AI transcript
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0:01:56 Welcome to Office Hours with Prop G.
0:01:58 This is the part of the show where we answer your questions
0:02:00 about business, big tech, entrepreneurship,
0:02:01 and whatever else is on your mind.
0:02:03 If you’d like to submit a question,
0:02:04 please email a voice recording
0:02:06 to officehours@profitmedia.com.
0:02:08 Again, that’s officehours@profitmedia.com.
0:02:10 So with that, first question.
0:02:14 (phone ringing)
0:02:15 – Hi Scott, I’m currently working
0:02:17 for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
0:02:18 as a regulations manager
0:02:21 for the Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water.
0:02:23 My office is responsible for regulating contaminants
0:02:26 in drinking water, such as lead and PFAS.
0:02:28 While the EPA has been in the news quite a bit
0:02:30 over the past few years, mostly for good reasons,
0:02:33 I’ve discovered firsthand that the federal government,
0:02:35 specifically the civil service,
0:02:38 is not very good at brand strategy.
0:02:39 I’m taking steps to pivot towards
0:02:42 an external communications role within the agency,
0:02:44 because I believe there’s a lot more
0:02:46 that the EPA can do to show Americans the value
0:02:49 of our work beyond getting the occasional headline
0:02:51 in the New York Times or something
0:02:53 when we finalize a big regulation.
0:02:55 My question for you is, how would you change the way
0:02:59 the executive branch agencies engage with the public?
0:03:02 And of course, thank you for your continued wisdom
0:03:03 and sialis jokes.
0:03:06 Take care, Scott, from Ethan Schwartz in Washington, D.C.
0:03:10 – That’s a super interesting question.
0:03:12 Essentially, the government, I mean, you could argue
0:03:17 that a key component of winning hearts and minds is branding.
0:03:19 One of the reasons the United States
0:03:22 has had the best economic growth in the world
0:03:26 is that because we have kind of a risk-taking culture,
0:03:29 because we have a multicultural culture.
0:03:32 Multicultural culture, and that makes no fucking sense.
0:03:35 We have people from different places in the world,
0:03:37 and as a result, we’re able to build global brands.
0:03:39 How many global brands have come out of China?
0:03:42 How many global brands have come out of Japan?
0:03:44 A decent number have come out of Japan.
0:03:47 But the majority of really great kind of global brands
0:03:48 come out of the US and Europe.
0:03:51 And I would argue part of that is our culture,
0:03:53 at least in the US of risk-taking.
0:03:55 And in Europe, it’s because I believe
0:03:58 that multicultural society just has an easier time
0:04:01 understanding and appreciating different cohorts
0:04:03 and how to market to them.
0:04:05 I also think, and this sounds a little weird,
0:04:06 I think we’re more in touch with our emotions
0:04:10 and more encouraged to express communication
0:04:11 that creates emotion.
0:04:16 Branding is essentially unearned margin or a shorthand.
0:04:17 And I stay at the Four Seasons
0:04:19 or the Ritz Carlton or the Mandarin Oriental,
0:04:20 ’cause they always do an eight,
0:04:22 and I don’t have time to look at it for hotels.
0:04:24 Now granted, the importance of branding is declined
0:04:26 because now you have your social graph
0:04:27 or trip advisor to kind of tell you,
0:04:29 well, no, this is the hotel you should stay at.
0:04:33 You should stay at, you know, the Fayena and South Beach.
0:04:34 Anyways, don’t know how I got here.
0:04:37 The government is losing and corporations,
0:04:39 one of the reasons corporations have overrun Washington
0:04:43 is that Washington has done a pretty piss-poor job
0:04:44 of branding themselves.
0:04:46 And that is they’ve let these billionaires,
0:04:48 they should stop playing in the identity politics
0:04:49 of billionaires.
0:04:50 I’ll just say assholes,
0:04:52 assholes who tend to have a lot of money
0:04:54 and maybe own a platform and can communicate.
0:04:57 But a lot about branding is just controlling the message
0:04:59 or just awareness.
0:05:01 Something that really upsets me right now
0:05:04 is the poor branding of the Biden administration.
0:05:04 I mean, for God’s sakes,
0:05:07 who the fuck exactly is president right now?
0:05:10 It appears to be the president-elect is now president
0:05:13 and his vice president is First Lady Alania.
