By playing, you agree to uListen's Terms and Privacy Policy and YouTube's Terms of Service.
What Now? With Trevor NoahThe Problem With Men, with Scott Galloway | What Now? with Trevor Noah Podcast
Summaries, chapters, transcripts, and FAQs on this page are made by uListen, not YouTube.
Great conversations run long. Their best ideas don't have to.
uListen is free on iPhone, iPad, Android, Chrome, and Claude.
See howCHAPTERS
Jump to publisher timestampsChapter summaries
Getting Comfortable With Rejection and Antifragility
Scott Galloway describes his repeated losses in school elections and says recognizing that a no is not the worst thing is the key skill. He argues young men have turned to bots, AI, sex dolls or porn and no longer tolerate rejection. A host adds that you can admit feeling rejected while knowing you'll be fine.
- •Galloway lost class president races three times, then student body president
- •Low-risk substitutes for relationships have made young men unwilling to tolerate a no
- •A host says you can acknowledge feeling rejected and still say you will be fine
- •Antifragility means knowing there will still be a tomorrow
Living in London and Why America Is for Making Money
The conversation turns to Galloway's background, his parents' emigration from Britain and his life in London. Galloway distills the US-Europe difference: the US is the best place to make money and Europe the best place to spend it. He cites far more venture capital per company in the US.
- •Galloway lives in London, a move his wife decided on
- •His parents emigrated from Glasgow and London as teenagers on a steamship
- •The US is best for making money; Europe for lifestyle once you have security
- •Venture capital per company is five million in the US versus one million in Europe
The Post-War Order, Europe, and Ukraine Spending
Asked about what is happening in America, Galloway says the post-World War II alliances have been ripped up, using Canada as an example. He sees a possible silver lining in a more unified Europe boosting defense spending. He and the hosts debate whether Trump might be breaking a bluff-based status quo, and Galloway defends Ukraine aid as one of the best investments ever made.
- •Galloway says alliances based on trust and free trade have been ripped up, and cites Canada hiding American diplomats in 1979
- •He sees possible upside in Europe coordinating and raising defense budgets
- •He credits military spending with producing GPS and the internet but calls Iraq and Southeast Asia disastrous
- •He argues $60 billion a year for Ukraine degraded Russia's military and mostly flows back to US weapons makers
Deficits, Tax Cuts, and Who Pays
Responding to a question about everyday Americans worried about eggs and housing, Galloway calls Ukraine and other controversies a distraction from deficit-expanding tax cuts. He says budgets are shifting toward seniors and that Democrats fail to explain what a deficit means. He contrasts his own low tax rate as an owner with the high rate paid by top earners.
- •Galloway says the tax cuts will add $800 billion a year to the deficit
- •He explains a deficit as a tax on today's young people and their children
- •He cites 40% of the federal budget going to people over 65, plus debt interest and the military
- •He says his tax rate is about 17% as an owner while Trevor pays about 52%
Rights for the Rich: Class, Race and Affirmative Action
Galloway argues that rights and democracy have become a function of wealth, and that affirmative action should be based on economic disadvantage. The hosts push back that race and class are intertwined and that the wealth gap between racial groups remains large. They discuss the Rainbow Coalition and an adversity-score model.
- •Galloway says the rich are protected by the law but not bound by it, while the poor are bound but not protected
- •He argues you'd rather be non-white or gay than poor in today's America and says affirmative action should be based on green
- •A host raises Black and Latino households' much lower average wealth and the coming wealth transfer, and says Black wealth is distributed differently
- •Galloway says policy shifts wealth from young to old and cites the University of California adversity score
Why Voters Swung to Trump and the Manosphere
Galloway analyzes the groups that shifted hardest from blue to red in 2024: Latinos, people under 30, and women 45 to 64. He says struggling young men and their parents mattered more than women's rights, and that Trump reached them through the manosphere. The hosts challenge this with questions about Black women voters and white women.
- •Galloway names Latinos, under-30s and women 45-64 as the biggest pivots
- •He argues parents of struggling sons cared less about issues like Ukraine
- •Hosts raise Black women's votes, immigration sentiment and women siding with husbands
- •Galloway says Trump's Rogan appearance gave him enormous exposure and that boys are disproportionately suspended, especially Black boys
Idolatry of Money and Moral Decay
Galloway says that as church attendance falls, tech billionaires have become new idols, and the pursuit of money has crowded out character. He uses the world's richest man making Nazi salutes as an example of society excusing anything from the very rich. He laments that figures once admired, like a school principal, no longer carry status.
- •Galloway says tech innovators have become the new idols because their wealth feels like magic
- •He claims money buys healthcare, schools and a wider choice of mates
- •He argues society normalizes bad behavior from the very rich
- •He describes admiring his principal and says such figures no longer have status
Soft Power, Honest Messaging, and Political Corruption
A host argues America should be honest that foreign aid and Ukraine support serve its power and wealth, not just morality. Galloway agrees, using an NFL draft metaphor for soft power. He criticizes corruption on both sides and proposes a Singapore-style model: high pay for legislators with zero tolerance for special interests.
