‘L.A. Is a Much-Better-Weather Version of Detroit Right Now’

So says Scott Galloway, the business school professor and podcaster as he unloads on Hollywood in decline—why its unions “have their heads up their ass,” the urgent A.I. threat (“Try to shut them down”), and an entertainment industry he sees as “arrogant:” “You’re subject to the same economics as the rest of us, folks,” as he puts it.

Galloway was the recipient of hate mail from Hollywood people last summer after he criticized the rationale behind the dual Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Matthew Belloni

June 20, 2024

A conversation with Scott Galloway can feel like a rapid-fire intervention—he alone knows what’s wrong and how to fix it. That’s sometimes a bit simplistic, but it’s what makes the NYU business school professor and popular podcaster (Pivot, The Prof G Show) so interesting to talk to—and why he got so much hate mail from Hollywood people last summer after he criticized the rationale behind the dual Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

I don’t always agree with Scott’s takes, especially on Hollywood topics, but he’s got a great big-picture business perspective, and right now, that view is flashing huge warning signs. For instance, he thinks the way the studios are approaching the A.I. threat is totally wrong, he thinks major consolidation is needed to take on Big Tech, and he believes the entertainment labor unions are foolish to focus on 5 percent wage gains and wishy-washy A.I. protections when the entirety of the profession is at risk.