0:05:15 They are totally controlling the narrative
0:05:17 because we have a president that for some reason,
0:05:19 people around him thought it was a good idea
0:05:21 that he should run again.
0:05:25 And quite frankly, comes across as just feeble
0:05:27 and the people around him aren’t willing for him
0:05:28 to be in anything that’s not scripted
0:05:30 where he’s wrapping a medal around Bono.
0:05:33 And as a result, they are controlling the narrative,
0:05:34 they are controlling the branding.
0:05:37 In addition, I think you’re right.
0:05:38 – I don’t think they do a very good job
0:05:41 of communicating how important the EPA is
0:05:44 and the importance of clean drinking water
0:05:46 and managing the messaging such that people say,
0:05:48 you know what, the EPA are the good guys.
0:05:50 Instead of having these people whose financial interest
0:05:53 is to position them as the bad guys.
0:05:55 So the fight of branding, if you will,
0:05:58 the importance of branding plays a critical role,
0:06:00 not only in developing shareholder value,
0:06:04 but also in ensuring that our fantastic agencies
0:06:05 and government agencies,
0:06:07 I just never understood how people are so comfortable
0:06:08 shitposting government.
0:06:10 It’s shitposting yourself, folks.
0:06:11 We elect these people.
0:06:15 We make the decisions around who represents us in government
0:06:18 and they make the decisions around these agencies.
0:06:21 And the notion that we don’t have a vested interest
0:06:23 in all of these things and they don’t represent who we are.
0:06:24 I find it just fucking hilarious
0:06:27 that the majority of people who hilarious is the wrong word,
0:06:29 who shitpost the government are the ones benefiting
0:06:30 most of them in the government.
0:06:33 We need great agencies like the EPA to identify
0:06:35 what is their brand identity?
0:06:37 How can they position it against two things?
0:06:39 Where is the market and what are their strengths?
0:06:43 And then specifically do a better job of using platforms
0:06:44 and spokes people to get out there
0:06:47 to respond quickly to misinformation
0:06:49 and craft their own message.
0:06:50 Thank you for the question.
0:06:52 Question number two.
0:06:53 – Hi, Prof. G.
0:06:55 My name is Xavier and I’m a 23 year old
0:06:58 from Goodall, Appalachia with a political science degree
0:07:01 from a no-namer school in the middle of nowhere.
0:07:02 Over the past three years,
0:07:06 I’ve worked as a PR, IR and events professional
0:07:09 specifically within the indie video game industry.
0:07:11 With the state of the video game industry
0:07:12 in a constant decline,
0:07:15 I’m starting to get spooked as even my current company
0:07:18 announced layoffs this past week.
0:07:22 I’m wondering if you have any advice on pivoting careers
0:07:24 specifically when my hard and soft skill set
0:07:28 is so pigeonholed in this specific industry.
0:07:29 Thanks for your time.
0:07:32 – Okay, so spooked is a term,
0:07:34 when I think of the term spook,
0:07:38 it’s a horse gets spooked and makes an irrational decision.
0:07:39 Are you making an irrational decision
0:07:40 by getting out of this industry?
0:07:43 Because I think of the video gaming industry
0:07:45 as just an enormous industry.
0:07:48 And it’s right now, it’s in what I’d call cyclical decline.
0:07:51 I think video games are likely gonna continue
0:07:52 to thrive in some format.
0:07:55 It’s just such a big business.
0:07:58 And this is pulse marketing, but Jesus Christ,
0:07:59 I think about the amount of time and attention
0:08:04 my fortune old son spends on Fortnite or UEFA
0:08:08 or whatever it is, Madden, soccer.
0:08:10 I just think that’s a big business
0:08:12 and probably a pretty decent industry.
0:08:14 Let’s look at some data here.
0:08:16 After a huge boom during COVID,
0:08:17 the video game industry has shrunk.
0:08:21 In 2020, the gaming industry grew over 23%.
0:08:23 That’s not a big base.
0:08:25 However, that boom quickly turned to bust.
0:08:28 So layoffs in the video game industry by year.
0:08:33 2022, 8,500 people, 2023, 11,000 and 2024, 12,000.
0:08:36 And you’re right,
0:08:38 people are just simply spending less time gaming.
0:08:43 But I mean, there was a bit of a sugar or an anomaly high,
0:08:45 a sugar higher in anomaly during COVID, right?
0:08:48 Where people were trapped at homes.
