Does Wealth Make You Selfish?, How Scott Stays Informed, and Negotiating Equity Deals

Scott Galloway reflects on why some billionaires stay silent, explains how to avoid getting trapped in an echo chamber, and shares advice on negotiating equity at a startup. Want to be featured in a future episode? Send a voice recording to [email protected], or drop your question in the r/ScottGalloway subreddit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Speaker 00

  This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome? That's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required. Compatibility and availability varies 18 plus.

• 0:26Speaker 01

  This episode is brought to you by Palmolive. Family time isn't just the big moments. It's weeknight dinners, sitting around the table, everyone talking all at once. So when the plates are empty and the sink is full, use Palmolive Ultra. Palmolive's most powerful formula removes up to 99.9% of grease, leaving your dishes sparkling clean. And the new convenient pump makes cleaning even easier, so you can spend less time tackling dishes and more time together. Shop now at palmolive.com.

• 0:57Speaker 02

  Your vehicle doesn't just get you from here to there. It's a bridge to the people and places that matter most. It's how you show up for your family, your community, and everyone else that depends on you. That's why for 125 years, Firestone has been building tires with one thing in mind: to deliver products that are as reliable as you are. Firestone, always dependable, since 1900.

• 1:33Scott Galloway?

  Welcome to Office Hours with Prof G. This is the part of the show where we answer your questions about business, big tech, entrepreneurship, and whatever else is on your mind. If you'd like to submit a question for next time, you can send a voice recording to officehourswithprofgmedia.com. Again, that's officehourswithprofgmedia.com. Or post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit and we just might feature it on our next episode. Question number one.

• 1:53Speaker 04

  Hey Scott, Sam from Joshua Tree, California here. Go ahead and cue the mushroom chocolate jokes. I know you got some. I have a question about the future billionaires and CEOs in this country. Like many people, and I think including yourself, have been a bit baffled that the rich and powerful aren't speaking out more against Trump and ICE. As you and Kara pointed out in your recent episode together, turns out that having fuck you money just leads to wanting more fuck you money. How do you think we can fix this type of selfish behavior for the next generation of billionaires and CEOs? Or more importantly, do you think this type of behavior is fixable? Once you get to such an extreme level of wealth and power? Is this a parenting issue at a young age?

• 2:35Speaker 04

  Or is it an issue of not having required public service and the connective tissue as a nation? Or maybe it's just a side effect of a baby boomer generation that's overall viewed as being pretty selfish? Would love to hear your thoughts on this. And I'm also curious for you personally, what was the catalyst to you being more generous and outspoken once you started having a lot of money? On a side note, thanks for making me unsubscribe from five different streaming services. My wallet loves you. My family hates you. Keep up the good work, boss.

• 3:07Scott Galloway?

  Thanks for that. I love that. My wallet loves you. My family hates you. By the way, when I suggested we unsubscribe from all our seven streaming media services, I got one of those looks from my boys of memo to self, smothered out and sleep tonight. Okay, so first off, my Joshua Tree and mushroom story. I went to UCLA and I had two groups of friends. I had my fraternity friends, the guys in my ZBT, Alpha Rose ZBT, who are still very close friends. And then I ended up connecting with a group of guys and women who were sort of my artsy gay friends. And the thing I loved about them was that they were just really good at life. One of the trips, they said, is we're gonna go camping in Joshua Tree and we're gonna take a shit ton of mushrooms. So we're in Joshua Tree and the sun sets going down and say, okay, this is the time.

• 3:52Scott Galloway?

  I had never done mushrooms before and I took these things. And of course, within about 30 minutes, I'm throwing up like crazy and I'm like, this wasn't a great idea. And then my friend put on a hoodie and someone made a joke that he looked like. I don't know, the Unabomber or something. And I could not stop laughing for a half an hour. It was the hard, at one point, I thought I was going to suffocate. I was laughing so hard. And it just is such a fond memory. It was so beautiful. And I was tripping with the colors and the sunset and laughing hysterically. And with these wonderful people that were so unlike me. I was this, I don't know, I was just this fraternity jarhead and they were much more interesting than me.

