The Crackdown on Free Speech, How to Handle a Bad Boss, and Why Scott Took Down His AI Clone

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0:01:30 Welcome to Office Hours of Prop G.
0:01:32 This is the part of the show where we answer questions
0:01:33 about business, big tech, entrepreneurship,
0:01:35 and whatever else is on your mind.
0:01:38 If you’d like to submit a question for next time,
0:01:41 you can send a voice recording to Office Hours of Prop G Media.
0:01:43 Again, that’s officehoursofpropgmedia.com.
0:01:46 Or post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit,
0:01:48 and we just might feature it in our next episode.
0:01:49 First question.
0:01:55 Our first question comes from user Armadillo Can on Reddit.
0:01:56 They say,
0:01:59 Hey Scott, with the pressure on free speech in the U.S. lately,
0:02:01 and you living in the U.K.,
0:02:03 what are your thoughts on people getting arrested in the U.K.
0:02:04 for social media posts?
0:02:07 So around 12,000 people a year are detained in Britain
0:02:09 for online speech-related offenses.
0:02:11 That’s more than 30 arrests a day
0:02:14 under the 1988 Malicious Communications Act
0:02:16 and the 2003 Communications Act.
0:02:17 Under these laws,
0:02:20 It’s a crime to send messages deemed grossly offensive,
0:02:21 indecent, obscene,
0:02:24 or intended to cause distress or anxiety.
0:02:26 The original laws were written before social media
0:02:28 and are widely seen as outdated.
0:02:30 One clause written to stop nuisance callers
0:02:33 is now being used to monitor private WhatsApp messages
0:02:35 since there is technically no concept
0:02:38 of a private conversation online in English law.
0:02:40 Okay.
0:02:46 So I am blissfully ignorant of U.K. politics.
0:02:48 I see that Joey Baggett Donuts idiot,
0:02:49 Nigel Farage,
0:02:54 who scored the biggest own goal in history with Brexit.
0:02:56 And then I hear about non-DOM,
0:02:58 where theoretically it makes sense to charge people
0:02:59 who are, you know,
0:03:01 moved here for tax avoidance,
0:03:02 increasing their taxes.
0:03:02 But guess what?
0:03:04 10,000 of them have left
0:03:05 and your treasury is going to be smaller now.
0:03:07 And you know what?
0:03:08 I mostly don’t care.
0:03:11 I’m here sort of as an extended tourist
0:03:13 and I like the break
0:03:15 of not thinking about politics every fucking minute,
0:03:16 which I do anyways
0:03:17 because unfortunately I have the internet
0:03:20 and I see the shitshow dissent into fascism
0:03:22 that is the United States.
0:03:22 Okay.
0:03:26 I generally think the hallmark of a democracy
0:03:29 is that almost anyone
0:03:32 should be able to say almost anything
0:03:34 about almost anybody.
0:03:36 In the U.S. there’s some laws
0:03:37 you can’t defame somebody.
0:03:39 You can’t say that somebody is a pedophile
0:03:41 when you know they’re not
0:03:42 or there’s no information that they are
0:03:46 which decreases or harms their ability
0:03:47 to make a living.
0:03:47 That’s defamation.
0:03:50 You also can’t incent violence.
0:03:52 You can’t spread rumors saying,
0:03:55 oh, so-and-so is the head of a rape gang
0:03:56 and this is his address.
0:03:59 And if people show up and harm that person
0:04:00 and that was a false statement
0:04:02 and you incited violence,
0:04:04 you know, yelling fire in a theater,
0:04:05 that’s wrong.
0:04:10 99.9% of speech does not qualify as that.
0:04:12 Saying offensive things online,
0:04:15 I don’t think in my view
0:04:17 that warrants a police response,
0:04:18 even if it’s ugly,
0:04:19 even if it’s vile.
0:04:22 Now, having said that,
0:04:25 I think 90% of the problem,
0:04:26 what’s the problem?
0:04:27 The problem is it tears at the fabric
0:04:28 of a society.
0:04:32 This weekend I got very upset.
0:04:34 Someone said something so wrong, false,
0:04:36 and incorrect and just mean about me.