0:08:49 The first quarter of 2021,
0:08:51 average play time has dropped a whopping 26%.
0:08:55 But again, that’s off of an unnatural base.
0:08:57 I would suggest that if you like the industry
0:08:58 and you’re good at it,
0:09:01 I don’t think you wanna sort of ping from industry
0:09:03 to industry when it starts going down.
0:09:05 I think you need to decide,
0:09:07 is this decline cyclical or structural?
0:09:09 Because every industry is gonna have cyclical declines.
0:09:11 And if you try and hopscotch from different industry
0:09:13 based on cyclical declines,
0:09:15 you’re just gonna be moving around
0:09:16 and kind of starting over.
0:09:18 If you’re a letter E in video games
0:09:19 and you’re good at and you like it,
0:09:21 if you go somewhere else that’s growing,
0:09:23 if you go into AI, you’re gonna start a letter C.
0:09:27 And trust me, AI is gonna have cyclical downturns.
0:09:29 So I would suggest a couple of things.
0:09:33 One, determine if this is a cyclical or a structural decline.
0:09:35 Obviously, I’m putting forward a comment
0:09:36 and a viewpoint there.
0:09:39 And two, I would assemble a kitchen cabinet of people
0:09:40 that know you, know how good you are,
0:09:43 know your seed, know your skills.
0:09:46 What are you bringing something
0:09:48 that is truly differentiated to the industry
0:09:50 that foots to your skills
0:09:52 as opposed to getting spooked and moving out?
0:09:55 So one way to know that an industry
0:09:56 is probably about to go into decline
0:09:58 is to look at the most popular industry
0:10:01 out of amongst second year business school students.
0:10:03 Why is that?
0:10:04 Because they’re going,
0:10:06 typically second year business school students
0:10:09 are rear view looking, rear view mirror looking.
0:10:11 And that is they look at what’s hot now.
0:10:12 Well, okay, when something’s hot now
0:10:14 that means it’s probably peaked
0:10:17 and may eventually go into its own cyclical decline.
0:10:18 It’s hard to do,
0:10:19 but the best or the most fortunate way
0:10:21 to go into an industry is to go into it
0:10:24 when it’s at a trough and it’s about to come back.
0:10:26 But no, this is an amazing industry.
0:10:28 And I think over the medium and long term,
0:10:30 this industry, whether it’s reshaped,
0:10:33 is going to continue to thrive.
0:10:35 I appreciate the question.
0:10:37 We have one quick break before our final question.
0:10:38 Stay with us.
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0:11:15 and take charge of your trading.
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0:13:57 Welcome back, question number three.
0:13:59 – Hey, Scott, I hope you’re well.
0:14:02 – My name is Patrick, I’m 28 years old from the UK.
0:14:04 Thank you so much for all your work
0:14:06 and for your constant inspiration.
0:14:08 My question is related to something
0:14:09 that you’ve mentioned before,
0:14:11 which I believe is where you sit down with your partner
0:14:14 and you discuss your goals, either for the coming year
0:14:16 or for the five years coming.
0:14:19 And you work to support each other on those goals.
0:14:21 I’ve entered a fairly new relationship
0:14:23 and coming up to the new year,
0:14:24 thought it would be a great opportunity
0:14:26 to have one of these conversations with my partner.
0:14:28 And I was looking for some structure
0:14:30 on how you have those conversations.
0:14:32 Thank you so much for the work that you do.
0:14:34 I must have fun with your work
0:14:36 and please keep it up, the dog.
0:14:37 Thank you.
0:14:39 – Dude, how dreamy are you, British accent?
0:14:41 You’re thinking about investing in your partnership
0:14:42 even though you’re a year in.
0:14:43 When I was a year in, I was like,
0:14:46 hey, do you wanna go to St. Bart’s?
0:14:49 I mean, I was not thinking the way you were thinking.
0:14:53 So kudos to you and your partner’s very fortunate.
0:14:56 I’ve given several best man toasts
0:14:57 and I always give the same toasts
0:14:58 and it slightly horrifies and delights everybody.
0:15:01 I think there are three things to remember in a partnership.
0:15:04 One, put the scorecard away.
0:15:07 And that is decide what kind of boyfriend, husband,
0:15:10 lover you wanna be and just be that person.
0:15:12 And stop thinking, well, her parents were in town
0:15:13 and I was really nice to them.
