PivotHow Young People Can Compete with AI | Pivot
EVERY SPOKEN WORD
90 min read · 17,523 words- 0:00 – 0:40
Intro
- SGScott Galloway
I'm just waiting for the product release of AirPods that cost $300 and lose themselves automatically.
- KSKara Swisher
(laughs) Hi, everyone. This is Pivot from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. I'm Kara Swisher.
- SGScott Galloway
And I'm Scott Galloway. This episode is sponsored by IBM.
- KSKara Swisher
So get excited, Scott, because it's a special show with Pivot listeners calling in and asking us their questions on all sorts of topics. We love talking to the people, Scott. I think it's really fun.
- SGScott Galloway
Yeah, that's fun.
- KSKara Swisher
Largely 'cause our Pivot listeners are really smart, two, 'cause it gives us questions we didn't think of, and three, uh, because it forces us to, uh, to be social.
- SGScott Galloway
Yeah, all of those things.
- 0:40 – 8:03
Tech Wonderment
- SGScott Galloway
- KSKara Swisher
Okay. (laughs) Let's jump right in and get to our first listener call. Uh, hello, caller. We hear you have a fun stat about your Pivot listening. Uh, who are we talking to, where are you calling from, and what's your question?
- FEFelipe
Hey there, Kara and Scott. How you doing? (sighs) Uh, when-
- KSKara Swisher
Good. How are you doing?
- FEFelipe
I'm well. Uh, yes, my name is Felipe, and, uh, my stat is that since I am a nomadic designer, uh-
- KSKara Swisher
Mm-hmm.
- FEFelipe
... have been for about three and a half years, meaning that I work pretty much everywhere in the world, I have listened to you guys while exploring 27 different countries.
- KSKara Swisher
Whoa. Okay. So where are you now? Where are you calling from?
- FEFelipe
Ah, yes, yes. I am now currently in Bangkok. It is just past midnight.
- KSKara Swisher
In Thailand? Wow.
- FEFelipe
So...
- KSKara Swisher
All right. What is your question? What is your question?
- FEFelipe
So my question is, uh, is that so... Well, little bit of a... Uh, this could get a little philosophical, but-
- KSKara Swisher
All right.
- FEFelipe
... it seems like in general-
- KSKara Swisher
That's okay. We can handle it.
- FEFelipe
(laughs) It seems like the general excitement around new technologies and product launches have kinda faded in the last two decades.
- KSKara Swisher
Mm-hmm.
- FEFelipe
I mean, I remember being on the literal edge of my seat when watching the keynotes for the first iPhone, the MacBook Air when Steve took it out of the manila envelope, the Model 3 launch, and so on.
- KSKara Swisher
Mm-hmm.
- FEFelipe
So nowadays, it seems like we watch these new product announcements with either skepticism or just straight up indifference, almost like we've seen so much new tech so frequently for so long that we're a little desensitized to it.
- KSKara Swisher
Mm-hmm.
- FEFelipe
So my s- my question is, do you think that it's possible, either at an individual level or collectively, for us to get back to that childlike wonderment and enthusiasm for, you know, new technology that seems to have deflated over time?
- KSKara Swisher
That's a great question. Uh, I'll start 'cause I was at all those events physically, which is, was, uh, it was also exciting to go to them.
- FEFelipe
Sure.
- KSKara Swisher
Let me say. It was, it was like a party, especially the Apple ones, you know. Microsoft's were less fun, I'll be honest with you, and Bill Gates wasn't as good on stage. But Steve Jobs presenting was just... It was, it was magical. It really was. And it was really fun. It was a sense of theater, a sense of show. The products were always cool, and you hadn't thought of 'em. They managed to keep everything under wraps too. That was part of it, is you didn't know what was, he was gonna pull out of his pocket or pull out of a manila envelope. And so the sense of theatricality and the, the slowness of development. Um, I think in the social media age, when everybody knows everything that's gonna happen before it happens, you don't get excited about it. Um, and so I think it's really hard, you know, uh, e- even if you're like unveiling an invisibility cloak or something like crazy, to, that people don't feel that same sense of wonder about this stuff, uh, and they're n- less magicians than they are just they wanna make a lot of money kind of stuff. And so I can't think of a recent product launch that I've been like, "Oh my God, I can't believe it." You know? I don't know. Scott, what about you?
