seven times.

Okay, here's the deal.

Not to our listeners.

They don't know.

You heard it.

Yeah, yeah.

But I think what's interesting is that she said, look, here's the deal.

Do it like you have a cold or just do a strong arm.

Like, she just handled it and then moved on.

I thought that was, I thought she handled it.

Well, there is, there's two parts of it.

One is men should hear this because I have to tell you, that has happened to me dozens of times.

And believe me, people shouldn't be touching carousels.

Well, let me just ask you this, though.

Okay, affectionate word.

So you've had inappropriate examples of affectionate word.

And let me...

It's not inappropriate.

Just I didn't want someone to rub my shoulders.

I just don't.

Okay, but let me ask you this.

It's not sexual either.

I don't know.

Have you ever had expressions of affection at work that you were receptive to?

Yes.

Okay, so what I would say is, is help us, help us figure that gray area.

And if you turn around and say, you know, dude, I just, I'm not comfortable with you in my space.

I don't like people.

Shoulder massaging is never good.

That's kind of a no-brainer.

That's sort of like the user's manual.

That's like Common Sense 101.

But what I think is appropriate is to have a dialogue.

And I don't think it's appropriate to wait and go after people when they're kind of what I'll call vulnerable.

She could have think what happens is a lot of these things have built up over years with women.

I agree.

And it's like,

finally, yes, that.

What's interesting is all the polling is showing that Biden is not suffering from it.

You know, there was a fascinating story in the New York Times about how the Twitter Democrats and real Democrats, how they feel, like they're not bothered by Biden.

They think things are too partisan.

It was really interesting, the differences.

I disagree.

And this goes into our predictions.

Okay.

All right.

Let's go to predictions.

We've got to finish up here.

So my first prediction is that ageism and

sexism is about to take serious hold in the Democratic primary field.

And we're about to see the poll numbers for Biden and Sanders plummet.

Oh, all right.

That's really off because, oh, that's interesting.

Yeah, I think the only reason they're up there is for name recognition.

Okay.

It was them and the seven dwarves, and we're getting to know other people and we're finding that, you know what, Mayor Pete, we just like him more than Uncle Joe.

Have you moved on from Beto yet?

You know what?

I have another lover.

I have another.

I am flirting with another candidate.

And

I got Senator Bennett in the wings who I just think is

so wonderful.

So I got three.

I got three loves.

But here's the thing.

The old guys were done.

Like any of the women candidates, of which there are 53.

Okay, again, I'm afraid to say this, but I'm going to say it.

If a woman runs and loses, you're not going to have a female president for 20 years.

That's the reason why.

Come on, Scott.

Okay, this is what we need.

The gangster ticket is Beto or Mayor Pete and Kamala is VP.

Why does she have to be VP?

Oh, no.

I don't think she has to.

She's so much more qualified.

Give me a break.

I think she's fantastic.

I don't think she's as good on her feet as Beto or as a politician.

Yeah.

And guess what?

That matters.

It's a very political office.

But guess who could really actually run things better?

I think she'd be great.

She's very strong.

Prosecutor.

Outstanding.

Yeah, she's outstanding.

She would be great.

I would love to see her.

You like the guy who speaks 83 languages and like is a have you listened to him?

I have.

My kids love him.

Oh, my gosh.

I know.

See, now you're like, look at you.

Julie moved on from Beto.

Hold on.

I told you Hold on.

I'm a slut when it comes to politics.

Beto is Pete Light.

Bat your eyes at me.

I'm a little bit.

That was who you were looking for.

Beto is Pete Light or Pete is Beto Heavy.

I don't know, whatever.

But did you hear him on, what was on PBS talking about being gay?

And he said, I didn't choose to be gay.

I would have had this cut out of me.

This was not my choice.

And he was very open and emotional about it.

And then he talked about the penses.

And he's like, do they really hate me?

Do they really want to convert me?

Yes.

It was very powerful.

And the guy is, oh, and by the way, he drove Humvees around in Afghanistan.

Fuckers, what the fuck did you do?

He's very accessible.

And he's kind of.

It's interesting.

You know how people like Alan and stuff like that?

It's the same.

He's very, like, people hear him in a way that's really.

And my mother likes Pete.

Oh, he's fantastic.

My mother likes Pete.

Anyways, my prediction.

I don't know how that happened.

She's like, I like Mayor Pete.

I'm like, what?

Mexism likes Biden.

Ageism and sexism over the next 30 days.

The frontrunners in 30 days are young white males from the Democratic Party.

All right, okay.

You say so.

I don't know.

I think Kamala's going to come on strongly.

Do you think?

I don't know.

I don't know.

She needs an epiphany charisma.

Biden, Kamala.