0:15:16 So when my mom comes to town, she needs to be really nice.
0:15:19 I mean, I’m not saying get walked all over,
0:15:24 but decide what kind of partner you wanna be
0:15:26 and try and hold yourself to that expectation.
0:15:27 And if you’re on the plus side,
0:15:31 if you’re offering more than your partner is, you win.
0:15:32 That’s great.
0:15:37 That surplus value, which I think is one of the key metrics
0:15:41 to masculinity, you give witness to people’s life.
0:15:42 You notice them.
0:15:44 You absorb more complaints than you give.
0:15:46 You create more tax revenue
0:15:49 than you absorb of social services.
0:15:53 I think surplus value is a decent metric for masculinity.
0:15:58 Also recognize that you’ll likely naturally inflate
0:16:00 your own contributions and diminish theirs,
0:16:01 even if it’s unintentional.
0:16:03 So as a result, if you keep score,
0:16:05 it just, you end up frustrated and anxious.
0:16:08 So I stopped keeping score across my relationships
0:16:10 and it’s been a big unlock.
0:16:14 Two, a year in, I would try and express
0:16:16 as much physical desire as possible.
0:16:20 I think affection, not just sex, but affection and sex,
0:16:25 say I choose you, I think women wanna be wanted.
0:16:28 And I think that that it’s fun, it’s nice when you’re young
0:16:32 and I think we’re meant to procreate and be physical
0:16:33 and it’s what separates you
0:16:36 from being romantic partners from friends.
0:16:40 So anytime you feel, you wanna hold her hand,
0:16:43 you wanna, you know, lie on top of her
0:16:46 and express affection while you’re watching TV.
0:16:49 You know, I think these things are wonderful.
0:16:50 I think that’s what you’re supposed to be doing.
0:16:55 And then third is, never let your partner be hungry or cold.
0:16:58 I have found that probably 50% of my major blow-ups
0:17:01 with my partners have been, when I look back on it,
0:17:02 that they were either hungry or cold.
0:17:04 Always have a PageMean and a PowerBar.
0:17:07 Wherever you are, wherever you are.
0:17:10 So one of my methods is, or what I talk about
0:17:11 or what you’re referring to,
0:17:14 when you’re sitting down and talking about goals and unlocks
0:17:16 is more for, I think, a relationship
0:17:17 that’s a little bit more mature.
0:17:19 You’re still in an exploration,
0:17:21 getting to know your kind of phase a year in.
0:17:24 But I think more just specifically,
0:17:25 when I think of partnership,
0:17:27 you’re giving witness to their life.
0:17:31 You’re, Mel Robbins, who’s on our podcast,
0:17:33 consideration and admiration.
0:17:36 You recognize that they’re into something
0:17:37 and you go out of their way.
0:17:40 You go out of your way to get tickets for it.
0:17:42 You know she likes a certain meal,
0:17:44 so you go ahead and you order that.
0:17:45 You admire them.
0:17:48 You want them to occasionally be on a stage
0:17:49 where they get claps from strangers
0:17:51 or you brag about them behind their back
0:17:53 or in front of people.
0:17:54 Mine is a little bit, I think,
0:17:57 what I do with my partners, not every year,
0:18:00 we sit down and say, okay, all costs, logistics aside,
0:18:01 what would be really cool to do?
0:18:03 That’s why we moved to Europe.
0:18:07 But I think the fact that you’re even thinking this way
0:18:11 means you’re in the top 1% of boyfriends.
0:18:13 Most men do not think this way.
0:18:15 Thanks so much for the question.
0:18:16 That’s all for this episode.
0:18:18 If you’d like to submit a question,
0:18:19 please email a voice recording
0:18:21 to officehours@proptimedia.com.
0:18:24 Again, that’s officehours@proptimedia.com.
0:18:33 (upbeat music)
0:18:36 This episode was produced by Jennifer Sanchez,
0:18:38 our internist and shoe-lawn Drew Burroughs
0:18:39 as our technical director.
0:18:41 Thank you for listening to the PropG Pod
0:18:43 from the Vox Media Pocas Network.
0:18:46 We will catch you on Saturday for No Mercy, No Malice
0:18:47 as read by George Hahn.
0:18:50 And please follow our PropG Markets Pod
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0:00:04 Want to know what helps keep Wall Street pros ahead?
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0:01:56 Welcome to Office Hours with Prop G.