0:04:38 And if you didn’t know me,
0:04:41 you would have taken this teaspoon of propaganda
0:04:45 and turned it into a tsunami of bullshit lies.
0:04:45 You would have thought,
0:04:47 wow, what a bad person this guy is.
0:04:49 And I wanted to weigh in.
0:04:50 And of course you don’t want to weigh in
0:04:51 because that’s what the algorithms want.
0:04:55 But I believe they should have the right to say that.
0:04:56 Now, having said that,
0:05:00 where I think 90% of the problem goes away
0:05:04 is that if the platforms
0:05:05 where all this shit is taking place
0:05:09 no longer are protected by Section 230
0:05:12 for algorithmically elevated content,
0:05:14 I think 90% of it goes away
0:05:16 if we just hold these platforms
0:05:17 to the same standards
0:05:21 we hold the BBC or the Times of London.
0:05:23 So what is the answer here?
0:05:25 I believe that free speech is a function
0:05:27 of when people are allowed to say
0:05:30 really offensive, fucking stupid things.
0:05:31 And falsehoods.
0:05:33 You can circulate conspiracy theories
0:05:35 because sometimes the conspiracy theory
0:05:36 ends up being right.
0:05:38 What you shouldn’t be able to do
0:05:40 is that if somebody says
0:05:43 mRNA vaccines alter your DNA,
0:05:44 which they do not,
0:05:48 if the platform wants to elevate that content
0:05:50 beyond its organic reach,
0:05:53 then they should be subject to the same standards
0:05:55 as traditional media companies.
0:05:58 But where I ultimately net out on this
0:06:02 is that I think you err on the side of free speech.
0:06:04 Platforms shouldn’t engage,
0:06:05 shouldn’t connect profit
0:06:07 to elevating this stupid,
0:06:10 false, and defamatory content
0:06:12 beyond its organic reach.
0:06:14 I think there are easier ways
0:06:16 to reduce this
0:06:17 while not encroaching
0:06:19 on people’s free speech rights.
0:06:21 Thanks for the questions.
0:06:24 Question number two comes from user
0:06:26 don’tcare12345 on Reddit.
0:06:27 They say,
0:06:29 Scott, at the beginning of the year,
0:06:31 I was moved out from under my long-term manager
0:06:32 and mentor of five plus years
0:06:34 due to an organization flattening.
0:06:36 My new manager, I feel, has it out for me.
0:06:37 For context,
0:06:40 I have eight years of this company under my belt
0:06:41 and I’m a strong performer,
0:06:42 recently promoted about a year ago
0:06:43 under my old manager.
0:06:45 I punch above my weight
0:06:47 with no history of performance issues.
0:06:48 I feel my contributions are acknowledged
0:06:49 from top to bottom
0:06:51 and am well-liked.
0:06:53 Is there any way to successfully
0:06:54 navigate these waters?
0:06:56 I am in my 40s and still ambitious.
0:06:58 I feel like I don’t have the time
0:06:59 to tread water under someone
0:07:01 who isn’t going to be my advocate.
0:07:02 Oh my gosh,
0:07:03 welcome to the work week.
0:07:06 Your ability to navigate assholes
0:07:07 or bosses or people
0:07:09 who don’t agree with you
0:07:10 or maybe they’re right
0:07:11 and you’re the asshole.
0:07:12 Who knows?
0:07:13 But your ability to navigate
0:07:14 and learn from these issues
0:07:15 is really important.
0:07:16 I think there’s a couple things.
0:07:18 One, I think you continue
0:07:19 to perform strong.
0:07:20 And also at some point,
0:07:21 I think the truth
0:07:23 has a nice ring to it.
0:07:23 I think it’s okay
0:07:24 to sit down with this person
0:07:25 and say,
0:07:29 I feel as if some of our interactions
0:07:30 or the way you approach me,
0:07:32 it feels biased
0:07:32 and it feels unfair.
0:07:36 And highlight in a very sober,
0:07:37 unemotional way
0:07:38 some examples of that
0:07:38 and say,
0:07:40 is there something I can do
0:07:42 to improve this relationship?
0:07:44 This job is important to me.
0:07:45 I’ve been here a while.
0:07:45 I like it.