- SGScott Galloway
I'm just waiting for the product release of AirPods that cost $300 and lose themselves automatically.
- KSKara Swisher
(laughs)
- SGScott Galloway
Uh? (laughs) Every day is new product introduction for me based on what my kid tries to convince me to buy him. Um, but I don't... I've never really... The thing that always struck me, I, I was a consultant for a long time, and I still basically, the, uh, it struck me that Apple basically decided they were a luxury brand and took a page out of the book of fashion shows for high-end couture brands. And basically, I saw Apple product launches not as product launches, but as fashion shows. And they had hot people highly choreographed in a beautiful environment. And fashion shows are basically eight to 12 minutes and exceptionally choreographed. And that's how I thought of that Apple basically decided they were going high end with vertical distribution in fashion shows for marketing.
- KSKara Swisher
What's been magical for you, Scott?
- 8:03 – 16:44
Having “The Talk” with Kids
- KSKara Swisher
Thanks. Okay, Scott, let's move on to our next caller. This is a question about parenting, how to navigate conversations around porn. Scott, I'm sick of talking to you about your porn use. Hello, Kerry, uh, from Maine. I ex- let's hear your question, and welcome-
- GKGuest caller (female parent asking about talks with kids)
Yep.
- KSKara Swisher
... to Pivot Live.
- GKGuest caller (female parent asking about talks with kids)
Hi. Thanks so much for, um, taking my question. Um, yeah, I was just curious how you both navigated conversations in your family, um, with your kids about pornography. Um, I've got two young boys. We're kind of in the pre-adolescent phase, and my husband and I are trying to figure out how to, how to talk with them about it. Um, porn is just so much more ubiquitous than it was when, you know, when we were younger. And, um, yeah, I'm just really curious how you guys navigate those conversations.
- KSKara Swisher
Uh, I can start. Again, as I said, I say, Scott, put down the phone. Um, but, uh, you know, I think it's difficult. I had him... I have two boys, older boys. The, the three-year-old is not at that point yet. Um, but I did talk to them about it. I was like, "It's e- it's everywhere. Um, I, I'd rather not go through your phones, you know, and figure out what you're doing." That's one way of doing it, is monitoring it and putting different strictures on it so they c- you know, you can do that through all kinds of, um, uh, Verizon has a thing. I d- I was mostly with time, was the thing I was monitoring more and actually stopping them from using it, is much time. And of course, porn takes time, apparently. Um, but one of the things I did is I just flat out talked about it. I was like, "Look, there's a ton of porn on here." I get... And not just from just porn sites. Uh, kids sending each other stuff. That was one of the things I was much more concerned. I was, uh, a girl sent Louis something, and I was sort of shocked. I was, you know, I was like, "I can't..." He showed it to me. And he, I was like, "Oh, dear, that's not..." And it wasn't porny. It just was not what I would want my daughter sending, that's for sure. Um, and so I had long talks with him about it and, and about the usage of it. And, uh, I was trying not to be sex negative, but I definitely was like, "This is more addictive. It takes your time. It's desensitizing. Um, it's not good for your relationships over a long time." So I just faced it head on. I don't know, Scott. You have the... you're in the right age area now for that issue.
- SGScott Galloway
Yeah, so Kerry, I, I navigated the conversation around the important topic of porn the way the Hindenburg navigated its way into landing in New Jersey. Uh, um, so the 2000s-
- KSKara Swisher
Not well.
- SGScott Galloway
... when I was trying to do it, my, my partner demanded that I have the sex talk with my then 14 or 15 year old son. So I took him to the beach and thought I was gonna have this very, like, hallmark moment. And I said, "It's time to have the sex talk, and I wanna talk about porn." And before I even got the words out, he screamed louder than I've ever heard him scream, "No." Like, he's like, "No, I, I d- no, no, no, no, no, no." And I'm like, I'm like, "It's okay. We can talk about this stuff." And he's like, "Do we have to? I really don't want..." He seemed traumatized-
- KSKara Swisher
Uh-huh.