• 4:33Scott Galloway?

  And I don't know, I just have very fond memories of Joshua Tree because it's so beautiful. And my first and I think my last experience with mushrooms, although I've done mushroom chocolates, but the next day it gives me a bit of a mental hangover. Daddy needs all those cells. Daddy needs all those cells for the podcast so we can pay his people. Anyways, that's my Joshua Tree mushroom story. To your question, I have no fucking idea why I don't get it. I think once you get to a certain point of wealth, you have an obligation to give back and an obligation to protect. And even the robber barons who were just brutal on their way up, wanted to give all their money away. Mackenzie Scott has given more money away than the Ellison's, Bezos and Musk combined. I'm going to be sexist now and it's okay to be sexist as long as we demonize men and sanctify women.

• 5:17Scott Galloway?

  So see above, it's okay to be sexist. But there is something different about the female brain around when you become a billionaire. What is it about femininity or the female brain that is just more philanthropic and more civic minded? Whereas these dudes start paying $45 million for Melania documentary so they can kiss the ass of the president and stay out of his way or ignore the civil rights that let you be a CEO despite being gay. By the way, Tim Cook, I think, I'm going to say it. I think Tim Cook and Sam Altman are standing on the shoulders of people much braver than them who took risks to promote and advance the rights of different special interest groups.

• 5:58Scott Galloway?

  And for you to engage in this sort of, or enable this type of fascism, bigotry. Targeting special interest groups is especially, especially grotesque. Again, I don't get it, but here's the thing. What's the solution? I don't think it's trying to, if you were waiting on the better angels of these guys, don't hold your breath. I'm now under the impression that these guys would fuck their sister for an additional nickel. What we need is regulation and that is fine. If your board wants to give you a trillion dollars, I'm actually down with unlimited compensation for people, but for God's sakes, let's have an alternative minimum tax where you pay at least, at least a minimum of a 50% tax rate. Take all your crazy deductions, 1202, borrowing against yourself, whatever it is, but boom, alternative minimum tax.

• 6:43Scott Galloway?

  So I don't, I, I think it just needs to be regulation where it's like, okay, if you put in place an algorithm that makes you a billionaire and it ends up that we can directly prove that teen suicide has gone up 60%, you might end up in jail. So just think twice before you do that. What's been a catalyst for me being more generous and outspoken once you started having a lot of money? Just self-awareness. I decided once I hit my number, I was either going to spend it all. I'm a selfish person. I lived up a good time and I was going to give the rest away. There's no reason, in my opinion, if you want to be a billionaire, that's your business. I don't think these guys, I know these billionaires. Elon Musk sleeps with a loaded gun next to his bed and is addicted to ketamine. Do you think he's happy? And he lives alone. I don't, I mean, Bezos, yeah, Bezos seems pretty happy. He seems like he's having a pretty

• 7:27Scott Galloway?

  good time. What I think is, when I give money away, it's because I want to reverse engineer to the things that are not my fault that made me successful. The moment it happened was when I realized I'm not going to be around that much longer. I have taken more than I've given. I have a debt. All these people that came before me, the University of California Regents, California taxpayers, DARPA, all of these people who stormed the beach, Omaha Beach, or Pell Grants, or assisted lunch, or bodily autonomy. My mom terminated pregnancy when I was 17. Had she not done that, I wouldn't have been able to go to college. I would have done the right thing. As the only man in the house, I would have gone to work. So all of these amazing things that America has brought us, we have a debt to. And I

• 8:10Scott Galloway?