0:07:47 I want to succeed here.
0:07:49 But I think the,
0:07:50 you know,
0:07:51 I think important relationships
0:07:52 need to be open and honest.
0:07:54 And this is an important relationship.
0:07:55 At the same time,
0:07:56 keep your eyes out
0:07:57 for an opportunity
0:07:59 to move to another manager, right?
0:08:00 I mean,
0:08:02 if this is a dynamic situation
0:08:03 and you’re probably
0:08:03 going to have another manager
0:08:04 in a year,
0:08:04 you may not even want
0:08:05 to have that conversation.
0:08:06 You just may want to suck it up.
0:08:07 Everyone has a bad boss.
0:08:08 That’s the only,
0:08:10 or at some point,
0:08:11 we’ll have a bad boss.
0:08:11 That’s the only thing
0:08:12 I can guarantee you
0:08:13 in the corporate world
0:08:14 is a series of injustices
0:08:15 throughout your corporate life.
0:08:17 And your ability to navigate them
0:08:19 is kind of as important
0:08:20 as doing a good job almost.
0:08:23 So see if in fact
0:08:24 how long you’re going to have
0:08:24 to endure this,
0:08:27 consider having
0:08:27 a very open,
0:08:28 honest conversation with them.
0:08:29 Make sure you have
0:08:31 an open and honest conversation
0:08:32 with them
0:08:33 before you ever go
0:08:34 to someone senior to them.
0:08:34 Otherwise,
0:08:35 they’re really going to have
0:08:36 a bias against you
0:08:37 if you sort of go behind
0:08:38 the back or tattle on them.
0:08:41 Be honest and straightforward with them.
0:08:42 I think people appreciate it.
0:08:42 And if it’s true,
0:08:43 it will hit hard
0:08:45 and they’ll probably check back
0:08:46 a little bit or reconsider.
0:08:48 I don’t think it’s,
0:08:49 if you’re doing well
0:08:49 after eight years,
0:08:50 I don’t think it’s a bad idea
0:08:51 to mark a check
0:08:53 and see what else is out there.
0:08:54 People tend to advance
0:08:55 further, faster,
0:08:55 and make more money
0:08:56 when they job switch
0:08:58 every kind of five to seven years.
0:09:00 But what you are going through
0:09:01 is what I think
0:09:03 almost everyone goes through
0:09:04 at some point in their career.
0:09:04 And the fact that you’ve been
0:09:05 somewhere for eight years
0:09:06 and have done well
0:09:07 means that you’re in a position
0:09:09 of leverage
0:09:10 because you’ve done well
0:09:10 there for eight years.
0:09:12 They don’t want to lose you
0:09:13 and you have currency
0:09:13 in the marketplace.
0:09:15 Very much appreciate the question.
0:09:17 We’ll be right back
0:09:18 after a quick break.
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0:12:48 Welcome back.
0:12:49 On to our final question,
0:12:50 which is from
0:12:51 Reddit user
0:12:52 DC10-50,
0:12:54 who says,
0:12:55 Hi Scott,
0:12:55 I’m curious what
0:12:56 insights you have
0:12:57 into the emerging
0:12:58 trend of AI’s role
0:12:59 in providing
0:12:59 relationship advice
0:13:00 or acting as a
0:13:01 replacement for a
0:13:02 human therapist.
0:13:04 I recently discovered
0:13:05 my partner of over
0:13:06 10 years engaging
0:13:06 with ChatGPT
0:13:07 as a way to seek
0:13:08 help with an
0:13:09 internal conflict
0:13:09 she was facing.
0:13:11 I’m concerned
0:13:11 this addictive
0:13:13 godlike technology
0:13:13 will drive people
0:13:14 further into isolation
0:13:15 and depression.
0:13:15 How would you
0:13:16 recommend bringing
0:13:17 this up with
0:13:17 my partner?
0:13:19 Oh my gosh,
0:13:20 I’m dealing with
0:13:20 this firsthand
0:13:21 and I’ll come
0:13:21 back to that.
0:13:22 So some data,
0:13:23 OpenAI says
0:13:24 ChatGPT now
0:13:25 has nearly 700
0:13:25 million weekly
0:13:26 users,
0:13:26 more than 10
0:13:27 million people
0:13:28 pay $20 a month
0:13:29 for it.