0:01:58 This is the part of the show where we answer your questions
0:02:00 about business, big tech, entrepreneurship,
0:02:01 and whatever else is on your mind.
0:02:03 If you’d like to submit a question,
0:02:04 please email a voice recording
0:02:06 to officehours@profitmedia.com.
0:02:08 Again, that’s officehours@profitmedia.com.
0:02:10 So with that, first question.
0:02:14 (phone ringing)
0:02:15 – Hi Scott, I’m currently working
0:02:17 for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
0:02:18 as a regulations manager
0:02:21 for the Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water.
0:02:23 My office is responsible for regulating contaminants
0:02:26 in drinking water, such as lead and PFAS.
0:02:28 While the EPA has been in the news quite a bit
0:02:30 over the past few years, mostly for good reasons,
0:02:33 I’ve discovered firsthand that the federal government,
0:02:35 specifically the civil service,
0:02:38 is not very good at brand strategy.
0:02:39 I’m taking steps to pivot towards
0:02:42 an external communications role within the agency,
0:02:44 because I believe there’s a lot more
0:02:46 that the EPA can do to show Americans the value
0:02:49 of our work beyond getting the occasional headline
0:02:51 in the New York Times or something
0:02:53 when we finalize a big regulation.
0:02:55 My question for you is, how would you change the way
0:02:59 the executive branch agencies engage with the public?
0:03:02 And of course, thank you for your continued wisdom
0:03:03 and sialis jokes.
0:03:06 Take care, Scott, from Ethan Schwartz in Washington, D.C.
0:03:10 – That’s a super interesting question.
0:03:12 Essentially, the government, I mean, you could argue
0:03:17 that a key component of winning hearts and minds is branding.
0:03:19 One of the reasons the United States
0:03:22 has had the best economic growth in the world
0:03:26 is that because we have kind of a risk-taking culture,
0:03:29 because we have a multicultural culture.
0:03:32 Multicultural culture, and that makes no fucking sense.
0:03:35 We have people from different places in the world,
0:03:37 and as a result, we’re able to build global brands.
0:03:39 How many global brands have come out of China?
0:03:42 How many global brands have come out of Japan?
0:03:44 A decent number have come out of Japan.
0:03:47 But the majority of really great kind of global brands
0:03:48 come out of the US and Europe.
0:03:51 And I would argue part of that is our culture,
0:03:53 at least in the US of risk-taking.
0:03:55 And in Europe, it’s because I believe
0:03:58 that multicultural society just has an easier time
0:04:01 understanding and appreciating different cohorts
0:04:03 and how to market to them.
0:04:05 I also think, and this sounds a little weird,
0:04:06 I think we’re more in touch with our emotions
0:04:10 and more encouraged to express communication
0:04:11 that creates emotion.
0:04:16 Branding is essentially unearned margin or a shorthand.
0:04:17 And I stay at the Four Seasons
0:04:19 or the Ritz Carlton or the Mandarin Oriental,
0:04:20 ’cause they always do an eight,
0:04:22 and I don’t have time to look at it for hotels.
0:04:24 Now granted, the importance of branding is declined
0:04:26 because now you have your social graph
0:04:27 or trip advisor to kind of tell you,
0:04:29 well, no, this is the hotel you should stay at.
0:04:33 You should stay at, you know, the Fayena and South Beach.
0:04:34 Anyways, don’t know how I got here.
0:04:37 The government is losing and corporations,
0:04:39 one of the reasons corporations have overrun Washington
0:04:43 is that Washington has done a pretty piss-poor job
0:04:44 of branding themselves.
0:04:46 And that is they’ve let these billionaires,
0:04:48 they should stop playing in the identity politics
0:04:49 of billionaires.
0:04:50 I’ll just say assholes,
0:04:52 assholes who tend to have a lot of money
0:04:54 and maybe own a platform and can communicate.
0:04:57 But a lot about branding is just controlling the message
0:04:59 or just awareness.
0:05:01 Something that really upsets me right now
0:05:04 is the poor branding of the Biden administration.
0:05:04 I mean, for God’s sakes,
0:05:07 who the fuck exactly is president right now?
0:05:10 It appears to be the president-elect is now president
0:05:13 and his vice president is First Lady Alania.
0:05:15 They are totally controlling the narrative
0:05:17 because we have a president that for some reason,
0:05:19 people around him thought it was a good idea
0:05:21 that he should run again.