  realized that as I got older, I realized I hadn't been very philanthropic and I wanted to give back. And it also, It makes me feel good. It makes me feel important. I want to be remembered as a good man and a good citizen. There's something that has infected this community in technology, young billionaires. What is it? Is it because we've never had an existential threat? They've never been drafted into war? I don't, I don't know what it is, but I love your idea. And it's, if I could have one policy, magic wand policy moment, it would be mandatory national service, because the great legislation in the 50s and 60s around civil rights was because the majority of our lawmakers had served in the same uniform. Most of them were from the military. So I think

• 8:52Scott Galloway?

  that if we have one or two years of mandatory national service after high school, or one year after high school, similar to what Mormons do with mission, where effectively you get great young Americans to see how wonderful other young Americans are, whether they're from different income groups, different ethnicities, different sexual orientations, just give them a chance to see how wonderful America is and how wonderful other Americans are. And that rich kid from Alabama is a nice, she's a, she's a nice woman. And the gay kid from the Bronx, well, guess what? They have the same concerns that you have. And you're all going to come out of this, I would like to think with some skills and a fidelity, not to a Democratic Party, or religion, or political ideology, but some fidelity to the flag. The lowest

• 9:35Scott Galloway?

  levels of young adult teen depression are in Singapore and in Israel, and they both have mandatory national service. And the guy who ran Singapore was a visionary and said, this is the most religiously diverse country in the world, Singapore. Huge danger or risk of ethnic violence. So we're going to get them all focused on another religion, and that is the country. And they have mandatory national service. I just think it's a huge idea, because America is the most powerful country in the world. The way we fail is we collapse on ourselves, and that is we start eating each other from the inside out. But I don't think that we should be thinking about how we instill more character in these people. I do think the national service and instilling a sense of patriotism across young people

• 10:18Scott Galloway?

  is a good idea. And I think more regulation that says, fine, you want to be an asshole, and have 14 kids by five different women, and cut off AIDS HIV positive mothers, fine. But be clear, boss, you are going to pay 50, 60, 80% of your income above $10 million to the government, similar to what we did in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, where economic growth was greater than it is now. Oh, that was a mouthful. Thanks for the question.

• 10:46Scott Galloway?

  Question number two comes from Chris in Toronto who emailed us. Hi Scott, long time listener, first time asker. How do we identify the benchmark for when we've entered an echo chamber? What is your personal stress test for staying truly informed? Additionally, who are the credible voices on the other side of your arguments that you think are worth a listen to ensure that you aren't just breathing your own exhaust? That's a really good idea. People constantly ask me for their, for my information sources and I always say, well, it's my people I work with and people send me shit. I try to read the Wall Street Journal. I occasionally flip on Fox every once in a while just to see what ridiculousness or conspiracy they're spreading. Although, actually, is that true? Supposedly more moderates listen to Fox than CNN, which kind of shocked me. How do you know if you're in your own echo chamber?

• 11:31Scott Galloway?

  I think you just gotta, I find when I meet people who aren't, are on the right. I used to live, and I'm still a resident of Florida, and it's kind of, it's not Trump country, but half the people are Trumpers. I just find, I like to ask them a lot of questions and I just like to hear them out and try and understand. And I try and find smart conservative voices, but there really aren't that many conservatives anymore. It's all MAGA, which makes kind of no sense to me. But how do you know you're in your own bubble? Kind of when you start arguing with people in your bubble over the words they choose. It's like, well, okay, that's not the problem. And then expose yourself to different media sources. Try and follow some really thoughtful conservatives if you're on the left.

• 12:15Scott Galloway?