- SGScott Galloway
... by the idea of the conversation. So my entire approach to talking to my sons about sex is I make them watch all eight seasons of Game of Thrones with me.
- KSKara Swisher
(laughs) Oh, God.
- SGScott Galloway
It's got everything. It's literally got everything.
- KSKara Swisher
(laughs)
- SGScott Galloway
It's got gay people. It's got threesomes.
- KSKara Swisher
Oh.
- SGScott Galloway
It's got sex. It's got good relationships, bad relationships.
- KSKara Swisher
Bad.
- SGScott Galloway
Bondage.
- KSKara Swisher
Oh, my God.
- SGScott Galloway
Really aspirational gay fig- uh, gay characters, Prince of Dorne-
- KSKara Swisher
Mm-hmm.
- SGScott Galloway
... Pedro Pascal.
- KSKara Swisher
Mm-hmm.
- SGScott Galloway
And, and then around porn, what... I've tried to couch it in other things. I talk about, I talk about the notion that you don't, you wanna, that you have a s- only a certain amount of mojo. I say you have only a certain amount of energy and you don't wanna waste it on bad calories. You have only a certain amount of focus, time, and attention. You wanna spend it on the two or thre- three things that are most important in terms of your studying. And then I also try and slip in, "And also, you wanna be able to..." Uh, I said this. I said, "The reason I met your mom, who is much more attractive and much more higher character than me, was I really wanted to meet a woman, and I was willing to take risks."... and I tell them, I told my oldest son, "If I'd had porn, I'm not sure I would've had that same mojo and fire to wanna meet women."
- KSKara Swisher
Mm-hmm.
- SGScott Galloway
And that anything that reduces your mojo and your fire, uh, is a courage killer.
- KSKara Swisher
Mm-hmm.
- SGScott Galloway
And what I've said to my boys a bunch of time is that porn is a courage killer, because it's on demand and what Kara says about it being, you know, a, a terrible facsimile of o- or, of what you're supposed to expect in relationships. And I have to say to my boys, and this is gonna embarrass me, I'm saying, "It's good to be horny." Channeling your sexual desire to making you a better man, wanting to make you stronger, dress better, smell good, shower, develop a rap, endure rejection. I'm worried that, that men are looking for a low-risk way to engage in what they see as a relationship with porn and AI. So, I try to position it to my boys, and you only have a limited amount of time with your boys. You gotta, like, keep it consistent and crisp, I find, because they just ch- they tune me out at least.
- KSKara Swisher
Yeah, one of the things that's important to think about, and look, it's been around since time immemorial, whether it was magazines and then it was Cinemax, which is Scott's and my favorite, uh, station, um, or whatever, or videotapes. Everyone has ha- has tried to get, or, or going to places, right? With it, 'cause there were physical places people went. It, it's not something you can stop. It's sort of the same thing, don't try drink- don't drink at all. Like, it's just not gonna happen, and you, you yourself, if you've done it, um, you can't say don't do it. It's very, you know, it's, it's everybody experiments and does stuff like that. I think the very difference is, one, it's much more addictive, it's much more accessible, and it's much more specific, right? You can get anything, right? And so it moves people down a, a highway of something basic, you know, chalk van straw porn versus something really sick, right? And that's really the problem is that it can start to get very dark very quickly and very accessible. And I think that's... The way I more did it was I restricted their time, right? Like, you could only be on the phone this m- much time. And one of the things my s- and it was the time suck is that I thought about more than anything else. And, of course, porn is like that, whether, you know... And we make jokes. There, you know, I watch on, on threads or Instagram, I watched something called Food Porn, which is like, "Ha-ha-ha," like, we do porn everything, and they just show different restaurant settings and doing cool things, and I watch it. It's, like, quite addictive. The other thing is encouraging them to do, um, things outside of the phone, like, again, put down the phone. Uh, my, one of my sons himself, he bought one of those timer boxes that he put the phone in and locked it, and it o- it wouldn't open for five hours or whatever it was. Which I thought was a really, uh, this is something Alex did, I thought that was great, uh, 'cause he wasn't getting his work done, 'cause it was so easy to fall in. So time is the way I did it versus everyone's gonna look at porn. But it is much darker, and I would not... I don't know what I'm gonna do with Saul when it g- you know, I, I honestly don't. It's, uh, gonna be a much different world than my older kids. Kerry, are you, are you, are, are you gonna talk to them soon, or is there an age that you, or do you split it between you and your husband?