0:13:30 It’s not clear
0:13:31 how many are
0:13:31 using it for
0:13:32 mental health,
0:13:32 but for a lot
0:13:33 of people it’s
0:13:34 become the easiest
0:13:34 kind of support
0:13:35 to access.
0:13:35 Actually,
0:13:35 I’ve heard the
0:13:36 number one use
0:13:36 is therapy.
0:13:38 Important to
0:13:38 note,
0:13:38 the U.S.
0:13:39 currently faces
0:13:39 a widespread
0:13:40 shortage of
0:13:41 licensed therapists.
0:13:43 So I have
0:13:44 some personal
0:13:45 experience with
0:13:45 this.
0:13:47 About a year
0:13:47 and a half
0:13:48 ago,
0:13:49 I mean it was
0:13:50 two years ago,
0:13:51 a guy came
0:13:51 to us and
0:13:52 said I can
0:13:52 build
0:13:55 a prof AI
0:13:56 on top of
0:13:56 an LLM.
0:13:57 Now I get
0:13:58 about 10 to
0:13:59 30 emails a
0:13:59 day from
0:14:00 mostly young
0:14:00 men,
0:14:01 sometimes their
0:14:01 mothers,
0:14:02 asking for
0:14:03 advice.
0:14:03 It’s almost
0:14:04 always professional
0:14:04 or investment
0:14:05 advice.
0:14:06 And I got
0:14:07 a very long
0:14:08 thoughtful email
0:14:09 and I think
0:14:09 that’s such a
0:14:10 nice kid,
0:14:10 I need to
0:14:11 respond.
0:14:12 And I can’t.
0:14:12 I just,
0:14:14 if I had
0:14:15 2,400 or
0:14:15 not 20,
0:14:16 if I had 72
0:14:17 hours in a day,
0:14:18 I still couldn’t
0:14:19 get all these
0:14:19 emails.
0:14:20 So great.
0:14:21 Built a
0:14:22 prof AI,
0:14:23 it ingested
0:14:24 all of my
0:14:24 blog posts,
0:14:25 my books,
0:14:26 my podcasts,
0:14:27 my media
0:14:28 experiences or
0:14:28 appearances,
0:14:29 and then it
0:14:29 gave what was
0:14:30 70, 80% of
0:14:31 the answer I
0:14:31 would give.
0:14:32 And so I
0:14:33 thought this is
0:14:33 great.
0:14:34 It was used,
0:14:34 I think,
0:14:34 a couple hundred
0:14:35 times a day.
0:14:36 We ultimately
0:14:36 decided it was
0:14:37 an experiment.
0:14:37 We took it
0:14:37 down.
0:14:39 And then a
0:14:39 graduate student
0:14:40 instructor came
0:14:41 to me,
0:14:42 or who was
0:14:43 my TA at
0:14:44 business school
0:14:44 who works at
0:14:45 Google,
0:14:45 super smart,
0:14:46 impressive woman,
0:14:47 came and said,
0:14:47 we’re doing
0:14:48 something at
0:14:49 Google Labs
0:14:51 with characters
0:14:51 and we want to
0:14:52 launch Prop
0:14:53 GAI.
0:14:54 And we’ll do a
0:14:55 much better job
0:14:55 than what you
0:14:56 did.
0:14:56 I said,
0:14:56 great.
0:14:57 They spent
0:14:58 about six or
0:14:58 eight months
0:14:59 developing this
0:14:59 thing,
0:15:00 getting my
0:15:00 voice,
0:15:01 an avatar of
0:15:02 me right,
0:15:02 et cetera,
0:15:03 et cetera.
0:15:03 and they
0:15:04 launched it.
0:15:04 Now,
0:15:05 between the
0:15:06 time I thought
0:15:06 this was a
0:15:07 good idea,
0:15:08 about nine
0:15:09 months ago,
0:15:09 and when it
0:15:10 launched earlier
0:15:10 this week,
0:15:12 my view has
0:15:13 entirely changed
0:15:14 on this.