- •A host says aid prevents mass migration and yields data, and that politicians don't make this argument
- •Galloway compares America to the one team that gets every first-round pick
- •He says Trump benefited from voters' disgust with starched politicians and corruption on both sides
- •He proposes paying senators and representatives $1 million and $3 million with a five-year lobbying ban
Optimism, Wealth Porn, and the Unifying Goal of Mating
Galloway says Americans tolerate inequality because they believe their kids will reach the top 1%, while social media rubs wealth in young people's faces. He says fatherhood gave him purpose and proposes that every policy should help under-40s find a mate and afford children. He suggests more third spaces, national service, higher minimum wage and universal pre-K.
- •Galloway says 99% of children won't be in the top 1%, yet people cling to that lottery ticket
- •He cites a UCLA admissions rate falling from 76% to 9% and says Gen Z and Millennials rarely feel good about America
- •He says having children gave him the first sense of being sated
- •He cites children-by-30 falling from 60% to 27%
Why Struggling Young Men Matter: Data and Male Role Models
Asked why his message connects with young men, Galloway says no group has risen faster than women and none has fallen further than young men. He points to male abandonment, higher male suicide rates and boys losing male role models. He argues men need to step up for boys not their own, describing concentric circles of masculinity.
- •Galloway says women lead in education, parliament seats and relationships while young men fall behind
- •He says boys in single-parent homes fare worse than girls after losing a male role model
- •Four of five suicides in a morgue are men, he says
- •He says the ultimate expression of masculinity is irrational interest in a child who isn't yours
Deadbeat Dads, Family Court, and Male Mentorship
The group debates whether men who abandon their children should become social pariahs and what pressures fathers face after divorce. Hosts raise the claims that some mothers keep fathers from children and that finances make involvement hard. Galloway says both sides have truth, citing the one in six men with no contact with their children and the need for community to rally around boys, and describes his own mentors.
- •A host wants men to stigmatize absent fathers, noting mothers are judged far more harshly
- •Another host says some fathers feel made into deadbeats and cites housing costs and child support
- •Galloway cites one in six men having no contact with children three years after divorce
- •He says young men need guardrails, such as a fraternity big brother and a first boss
Male Friendship, Loneliness, and the Dating Crisis
A host asks whether young men can invest in friendships rather than depending solely on a romantic partner. Galloway says friendship matters but cites loneliness statistics and argues companies sell a facsimile of life on screens. He describes a dating environment where the top 10% get nearly all the attention and says men need places to demonstrate excellence.
- •A host describes her husband's tight group of male friends as a model
- •Galloway says one in seven men has no friends and one in four cannot name a best friend
- •He warns of a new species of asexual, asocial men, most dangerous to themselves
- •He says women mate up and that signaling resources, intellect and kindness matter, and recalls the postwar middle class
Addiction Economy: Gaming, Gambling, and Third Spaces
A host notes that video games are now endless and that people lack free third spaces. Galloway says the economy has moved from attention to addiction, especially hurting young men. He cites gambling statistics and its high suicide rate, and a friend's brother's gambling-related death is mentioned.
- •A host says perpetual games are designed to keep players hooked and free third spaces are scarce
- •Galloway says 40% of London nightclubs have closed since COVID
- •He calls the economy an addiction economy built around food, gambling and porn
- •He says six in seven gambling addicts are boys and gambling has the highest suicide rate
Galloway's Three-Step Plan for Young Men
A host asks for three steps a young man can take. Galloway describes his coaching approach: reclaim eight to twelve hours a week from the phone and reallocate it to fitness, making money, and spending time with strangers in service of something bigger. He ends with the exercise of approaching someone and getting comfortable with rejection.
- •He starts by reviewing a mentee's app time and admits his own gambling and porn use
- •Step one is getting strong by working out three to four times a week
- •Step two is earning money, even through gig work or a job like Panera
- •Step three is joining groups like a church or nonprofit, then approaching a stranger and aiming for a no
Advice for Parents Raising Boys
A host asks what parents of preteen boys can do. Galloway says he hasn't figured it out but values garbage time, sports and fitness, chores and letting kids fail. He tells a story of sending his son to the wrong mall and cites Jonathan Haidt's point about overprotecting kids offline and under-protecting them online.
- •Galloway prefers unplanned garbage time over so-called quality time
- •He says a tired boy is a better behaved boy and stresses sports and fitness
- •A host recalls his mother making him do chores and pay rent
- •Galloway says letting kids fail builds calluses and criticizes bulldozer parenting
Publisher timestamps
- 0:00Intro
- 1:10Introduction to Scott Galloway and his background
- 11:10America's current political landscape and foreign policy challenges
- 23:10Intersection of class, race and economic mobility in America
- 29:30Crisis of masculinity in modern society
- 34:10How money has corrupted American values and institutions
- 41:00Impact of technology addiction on young people
- 47:05Crisis of loneliness and dating among young people
- 53:10Addressing the crisis facing young men in society
- 1:01:05Importance of male friendship and community building
- 1:12:00Three-step solution for personal growth
- 1:20:05Advice for parents raising boys in modern society