- GKGuest caller (female parent asking about talks with kids)
Um, I mean, my 10-year-old and I-
- 16:44 – 26:21
AI and the Job Market
- KSKara Swisher
Scott, we're back with our special call-in show, taking questions from our listeners. Let's go to our next caller. This question is about AI and career choices. Hi, Jessica. Tell us about yourself and what your question is.
- GHGuest caller (female veterinarian from Houston)
Hi. I live in Houston, Texas. I am a veterinarian and small business owner, and my husband is an engineer for NASA. We have-
- KSKara Swisher
Oh.
- GHGuest caller (female veterinarian from Houston)
... two teenage sons, ages 15 and 13, so they're just starting to think about college and career paths, and we keep hearing how AI and increasing automation is just gonna eliminate whole sectors of work and broad swaths-
- KSKara Swisher
Mm-hmm.
- GHGuest caller (female veterinarian from Houston)
... of especially entry-level positions.
- KSKara Swisher
Yeah.
- GHGuest caller (female veterinarian from Houston)
And so, I was just curious what advice you guys have for young people who want engaging and fulfilling careers, but careers that are not going to disappear as they move into them.
- KSKara Swisher
Yes, it's definitely a fear, including current careers.
- GHGuest caller (female veterinarian from Houston)
Right.
- KSKara Swisher
Uh, Scott, why don't you start?
- SGScott Galloway
I think you want your kids to have a decent grounding in communications and the sciences and history and the same old stuff. Now, do you unnaturally push them towards computer science as a lot of people are doing knowing that the, a lot of those jobs are probably gonna go away unless they're naturally drawn to it? Sure. But, I don't think we can, I think it's unhealthy, uh-... to try and predict the future and push your kids one way or the other. I remember in private schools in New York when everyone was trying to c- w- when everyone was forcing their kids to take Mandarin, thinking that China was taking over. And I think removing... One of the biggest mistakes we did in public schools was removing civics and wood shop and auto shop and metal shop and replacing it with computer science. And you end up with Mark Zuckerberg, and less patriotism and also less, uh, young people, specifically young men, who have the skills to go get vocational work. But I don't... I, I, I think what you do is you just encourage your kids to find stuff they're interested in, make sure they have a good grounding or some grounding in, you know, reading, writing, you know, arithmetic, all that stuff. But I think trying to predict the future around what jobs will be there and which ones won't, I think it's a fool's errand. I think you're just as likely to be wrong. And also, you know, we can... We like to think of ourselves as parents, as engineers, that we engineer the sheep, and we're not. We're, we're shepherds. We can decide where they graze. We can point them in one direction. We kinda get some influence on what they eat. But they come to you. Out of nowhere, my son's interested in biology and my other son's interested in technology, and I had nothing to do with either of those things. So I think you're just super supportive, introduce them i- to a bunch of stuff. But for god's sake, who knows?