0:05:25 And quite frankly, comes across as just feeble
0:05:27 and the people around him aren’t willing for him
0:05:28 to be in anything that’s not scripted
0:05:30 where he’s wrapping a medal around Bono.
0:05:33 And as a result, they are controlling the narrative,
0:05:34 they are controlling the branding.
0:05:37 In addition, I think you’re right.
0:05:38 – I don’t think they do a very good job
0:05:41 of communicating how important the EPA is
0:05:44 and the importance of clean drinking water
0:05:46 and managing the messaging such that people say,
0:05:48 you know what, the EPA are the good guys.
0:05:50 Instead of having these people whose financial interest
0:05:53 is to position them as the bad guys.
0:05:55 So the fight of branding, if you will,
0:05:58 the importance of branding plays a critical role,
0:06:00 not only in developing shareholder value,
0:06:04 but also in ensuring that our fantastic agencies
0:06:05 and government agencies,
0:06:07 I just never understood how people are so comfortable
0:06:08 shitposting government.
0:06:10 It’s shitposting yourself, folks.
0:06:11 We elect these people.
0:06:15 We make the decisions around who represents us in government
0:06:18 and they make the decisions around these agencies.
0:06:21 And the notion that we don’t have a vested interest
0:06:23 in all of these things and they don’t represent who we are.
0:06:24 I find it just fucking hilarious
0:06:27 that the majority of people who hilarious is the wrong word,
0:06:29 who shitpost the government are the ones benefiting
0:06:30 most of them in the government.
0:06:33 We need great agencies like the EPA to identify
0:06:35 what is their brand identity?
0:06:37 How can they position it against two things?
0:06:39 Where is the market and what are their strengths?
0:06:43 And then specifically do a better job of using platforms
0:06:44 and spokes people to get out there
0:06:47 to respond quickly to misinformation
0:06:49 and craft their own message.
0:06:50 Thank you for the question.
0:06:52 Question number two.
0:06:53 – Hi, Prof. G.
0:06:55 My name is Xavier and I’m a 23 year old
0:06:58 from Goodall, Appalachia with a political science degree
0:07:01 from a no-namer school in the middle of nowhere.
0:07:02 Over the past three years,
0:07:06 I’ve worked as a PR, IR and events professional
0:07:09 specifically within the indie video game industry.
0:07:11 With the state of the video game industry
0:07:12 in a constant decline,
0:07:15 I’m starting to get spooked as even my current company
0:07:18 announced layoffs this past week.
0:07:22 I’m wondering if you have any advice on pivoting careers
0:07:24 specifically when my hard and soft skill set
0:07:28 is so pigeonholed in this specific industry.
0:07:29 Thanks for your time.
0:07:32 – Okay, so spooked is a term,
0:07:34 when I think of the term spook,
0:07:38 it’s a horse gets spooked and makes an irrational decision.
0:07:39 Are you making an irrational decision
0:07:40 by getting out of this industry?
0:07:43 Because I think of the video gaming industry
0:07:45 as just an enormous industry.
0:07:48 And it’s right now, it’s in what I’d call cyclical decline.
0:07:51 I think video games are likely gonna continue
0:07:52 to thrive in some format.
0:07:55 It’s just such a big business.
0:07:58 And this is pulse marketing, but Jesus Christ,
0:07:59 I think about the amount of time and attention
0:08:04 my fortune old son spends on Fortnite or UEFA
0:08:08 or whatever it is, Madden, soccer.
0:08:10 I just think that’s a big business
0:08:12 and probably a pretty decent industry.
0:08:14 Let’s look at some data here.
0:08:16 After a huge boom during COVID,
0:08:17 the video game industry has shrunk.
0:08:21 In 2020, the gaming industry grew over 23%.
0:08:23 That’s not a big base.
0:08:25 However, that boom quickly turned to bust.
0:08:28 So layoffs in the video game industry by year.
0:08:33 2022, 8,500 people, 2023, 11,000 and 2024, 12,000.
0:08:36 And you’re right,
0:08:38 people are just simply spending less time gaming.
0:08:43 But I mean, there was a bit of a sugar or an anomaly high,
0:08:45 a sugar higher in anomaly during COVID, right?
0:08:48 Where people were trapped at homes.
0:08:49 The first quarter of 2021,
0:08:51 average play time has dropped a whopping 26%.