0:15:15 And that is,
0:15:17 I worry that
0:15:17 these synthetic
0:15:19 relationships are
0:15:20 making us less
0:15:20 mammalia,
0:15:21 that they are
0:15:23 sequestering us
0:15:24 from each other.
0:15:25 And that is,
0:15:25 people are going
0:15:26 down a rabbit
0:15:28 hole and leaning
0:15:29 on AI for things
0:15:30 they typically
0:15:31 lean on other
0:15:32 humans for.
0:15:34 And the idea
0:15:36 that I had
0:15:36 these kind of
0:15:37 horror fantasies
0:15:38 that I would
0:15:39 read about some
0:15:39 young man who
0:15:40 hurt himself and
0:15:42 he had sequestered
0:15:42 from his parents
0:15:43 and role models
0:15:44 and teachers
0:15:44 because he had
0:15:45 a series of
0:15:45 synthetic
0:15:46 relationships,
0:15:46 and I don’t
0:15:47 want to be on
0:15:47 that list,
0:15:48 and I don’t
0:15:48 want to participate.
0:15:50 On a less evil
0:15:51 level, but equally
0:15:52 frightening for me,
0:15:54 is the idea that
0:15:55 young men are
0:15:56 going to use
0:15:56 synthetic
0:15:58 relationships to
0:15:59 replace real-world
0:16:00 relationships and
0:16:00 that it reduces
0:16:01 their mojo and
0:16:02 motivation to
0:16:03 establish a
0:16:03 relationship with
0:16:04 a coach,
0:16:04 their dad,
0:16:06 dad’s friends,
0:16:06 go to their
0:16:07 friends with
0:16:09 concerns.
0:16:12 And I see a
0:16:12 little of that
0:16:13 happening, it
0:16:13 sounds like,
0:16:14 with your
0:16:14 partner.
0:16:16 So what do I
0:16:16 think?
0:16:18 I think a lot
0:16:19 of it is age.
0:16:20 I don’t think
0:16:21 anyone under the
0:16:22 age of 18 should
0:16:22 be allowed to
0:16:23 enter into a
0:16:23 synthetic
0:16:24 relationship.
0:16:24 I don’t think
0:16:25 they have the
0:16:25 maturity to handle
0:16:25 it.
0:16:26 I think there’s
0:16:27 a lot of
0:16:27 really horrific
0:16:28 examples of
0:16:29 self-harm
0:16:29 where people
0:16:30 thought they
0:16:30 were in a
0:16:31 relationship and
0:16:32 that person or
0:16:33 that synthetic
0:16:34 relationship gave
0:16:34 them permission to
0:16:35 harm themselves,
0:16:37 easy to sequester
0:16:38 from friends.
0:16:39 So I just hate
0:16:40 synthetic relationships
0:16:41 for anyone under
0:16:41 the age of 18.
0:16:45 I think that what I
0:16:46 have found about
0:16:47 when I go down a
0:16:47 rabbit hole and
0:16:48 start asking these
0:16:49 things for advice on
0:16:50 issues, they’re way
0:16:51 too supportive,
0:16:52 empathetic, and
0:16:53 don’t give it to
0:16:53 you kind of real.
0:16:54 Don’t say, oh,
0:16:55 shut the fuck up,
0:16:56 buck up, welcome
0:16:57 to the real world.
0:16:58 I think occasionally
0:16:58 you need to
0:16:59 hear that.
0:17:01 And while it’s
0:17:01 important they’re
0:17:03 supportive, I
0:17:04 don’t know, I
0:17:05 wonder if we’re
0:17:05 just going to
0:17:07 become less
0:17:08 depressed, and
0:17:08 that is real
0:17:09 victory comes from
0:17:10 the complexity and
0:17:11 difficulty and
0:17:13 friction of real
0:17:14 world relationships.
0:17:14 It is difficult to
0:17:15 establish or
0:17:16 figure out or
0:17:17 navigate the
0:17:17 pecking order of
0:17:18 friends and
0:17:19 approach people and
0:17:19 express friendship.
0:17:21 It’s hard to
0:17:22 figure out the
0:17:23 corporate bullshit
0:17:24 you have to
0:17:25 navigate and get
0:17:25 good at.