- KSKara Swisher
I would agree. One of the things that's interesting is, you know, I have two very different older sons. Uh, the younger ones are not gonna have a job for a while, but one of the things was encouraging them to get a wide range of study. The one that was more interested in technology, I kind of insisted, we both did, that he take... you know, focus on English, focus on language, whatever, sports, other things that weren't necessarily... Like, when he was applying for colleges, he applied to a lot of technology-oriented ones, and we, we were like, "Uh, think larger." That, that, that... 'cause you have other offer. 'Cause he liked to do glass, uh, art, for example, and he does amazing... Like, other things, um, w- like, he's taking a linguistics course. He's at Michigan, which I was very happy for him to go there 'cause he had a lot of choice. He was doing a, a thing where he built, uh, these really cool, uh, floats. But it was a lot of technology, but it was artistic, 'cause he had an artistic bent. And so one of the things was sort of not shoving them into anything. Now, in his case, interestingly, he was very aware of the AI issues well before I was. He's like, "AI's gonna replace all of computer programming, and therefore, I..." And he was, he's much more job-focused, uh, in a great way. But he's like, "I'm gonna do mechanical engineering because that's something that can't be replaced." So that was him doing it on his own, m- his own energy, essentially. But one of the things we tried is to get them a wide range of things. Even if he tended towards technology and my other son tended towards English and history, uh, we wanted him to do more math, like, we liked him to experience a lot of things. A- and again, you're right. Scott's right, you don't know what's gonna be. Like, I, I... Uh, I was one of those parents. They were like, "He should learn Mandarin." I'm like, "Why?" Like, he's not... Like, it was... But it was a big pressure. Like, "They're in Mandarin, they're in whatever." I just think if he likes languages, if he likes Chinese, learn Chinese. But otherwise, not for, for a job, 'cause you don't know what people will do. Um, I do think s- sc- we don't know what jobs are gonna be affected. Um, but I, I did tend to push them more into jobs that I did know weren't gonna be affected, like if you like cooking, that's really not gonna be subsumed, or vocational. If they happen to like that, that would be interesting. And so I just think the, the more you give them a broad base of learning, the better you are, and then they'll sort of self-sort into things. Um, but I would say, I wouldn't be a radiologist (laughs) if they were like, "I desperately wanna be-
- ECEric (energy industry caller)
No, I-
- SGScott Galloway
... a radiologist," or, "I desperately-"
- ECEric (energy industry caller)
Just from veterinary medicine, if that field's gonna be (laughs) like...
- KSKara Swisher
Right, right. That said, it doesn't... It means there's gonna be vets using that who do better and fewer-
- ECEric (energy industry caller)
Right.
- KSKara Swisher
... vets, I guess-
- ECEric (energy industry caller)
Yeah.
- KSKara Swisher
... if that makes sense. And so g- l- I, I do encourage them to d- to use AI and try it and-
- ECEric (energy industry caller)
Be familiar with it, yeah.
- KSKara Swisher
... employ it. Not... Absolutely, like, and figure out what it means-
- ECEric (energy industry caller)
Sure.
- KSKara Swisher
... for you, because one thing Scott always says, which I think is important, is, "There's gonna be fewer lawyers, but the lawyers that are there are gonna do better because they use this technology."
- ECEric (energy industry caller)
Sure.
- KSKara Swisher
Sort of like not using the internet-
- ECEric (energy industry caller)
Right.
- KSKara Swisher
... like, kinda stuff. I don't know.
- SGScott Galloway
The one-
- 26:21 – 34:17
BYD Cars in the U.S.?
- KSKara Swisher
- SGScott Galloway
Thanks, Jessica. Thank you.
- KSKara Swisher
Thank you.
- SGScott Galloway
Bye.
- KSKara Swisher
Bye. Up next, we have someone with a question about BYD and China. Tell us your name, where you're from, and your question.
- KBKelvin (caller from the Bronx)
Hi, my name is Kelvin. I live in the Bronx.
- KSKara Swisher
(laughs)
- KBKelvin (caller from the Bronx)
Um, my question. So, I've been thinking a lot about US, China dynamics, especially with tech and automobiles. And you guys-
- KSKara Swisher
Mm-hmm.
- KBKelvin (caller from the Bronx)
... have praised BYDs EVs and said that how it would be great if they could enter the US market.
- KSKara Swisher
Mm-hmm.