0:08:55 But again, that’s off of an unnatural base.
0:08:57 I would suggest that if you like the industry
0:08:58 and you’re good at it,
0:09:01 I don’t think you wanna sort of ping from industry
0:09:03 to industry when it starts going down.
0:09:05 I think you need to decide,
0:09:07 is this decline cyclical or structural?
0:09:09 Because every industry is gonna have cyclical declines.
0:09:11 And if you try and hopscotch from different industry
0:09:13 based on cyclical declines,
0:09:15 you’re just gonna be moving around
0:09:16 and kind of starting over.
0:09:18 If you’re a letter E in video games
0:09:19 and you’re good at and you like it,
0:09:21 if you go somewhere else that’s growing,
0:09:23 if you go into AI, you’re gonna start a letter C.
0:09:27 And trust me, AI is gonna have cyclical downturns.
0:09:29 So I would suggest a couple of things.
0:09:33 One, determine if this is a cyclical or a structural decline.
0:09:35 Obviously, I’m putting forward a comment
0:09:36 and a viewpoint there.
0:09:39 And two, I would assemble a kitchen cabinet of people
0:09:40 that know you, know how good you are,
0:09:43 know your seed, know your skills.
0:09:46 What are you bringing something
0:09:48 that is truly differentiated to the industry
0:09:50 that foots to your skills
0:09:52 as opposed to getting spooked and moving out?
0:09:55 So one way to know that an industry
0:09:56 is probably about to go into decline
0:09:58 is to look at the most popular industry
0:10:01 out of amongst second year business school students.
0:10:03 Why is that?
0:10:04 Because they’re going,
0:10:06 typically second year business school students
0:10:09 are rear view looking, rear view mirror looking.
0:10:11 And that is they look at what’s hot now.
0:10:12 Well, okay, when something’s hot now
0:10:14 that means it’s probably peaked
0:10:17 and may eventually go into its own cyclical decline.
0:10:18 It’s hard to do,
0:10:19 but the best or the most fortunate way
0:10:21 to go into an industry is to go into it
0:10:24 when it’s at a trough and it’s about to come back.
0:10:26 But no, this is an amazing industry.
0:10:28 And I think over the medium and long term,
0:10:30 this industry, whether it’s reshaped,
0:10:33 is going to continue to thrive.
0:10:35 I appreciate the question.
0:10:37 We have one quick break before our final question.
0:10:38 Stay with us.
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0:13:57 Welcome back, question number three.
0:13:59 – Hey, Scott, I hope you’re well.
0:14:02 – My name is Patrick, I’m 28 years old from the UK.
0:14:04 Thank you so much for all your work
0:14:06 and for your constant inspiration.
0:14:08 My question is related to something
0:14:09 that you’ve mentioned before,
0:14:11 which I believe is where you sit down with your partner
0:14:14 and you discuss your goals, either for the coming year
0:14:16 or for the five years coming.
0:14:19 And you work to support each other on those goals.
0:14:21 I’ve entered a fairly new relationship
0:14:23 and coming up to the new year,
0:14:24 thought it would be a great opportunity
0:14:26 to have one of these conversations with my partner.
0:14:28 And I was looking for some structure
0:14:30 on how you have those conversations.
0:14:32 Thank you so much for the work that you do.
0:14:34 I must have fun with your work
0:14:36 and please keep it up, the dog.
0:14:37 Thank you.
0:14:39 – Dude, how dreamy are you, British accent?
0:14:41 You’re thinking about investing in your partnership
0:14:42 even though you’re a year in.
0:14:43 When I was a year in, I was like,
0:14:46 hey, do you wanna go to St. Bart’s?
0:14:49 I mean, I was not thinking the way you were thinking.
0:14:53 So kudos to you and your partner’s very fortunate.
0:14:56 I’ve given several best man toasts
0:14:57 and I always give the same toasts
0:14:58 and it slightly horrifies and delights everybody.
0:15:01 I think there are three things to remember in a partnership.
0:15:04 One, put the scorecard away.
0:15:07 And that is decide what kind of boyfriend, husband,
0:15:10 lover you wanna be and just be that person.
0:15:12 And stop thinking, well, her parents were in town
0:15:13 and I was really nice to them.
0:15:16 So when my mom comes to town, she needs to be really nice.