That one you can see a little.

That's a good idea.

I think Biden's done.

Here's the thing.

Every time we kaboot a president out of office after only four years, it's to really pivot much differently.

And we're not going to replace one old guy with another old guy.

We're just not going to do that.

I think the way to appeal to people is to say, are you sick of this stuff?

Are you tired?

100%.

Yeah, I agree.

But I think that's our number one criteria.

It's not who's most qualified.

It's who has the best chance of beating him.

And I think you're probably right.

I think Senator Harris is probably the most qualified candidate.

Do you know George Washington was stupid not to brand himself at Mount Vernon?

What are you talking about?

Tom Trump said that.

What are we talking about?

You just threw me off.

I thought it was a cultural reference.

No, he said George Washington was not smart not to brand himself when he was at Mount Vernon.

Why didn't he call it his, you know, why didn't he put his name on it, like kind of thing, instead of calling it Mount Vernon?

Yeah, instead we have a city named after him.

And that's what the tour guide who was like horrified, was like, well, he does have a city named after him in the state.

And he's like, oh, yeah, that's good.

Yeah, that too.

That was cool.

He was just like, because, you know, they were trying to get Trump interested in the tour.

And so they said he was a real estate mogul, George Washington.

So that got him sort of vaguely.

Condo it.

Interested?

Vaguely.

Did he have condos?

No.

Did they have gold and sheepwood?

No, no.

Anyway, it was interesting.

Anyway, it'll be interesting.

That's a good prediction.

Do you have a prediction?

No, I don't.

I never have predictions.

You're the prediction guy.

We got to do, you know, we got to do that's fun is we got to time stamp them and then come back.

Because sometimes when we're wrong, it's just fun to discuss it.

Yes.

And you know what?

We're in the same room.

I know we are.

If they feel a certain sympotico, if they feel a certain like electricity here, it's because we're in the same room.

No, but I'm leaving now because I got to go to an important event.

Yeah, I know, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

You're having, what, dinner with, you're, you're, you're rubbing La Roche Posé on the small of the back of my boss's boss somewhere.

No, I'm going to the Tina Brown's.

La Roche Pose.

Where did I get that?

I don't even know what that is.

I'm going to the Tina Brown's Women in the World Conference here in New York.

Yeah.

And I am going to interview two journalists, Maria Ressa and Carol Codwaller, who did the Guardian of The Guardian.

Captain Marvel will be there.

Brie Larson's on before me.

I'm so confused.

Afterwards.

Beauty and superheroes.

What the fuck is going on?

I'm just saying, she's on before, and then Oprah's on, right?

I'm between Oprah and Brie Larson.

I'm very excited.

That is pretty cool.

Yes, they're going to all be my best friends.

All right, do you get to have dinner with them or drinks with them right now?

I have no idea.

I'm just going to stand there and

say, hope for best friendness with one of them.

It doesn't matter.

And then tomorrow, I told you, besides Pelosi, I'm going to address the Democratic

caucus about technology.

Do you have any tips that I should talk to all the representatives?

Don't worry about it.

It's all awesome.

No.

What's the Democratic Cog Caucus?

They meet in this place and they discuss issues.

It's their issues conference.

They all have them.

Republicans have them.

They go away and they like plot.

I don't know what they do.

Yeah, it's at some point, at some point, it's time for you to do your damn job and start proposing legislation.

Yeah.

Okay.

The problem here is not not these companies.

They're doing their job.

Their job is for-profit entities.

The problem here is not the technologies.

The problem here is that you guys have failed to do what every other

lawmaker has done in the past.

We have a good joke to start with.

I got to start with a good joke.

So, my go-to is a joke my mother told me.

What did the strawberry say to the other strawberry?

Oh my god, I don't want to know.

If we weren't caught in the same bed, we wouldn't be in this jam.

Come on,

genius.

That's right.

I'll be here all week.

Try the veal.

Ba-doom-boom.

Here, wait, I got one for you.

Okay.

Okay.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Why?

To get to your house?

Knock, knock.

Who's there?

The chicken.

That's a joke?

That's brilliant.

That's a brain teaser.

I couldn't even follow that.

Get it?

To get to your house, knock, knock.

He takes two classic jokes, brings them together.

You're sure you don't do drugs.

My young son came up with that one.

Okay.

Good.

Anyway,

I will give that message.

Scott, thank you so much.

It's time to go.

Rebecca Sinanis produces this show.

Nishat Kirwa is the executive producer.

Thanks also to Eric Johnson.

Thanks again for listening to Pivot from Fox Media.

We'll be back next week for more of a breakdown.

Was that a sigh?

You just sighed at me.

Breakdown of all things tech and business.

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