- KBKelvin (caller from the Bronx)
But also over the years, you guys have expressed concerns about the CCPs influence, especially with TikTok. Uh, what it, what, what was it? About a year ago we had the balloon over the Midwest. So, my question is, if we are worried about China's social media apps spying on Americans, why would we welcome a tech filled Chinese vehicle onto US streets? Could this possibly be-
- KSKara Swisher
Good point.
- KBKelvin (caller from the Bronx)
... a way of being like a Trojan horse to, for data collection and surveillance in America?
- KSKara Swisher
That is an excellent question. You know what? I hadn't even thought about that, in terms of data collection. The reason why we talk about BYD is 'cause they're really good cars. And what's really depressing, I think, to me at least, and I don't know about Scott, is how incredibly innovative these cars are and how cool and adorable. And I, we wish there was more innovation with US car makers around. Now there have been, there's been like the V- Volkswagen. Not, they're not a US car maker, but Volkswagen ID, some of the GM cars are great, some of the Ford cars are great. Um, but I, uh, it feels like the whole area needs innovation. And so rather than just copying, BYD is innovating with cars. And so that's, I think, what we're i- in admiration of. But you're right, these things collect a lot of data. They'll have a lot of questions about our movement. Uh, we always will have... China's always in a surveillance mode as far as I can tell. That said, so is Facebook, so is Tesla, so are the rest of them. Um, but you're right. It's a diff- I think it's a little different experience, um, knowing where people are going in their cars as that, as much. With TikTok you're more worried about propaganda, about, um, messaging and things like that over where people physically are. But I suppose you're right, that is something that they could, they could track. I just don't think it's the... TikTok, I worry more about it as a propaganda more than a surveillance vehicle.
- KBKelvin (caller from the Bronx)
I was thinking like, you know, by a car you could tell the size of a family, what podcast they are listening to.
- KSKara Swisher
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
- KBKelvin (caller from the Bronx)
Could there even be technology to record conversations? So...
- KSKara Swisher
Yes. Yep, I agree with you. I hadn't even thought about that. As a surveillance ve- like, a surveillance vehicle, it certainly is that. Scott, what do you think?
- SGScott Galloway
Yeah. I, uh, maybe I should be more worried, but I'm not. Um, I think that we should have the technology to figure out if there's some sort of remote transmation, tr- if there's some sort of remote transmission or data storage technology that gets, somehow ends up in the wrong hands. Um, and also I'm, I, the surveillance horse is already out of the barn. I think most people, or most organizations, if they're really committed to understanding where you are, the relationships you have, your travel patterns, you know, I just can't imagine they couldn't get most of that information probably from hacking Uber or going onto the dark web or hacking. Or not even hacking but just looking at movements on Meta. And I don't, I think there's a bigger difference between, take worst case scenario, understanding a family's size and movements as opposed to training an entire emerging generation of Americans to have sympathy for Hamas. And that's where I see the threat of TikTok. I think, I think the propaganda thread of raising a generation of civic business and, um, non-profit leaders that are anti-American, which is what I think TikTok, if I were controlling TikTok's algorithm or had influence over it, that's where I'd be, that's the scale I would be putting my thumb on. I just think cars are less of a security risk and also-I like the idea of young people having access to great cars for $18,000 or $20,000. I wanna see-
- KSKara Swisher
Or less. Some of those are $8,000, $10,000.
- SGScott Galloway
Yeah, they're incredible. I- I would love to see ... I think tariffs are terrible. I'd love to see a global trade agreement. Our, you know, our trade o- ... Our trade complexion with China is asymmetric. Uh, uh, there's a lot to be done there, but I think ultimately, we want to put pressure on all global auto- auto manufacturers to give our- our households the best cars for the lowest price possible. And-
- KSKara Swisher
And the most innovative.
- SGScott Galloway
That's right. And I think BYD is that. Now, should they be sh- should they be providing more access to our great manufactured goods? Yes. Should they have paid some sort of tax for the IP theft from Tesla and Auto- Auto ... I mean, it gets complicated fast, but I- I'm ... And maybe I'm being naive. I'm not worried. I'm much more worried about ByteDance than I am about BYD.