  Try and follow some really thoughtful people on the left if you're a, if you're a conservative. But recognize, just first off, it's like, hi, I'm Scott Galloway and I'm an alcoholic. Actually, I'm not an alcoholic. Am I? Maybe I am. Anyways, but the first part of the problem, or solving the problem, is acknowledging it. And just acknowledging that you might be in a bubble and maybe following some people who are thoughtful on the other side of the political spectrum. But if you even just recognize you're in a bubble, because what happens is the algorithms say, oh, Scott's. Right of center left. Let's take him way left and let's start showing him videos where someone on the right looks like a fucking idiot so he can get more and more enraged and go further and further left. And unfortunately, these algorithms aren't interested in moderates

• 12:57Scott Galloway?

  because they're harder to understand and enrage and keep engaged. So we move them further and further left and then serve them incendiary content or content that puts them further, further in their hermetically sealed bubble. I'm not really answering your question other than to recognize you might be in a bubble and make a very concerted effort to find new media properties and new individuals to understand and also engage with people and not write them off because of their political ideology. I ask people, I know this fairly famous headshot manager who's really into Trump. I'm like, what, you know, are you worried about safe and fair elections? What is it you think about his economic plan? It's going to work? You know, I just start asking questions. A lot of my friends from

• 13:39Scott Galloway?

  college are Jewish and they're very much into Trump because they see Trump as being more supportive of Israel. And he has been what I'll call more resolute on Israel. But I'll ask a question. And my question is always, okay, there are 157 sovereign nations on October the 8th, the day after the attacks on Israel. Who is more supportive of Israel than but Joe Biden? Name, name a single country that was more supportive of Israel than the US under the leadership of Joe Biden. He deployed two carrier strike forces the next day. I just want to have a conversation. I want to understand what is it? And I'm going to sound very partisan now, but I'm like, throughout history, aren't you worried that when there's a level of bigotry and racism is the kind we see right now, doesn't always

• 14:19Scott Galloway?

  end up where they at some point go after Jews? I just, you know, what is it that you think is so good for us as Jews in Israel with Trump? And they'll have positive feedback. Look at, look at evidence of this. Look at, you know, he's just, I think a lot of them, by the way, were more troubled by Vice President Harris trying to have it both ways and coming across his very mealy mouth. But anyways, I'll just start asking questions. I follow different media properties and I try and understand the conservative side. And even if you don't buy into it or it doesn't change your views, it makes your own views more bulletproof. But we all suffer from this. And I find myself occasionally.

• 15:02Scott Galloway?

  Realizing like I've signed up for an orthodoxy as opposed to just, okay, recognizing that there is a different, you know, sometimes I just ignored good judgment, rational judgment, because it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit the orthodoxy of the left, which I've kind of signed up for, but I'm increasingly, what's the term? I think I'm increasing, I like to think of myself as a critical thinker and go issue by issue and to be unafraid and say, no, I don't think that makes any sense. It's like student loan bailouts, no fucking sense, right? People are going to continue, schools are going to continue to issue student debt to people who aren't going to be able to pay it back. People are going to continue to just sign here on the dotted line because they think, oh, maybe I'll never have to pay it back. Maybe I'll get bailed out again. Moral hazard.

• 15:47Scott Galloway?

  Tuition will keep skyrocketing because cheap credit that maybe people do or do not have to pay back until we cut off some of the oxygen around student debt. Put schools on the hook for 10, 20, 30% of bad debt and before you know it, they're going to stop loaning $200,000 to someone at a mediocre university to get a philosophy degree and go be a bartender. Okay, what is that going to do? It's going to starve the mediocre schools who are overcharging of cheap credit, which will bring down prices. Will there be some pain? Absolutely, but I thought the student loan bailout was a really bad idea. And it's like, oh, sorry, boss, we thought we could trust you. This is part of the orthodoxy. Well, don't sign up for an orthodoxy. Go issue by issue and be a critical thinker and always try, if you can, take the other

• 16:32Scott Galloway?

  side and just try and think through and acknowledge what are the points on the other side? I almost really didn't say anything there. But anyways, the fact that you have recognized you're in a bubble probably means you're about to burst out of it. We'll be right back after a quick break.

• 16:55Scott Galloway?