0:15:19 I mean, I’m not saying get walked all over,
0:15:24 but decide what kind of partner you wanna be
0:15:26 and try and hold yourself to that expectation.
0:15:27 And if you’re on the plus side,
0:15:31 if you’re offering more than your partner is, you win.
0:15:32 That’s great.
0:15:37 That surplus value, which I think is one of the key metrics
0:15:41 to masculinity, you give witness to people’s life.
0:15:42 You notice them.
0:15:44 You absorb more complaints than you give.
0:15:46 You create more tax revenue
0:15:49 than you absorb of social services.
0:15:53 I think surplus value is a decent metric for masculinity.
0:15:58 Also recognize that you’ll likely naturally inflate
0:16:00 your own contributions and diminish theirs,
0:16:01 even if it’s unintentional.
0:16:03 So as a result, if you keep score,
0:16:05 it just, you end up frustrated and anxious.
0:16:08 So I stopped keeping score across my relationships
0:16:10 and it’s been a big unlock.
0:16:14 Two, a year in, I would try and express
0:16:16 as much physical desire as possible.
0:16:20 I think affection, not just sex, but affection and sex,
0:16:25 say I choose you, I think women wanna be wanted.
0:16:28 And I think that that it’s fun, it’s nice when you’re young
0:16:32 and I think we’re meant to procreate and be physical
0:16:33 and it’s what separates you
0:16:36 from being romantic partners from friends.
0:16:40 So anytime you feel, you wanna hold her hand,
0:16:43 you wanna, you know, lie on top of her
0:16:46 and express affection while you’re watching TV.
0:16:49 You know, I think these things are wonderful.
0:16:50 I think that’s what you’re supposed to be doing.
0:16:55 And then third is, never let your partner be hungry or cold.
0:16:58 I have found that probably 50% of my major blow-ups
0:17:01 with my partners have been, when I look back on it,
0:17:02 that they were either hungry or cold.
0:17:04 Always have a PageMean and a PowerBar.
0:17:07 Wherever you are, wherever you are.
0:17:10 So one of my methods is, or what I talk about
0:17:11 or what you’re referring to,
0:17:14 when you’re sitting down and talking about goals and unlocks
0:17:16 is more for, I think, a relationship
0:17:17 that’s a little bit more mature.
0:17:19 You’re still in an exploration,
0:17:21 getting to know your kind of phase a year in.
0:17:24 But I think more just specifically,
0:17:25 when I think of partnership,
0:17:27 you’re giving witness to their life.
0:17:31 You’re, Mel Robbins, who’s on our podcast,
0:17:33 consideration and admiration.
0:17:36 You recognize that they’re into something
0:17:37 and you go out of their way.
0:17:40 You go out of your way to get tickets for it.
0:17:42 You know she likes a certain meal,
0:17:44 so you go ahead and you order that.
0:17:45 You admire them.
0:17:48 You want them to occasionally be on a stage
0:17:49 where they get claps from strangers
0:17:51 or you brag about them behind their back
0:17:53 or in front of people.
0:17:54 Mine is a little bit, I think,
0:17:57 what I do with my partners, not every year,
0:18:00 we sit down and say, okay, all costs, logistics aside,
0:18:01 what would be really cool to do?
0:18:03 That’s why we moved to Europe.
0:18:07 But I think the fact that you’re even thinking this way
0:18:11 means you’re in the top 1% of boyfriends.
0:18:13 Most men do not think this way.
0:18:15 Thanks so much for the question.
0:18:16 That’s all for this episode.
0:18:18 If you’d like to submit a question,
0:18:19 please email a voice recording
0:18:21 to officehours@proptimedia.com.
0:18:24 Again, that’s officehours@proptimedia.com.
0:18:33 (upbeat music)
0:18:36 This episode was produced by Jennifer Sanchez,
0:18:38 our internist and shoe-lawn Drew Burroughs
0:18:39 as our technical director.
0:18:41 Thank you for listening to the PropG Pod
0:18:43 from the Vox Media Pocas Network.
0:18:46 We will catch you on Saturday for No Mercy, No Malice
0:18:47 as read by George Hahn.
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0:19:31 you
Scott discusses how the best global brands come from the U.S. and why the federal government struggles with brand strategy. He then gives advice to a listener considering leaving the video game industry. He wraps up with more advice, to a listener looking to strengthen his relationship.
Music: https://www.davidcuttermusic.com / @dcuttermusic
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