- KSKara Swisher
Yeah. So one of the things, also, is that y- y- ... At some p- ... The ... What- what BYD is- is doing is they're invading other countries. Europe, you- you see them ... I saw them all over Europe on my last trip. I had not seen BYD cars until recently. One, they're delightful. They absolutely ... When I was in ... I asked to look at one. Um, they're- they're- they're cars I wish I could own. I know it sounds crazy. Like, I don't- I don't think about China as a car manufacturer, but they're making enormous inroads into other countries across the world, as China is in lots of things. And the idea that China is a- just a stealer of information is ... They absolutely are. They absolutely do steal IP, but they also are innovators at this point. They're started to switch, uh, flip the script, and they're very innovative, uh, as i- i- ... And- and you can see that by they couldn't accomplish what they're doing at BYD by just stealing things 'cause there's nothing to steal. Like, the Tesla hasn't changed its look in quite a while. If ... I don't know. It looks like the same car as five years ago, 10 years ago. The price hasn't come down. They haven't offered ... Tesla's missed the boat on offering a cheap car, right? They were supposed to, and then they didn't. Um, same thing with all of them, i- is- is w- ... As Scott said, young people don't have a chance to buy these things, and if they would be a- ... They would proliferate if our car manufacturers didn't just stick up to the top, you know, wealthy people and bring it down. So, um, you know, w- ... Obviously, w- ... It- it seems like you should compete on quality and- and everything else, but it- it demands that our own manufacturers do the same thing, which I think ha- ... They have a difficulty doing. And especially with the Trump administration openly hostile to EVs now, I think this new bill is gonna remove all the subsidies they're encouraging, and they're gonna be very fossil fuel oriented. And so that's, again, our country sort of shooting itself in the foot on the emerging technology that is critical, which is EVs. Um, but you're right. It's an interesting question. Um, uh, but I- I- I'm also not that- as worried as Scott. I'm more worried about a propaganda vehicle than anything else. So any other thoughts, Kelvin?
- KBKelvin (caller from the Bronx)
No, no. I- I- I just was really interested in you guys'-
- KSKara Swisher
It's ... Yeah.
- KBKelvin (caller from the Bronx)
... conversation about that.
- KSKara Swisher
Yeah, it's interesting. It's ... Yeah, it's real- ... It's a really interesting question. It's a real- ... It is an interesting question. But, uh, but they're ... It doesn't matter. They're winning all over the world, I have to say. They're- they're everywhere. Um, and so that's the real opportunity for our- our manufacturers to get all over the world and be innovative, but we're not taking it, and now our- our government doesn't want to help that happen. Anyway, uh, thank you so much. And we hear you're getting married this month. Congratulations.
- KBKelvin (caller from the Bronx)
Uh, she ... Actually, Saturday. My husband and I, we are, um, getting married this Saturday. We're excited. It's gonna be at our home.
- 34:17 – 41:10
Time Travel
- KSKara Swisher
take a final question about time travel. Okay, Scott, we're back. Next up, we have a caller with a question about time travel. Let's bring him in. Hello. Tell us who you are and what your question is, time traveler.
- ECEric (energy industry caller)
Hey, thank you so much for having me. Check one off the bucket list. I'm on with the big dog and the jungle cat.
- KSKara Swisher
(laughs)
- ECEric (energy industry caller)
Pretty amazing. So my name is Eric. I live near Philadelphia with my family. Uh, I work in the energy industry. And my question for, uh, the two of you is, if you had to, um, pick one timeline to go back to, um, in history-
- KSKara Swisher
Mm-hmm.
- ECEric (energy industry caller)
... what would you choose as that timeline and why?
- KSKara Swisher
Oh, wow. Scott, do you wanna go first? Or I can, whatever you want. I think about time travel a lot, actually.
- SGScott Galloway
Go ahead, Kara.