  Support for the show comes from Bilt. Most of us work hard to earn our keep, but usually there's no one around to hand you a cookie when you successfully pay your monthly housing bill. No one except Bilt, that is. Bilt has expanded from their original rental rewards program, and they have a lot more going on for members now. For example, members can earn points on mortgage payments, too. Every housing payment gets you points that get you a lot more than baked goods, such as flights with top travel partners, including United and Hyatt, Lyft rides, Amazon.com purchases, and much, much more. Here's another benefit of Bilt membership. You also get access to what they call a neighborhood concierge. You can make restaurant reservations, book fitness classes, and find new local spots, all while rewarding you at more than 45,000 merchant partners. It's simple.

• 17:38Scott Galloway?

  Being a renter and now owning a home feels a lot better with Bilt. You can download the Bilt app and join the membership for where you live at joinbilt.com/profg. That's J-O-I-N-B-I-L-T.com/profg. Use our link so they know we sent you.

• 17:55Scott Galloway?

  Support for the show comes from Vanta. As AI adoption grows, so does your company's security risks and requirements. New frameworks, audits, and vendors keep piling on, but your team isn't getting any bigger. Most compliance tools promise automation, but you're really stuck doing all the work by hand, chasing screenshots, validating controls, and playing catch-up when audit season comes around again. Vanta works differently. Their Agentic Trust platform is built to scale with you, not slow you down. With over 1,400 automated tests across 400-plus integrations, Vanta collects evidence and monitors your controls year-round, cutting your audit prep by 82%. Plus, you can access the Vanta agent everywhere you work, whether your team is in Vanta every day or living in tools including Claude or Cursor. Want proof?

• 18:40Scott Galloway?

  Over 16,000 fast-growing companies like Ramp, Ryder, and Harvey save time and resources while scaling fast with Vanta. Learn more at vanta.com/profg and get $1,000 off. That's spelled V-A-N-T-A dot com slash prop G for $1,000 off.

• 19:02Scott Galloway?

  Support for the show comes from Vanta. As AI adoption grows, so does your company's security risks and requirements. New frameworks, audits, and vendors keep piling on, but your team isn't getting any bigger. Most compliance tools promise automation, but you're really stuck doing all the work by hand, chasing screenshots, validating controls, and playing catch-up when audit season comes around again. Vanta works differently. The regentic trust platform is built to scale with you, not slow you down. With over 1,400 automated tests across 400-plus integrations, Vanta collects evidence and monitors your controls year-round, cutting your audit prep by 82%. Plus, you can access the Vanta agent everywhere you work, whether your team is in Vanta every day or living in tools including Claude or Cursor. Want proof?

• 19:47Scott Galloway?

  Over 16,000 fast-growing companies like Ramp, Ryder, and Harvey save time and resources while scaling fast with Vanta. Learn more at vanta.com/profg and get $1,000 off. That's spelled V-A-N-T-A dot com slash profg for $1,000 off.

• 20:12Scott Galloway?

  Welcome back. Onto our final question. A listener emailed us. "Hi Scott and team, deeply grateful for the work you do. I'm helping launch a new AI startup. After months of negotiation, it's clear the founder is going to give me a raw deal on equity. Everyone tells me I'm getting screwed, but also that I shouldn't walk away. Should I take an opportunity, even if it undervalues my contribution? And if I take it, how do I shake the feeling that I'm being exploited? Have you ever felt taken advantage of and been okay with it?" I'll start with the last thing. I was, I started coming with a red envelope. I brought in Sequoia Capital, the most powerful venture capitalist in the world, ultimately took my job as chairman. He and I locked horns. He was using the company as a dumping ground for the failed products of his portfolio companies. I called him out in a board meeting, and on the way to the airport, I was kicked off the board.

• 20:57Scott Galloway?

  So I was basically kicked out of the band I started. I felt like I was totally, I don't know if the term is, wronged unfairly, and I was just so furious. And I spent the next year or two years basically trying to figure out how to replace the entire board, which I did. But anyways, it was a waste of time. Occasionally...