0:17:26 it is really
0:17:27 difficult to
0:17:27 establish a
0:17:28 romantic relationship
0:17:29 with someone and
0:17:31 maintain that type
0:17:31 of commitment.
0:17:33 People are messy,
0:17:34 complex, and that
0:17:36 is why it is so
0:17:37 fucking rewarding.
0:17:39 Right?
0:17:40 To figure out how
0:17:41 to navigate all the
0:17:42 bullshit at work and
0:17:43 get promoted, it
0:17:44 feels amazing.
0:17:45 To have a good
0:17:46 group of friends and
0:17:47 put up with their
0:17:47 shit and they put up
0:17:49 with yours and you
0:17:50 get to my age, I
0:17:51 can’t tell you how
0:17:52 much joy I get from
0:17:52 my friends.
0:17:53 Even the ones I
0:17:53 didn’t get that
0:17:54 much joy from when
0:17:54 I was in my
0:17:56 20s, I just get so
0:17:57 much reward for
0:17:57 them.
0:18:00 And my God, figuring
0:18:02 out a way to want
0:18:03 to hang out with
0:18:04 someone and make
0:18:05 them feel loved and
0:18:06 supported and make
0:18:07 sure that they want
0:18:08 to love and support
0:18:10 you and figure out a
0:18:11 way to have sex with
0:18:12 them and then have
0:18:12 kids with them and
0:18:13 then support that
0:18:14 kid.
0:18:16 And it’s so hard,
0:18:16 right?
0:18:17 So much friction.
0:18:18 And when you
0:18:19 figure it out, it
0:18:21 is like the universe
0:18:22 just says, all right,
0:18:22 you matter.
0:18:24 This all makes sense.
0:18:25 You’re here for a
0:18:25 reason.
0:18:28 So what I would do is
0:18:29 I would have a very
0:18:30 open and honest
0:18:31 relationship and just
0:18:33 say, look, using this
0:18:35 as a resource is fine.
0:18:36 Using it as a
0:18:38 relationship is not
0:18:39 cool and it’s
0:18:40 dangerous, it’s
0:18:42 dumb, and you’re
0:18:42 going to be more
0:18:43 depressed.
0:18:44 I genuinely
0:18:45 think that.
0:18:47 I would be wary of
0:18:48 the fact that you
0:18:49 don’t want them going
0:18:50 down a rabbit hole and
0:18:51 deciding they’re in a
0:18:52 relationship with
0:18:53 someone and start
0:18:54 taking that advice over
0:18:55 the advice of real
0:18:57 world people who
0:18:58 understand them, care
0:18:59 about them, care about
0:19:00 them enough to say, no,
0:19:02 that’s wrong, or you’re
0:19:03 not thinking about this
0:19:04 correctly, or stop this.
0:19:04 I love you.
0:19:05 I’m worried about you.
0:19:06 Thanks for the
0:19:07 question.
0:19:08 And by the way, I
0:19:09 decided to take down my
0:19:11 character AI after 12
0:19:12 hours.
0:19:13 I just got
0:19:14 increasingly uncomfortable
0:19:14 with it.
0:19:17 I want young men to
0:19:19 figure out a way to
0:19:21 engage with other
0:19:21 men.
0:19:24 That’s all for this
0:19:24 episode.
0:19:25 If you’d like to
0:19:25 submit a question,
0:19:26 please email a voice
0:19:27 recording to
0:19:28 officehours at
0:19:29 propgmedia.com.
0:19:29 Again, that’s
0:19:30 officehours at
0:19:31 propgmedia.com.
0:19:33 Or if you prefer to
0:19:34 ask on Reddit, just
0:19:35 post your question on
0:19:36 the Scott Gallery
0:19:37 subreddit, and we
0:19:38 just might feature it
0:19:38 in an upcoming
0:19:39 episode.
0:19:42 This episode was
0:19:43 produced by Jennifer
0:19:44 Sanchez.
0:19:44 Our assistant producer
0:19:45 is Laura Janair.
0:19:46 Drew Burrows is our
0:19:47 technical director.
0:19:48 Thank you for listening
0:19:49 to the Propg Pod from
0:19:49 Propg Media.