- KSKara Swisher
I am an H.G. Wells fan. I love that book, The Time Machine. And of course, Uh, Time and Again was one of my favorite books as a kid. Um, I love Jean-Claude Van Damme in Time Cop. Um, I love time, all the time things, and I just find that ... Ray Bradbury, obviously, with the butterfly on his foot and stuff like that. So I'm a big ... I think about time travel a lot, and I- I think it would be pretty cool to go back, and the question is, would you do anything and change anything? Um, uh, you know, God, so many different choices. I gotta s- ... (laughs) I would like to meet Cleopatra, I gotta say. I- I'm kind of have a lot of questions. And so if I had to pick a- a historic figure, that time period, although I probably would be killed immediately as a witch or something like that. But if I could be invisible or not, you know, uh, know what I know now and go back then, I think that would be kinda cool. I think probably ... I just ... I- I feel like there's n- ... She was the greatest ruler for a long, long time for ... And the richest person in the world, and since I know so many richest people in the world, it would be kind of interesting to see that era. I think that would be pretty cool. Um, I probably would go back to see my dad when he was living. That would be the other one. Um, but then I ... Would I be my age I was or the age I am now? So if I could know what I'm like now then, that would be cool.What about you, Scott?
- SGScott Galloway
Yeah, it's an interesting question. I don't, I, I, I have no desire to go back very far 'cause I'm kind of, I've sort of gotten fond of this whole novocaine and Netflix age we're in.
- KSKara Swisher
(laughs) Okay.
- SGScott Galloway
And I don't, I think people wax nostalgic for, uh, for no reason, for... Uh, I think we're literally l- this is the best day ever in the history of the planet on a risk-adjusted basis until tomorrow. I do think things just get better and people don't... Because we live in a society where algorithms wanna, wanna convince you that your life is terrible and people are unhappy, it's not true. On almost every major metric, things get better every day. So I don't, I don't feel like I need to go back. What, what, where I go to is, I'm not interested in going to a different time, I'm going, I'm interested in going back to certain scenarios in my life. I would love to go back and spend some time when I had little kids in the house. That was really magical and I kinda knew it at the time, but I was working so hard that I didn't get to spend as much time with them as I would've liked, so I would love to go back and be with, you know, four and seven-year-old boys instead of 14 and 17. So that's how I think of time travel. I don't think of going back to based on an era. I think of going back to different points in my life 'cause I wanna, you know, I wanna remember what that, I wanna feel that, I wanna feel those moments again, but-
- KSKara Swisher
Yeah.
- SGScott Galloway
... I don't have any desire-
- KSKara Swisher
You can do what I did, you could have more kids.
- SGScott Galloway
Yeah, I think I'm closed for business, Kara.
- KSKara Swisher
Yeah, right.
- SGScott Galloway
I would need to get divorced and go younger, which could happen.
- KSKara Swisher
Yeah.
- SGScott Galloway
Um, but-
- KSKara Swisher
I'm just saying. You can-
- SGScott Galloway
Yeah.
- KSKara Swisher
... experience it all over again.
- SGScott Galloway
No, I'm gonna rent Saul and Claire.
- KSKara Swisher
Okay. (laughs) Okay, good luck with that. Let's see. Um, you know, there, there's a great film about that also, speaking of time travel films, it's called About Time and it's, um-
- SGScott Galloway
With Christopher Reeve?
- KSKara Swisher
No, it's, well that, oh there's time, that's time-
- SGScott Galloway
And Jane Seymour?
- KSKara Swisher
That's, um, time a- time in a... Somewhere in Time. That's Somewhere in Time. Then they go, he goes back and he sees the penny. That's an amazing movie. But there's another one called About Time and it's with Bill Nighy. N- n- is it Nighy? Whatever that great actor. Well, he, they can go back and redo things over and over again and, and, and Rachel, uh, McAdams is in it, and they can go back and, like, they meet, he, they meet for the first time, he fucks it up and he goes back and redoes it and redoes it until he gets it right. Um, which is kinda cool to be able to do that.
- SGScott Galloway
There was a similar movie called Sliding Doors but the best, in my opinion, the best modern day movie about time travel was Looper. How about you? Where, where, what would you, what time-
Episode duration: 41:10
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