• 21:14Scott Galloway?

  If you're treated unfairly, the best thing to do is, I mean, if someone fires you because you're gay, okay, lawyer up. But the only thing I guarantee you in the corporate world is a series of small injustices. And I'm not saying being a doormat, but recognize every injustice is not a crime against humanity and everyone endures those. And I'll give you an example. I feel like I've been wronged by people. I have never, in my life, sued anyone else or been sued. And one of my mentors was a guy named Warren Hellman from Hellman and Friedman. And Hellman and Friedman, at least at that point, they'd never sued anybody. Huge private equity firm, never filed suit against anybody. He said, we just don't work

• 21:56Scott Galloway?

  with them again. And that's the approach I've taken. If I feel like I've been wronged, I just walk away and I don't work with that person again. And, you know, the best revenge is indifference, and that is to move on. And one of my, another mentor of mine, Hamed Mogadon, said something that was profound to me. He said, Scott, the best revenge is to live a fucking amazing life. So first off, going back to your question, there's two sides to this trade. If you're, if you're working in an AI startup, it means you have currency in the marketplace and credentials. So if you're feeling you're being exploited, then boss, go get another job where you don't feel like they're exploiting you. So the fact that you're continuing to interview there means that while you think you deserve

• 22:40Scott Galloway?

  more, you don't think you can do better, which means they're paying you a market rate. So quite frankly, it sucks to be a grown up. It's a free market. If you're being exploited or you feel like you're being exploited, go find another job. And if you decide, well, in fact, this is the best opportunity presented to me, then you're not being exploited. And you need, once you start feeling like you're a victim, that just feels, that is not a good rap. You know, negotiating your package or whatever it is, that's an entirely different thing. You need to be coached by other people. But boss, there's two sides of this trade. The fact that you got a job at an AI company means you're skilled. And if you think you're being exploited, then go somewhere else where they're not exploiting you. Otherwise, get

• 23:23Scott Galloway?

  over it, recognize it's probably, it sounds like it might be the best opportunity presented to you. It's a free market. And just get on with it and, you know.

• 23:34Scott Galloway?

  Do your best and, and hope and trust that if you are adding a lot of value, they'll recognize that and they will compensate you for that. Or you can leave and go somewhere else that will, that will reward your efforts. Thanks for the question. That's all for this episode. If you'd like to submit a question, please email a voice recording to [email protected]. Again, that's [email protected]. Or if you prefer to ask on Reddit, just post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit and we might feature it in an upcoming episode. This episode was produced by Jennifer Sanchez and Laura Janer. Kami Rieke is our social producer. Brad Williams is our editor. And Drew Burrows is our technical director.

• 24:17Scott Galloway?

  Thank you for listening to the Prop G Pod from Prop G Media.

• 24:28Speaker 05

  This episode is brought to you by Snapdragon. Take the leash off your laptop with the processor that gives you long battery life. Work on the go. Jump between back-to-back calls. Stay locked in from morning to midnight. Get maximum performance even when unplugged. Finally, the freedom to move across the room or across the world is here. Snapdragon, that's how. Go to snapdragon.com/laptops. Snapdragon branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

• 24:58Speaker 06

  I'm Glenn Washington. This is Snap Judgment from KQED. When everything is falling apart, what do you do? Hurricane Helene shut everything down. No roads, no cars, no way through, but his daughter was getting married. And somehow, some way, he was going to walk her down that aisle. All systems down. A new Snap Judgment mini-series from KQED. Tap to listen now.

• 25:28Speaker 07

  The most memorable gifts aren't found, they're made. Zazzle is a custom marketplace where you pick any product, a mug, a card, a tote, a phone case, and make it personal. A photo, a name, an inside joke, the kind of gift that actually fits the person. That's what 30 million customers have been coming back to Zazzle for over 20 years to find. Right now, save 25% on your first order at zazzle.com. That's zazzle.com. Make it z-amazing.