Scott Galloway is a hand full, he is like those kids who don’t sit still. Very smart, always has a smarty-pants comment, restless and always tinkering. However, his views towards certain things are very interesting. I don’t always agree with some of his views, but I agree with most of them.

This is a book that serves as a reminder that you don’t always have to read a book in which you agree with the author all the time when you want to enjoy the experience of reading a book. It’s possible to have respectful disagreements about specific topics while still gaining valuable insight from one another.

It’s that thing that Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote:

“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.”

In this book, he provides an insightful and engaging analysis of the four biggest technology companies in the world: Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google.

Galloway, a marketing professor at NYU Stern School of Business, provides a deep dive into the strategies and business models of these four companies, exploring how they have achieved their enormous success and dominance in their respective industries.

The book is divided into three parts, with each part exploring a different theme.

In the first part, Galloway examines the history and rise of each of the four companies, tracing their paths from small startups to global behemoths. He provides fascinating insights into the business strategies, leadership styles, and key innovations that have propelled them to success.

In the second part, Galloway explores the impact of the four companies on various aspects of our lives, from how we shop, communicate, and consume media to how we think about privacy, democracy, and inequality. He raises important questions about the social and political implications of their dominance and warns of the dangers of allowing a handful of companies to control so much of our economy and culture.

In the third and final part, Galloway offers his predictions for the tech industry’s future and how it will shape our world in the coming decades. He argues that the power of the four companies is unlikely to be challenged anytime soon, but that new players will emerge and disrupt the status quo.

He also examines the implications of their power and influence on society and the economy and offers his own predictions for their future.

What makes this book particularly compelling is Galloway’s engaging writing style and his ability to convey complex concepts in an accessible and entertaining manner.

He uses vivid metaphors and examples to explain technical terms and business concepts, making the book engaging and accessible to both experts and non-experts alike.

Rating:

7/10

The challenge with Galloway’s writing style is overly dramatic and sensationalist, he tends to exaggerate some of the issues he discusses and uses hyperbole to make his points. At the same time, he tends to be hilarious in some parts of the book.

I’m not a fan of people who curses, and Scott uses it quite a lot. So it was a bit difficult to read some of the paragraphs.

Scott Galloway captures the strategy, strength, and “wow” factors of each of these companies by mapping them to the Four Horsemen of god, love, sex, and consumption. I’m not sure this is an fair depiction of these companies.

Overall, “The Four” is a good book that provides some valuable insights into the strategies and business models of four of the most influential companies in the world today.

It is an essential read for anyone interested in understanding the dynamics of the tech industry and the broader impact of technology on society.

It’s a must-read no matter how much you disagree with it or how many swear words you have to pass over. The book contains some fascinating new ideas.

Favourite quotes:

• “The Four are the alpha predators of the business world, and they are out to eat your lunch.”
• “Apple is not a tech company, it’s a luxury goods company.”
• “People who received a great deal of attention for their looks at a young age are more likely to opt for cosmetic procedures when older. It’s the same in business.”
• “Google’s business model is the digital equivalent of strip-mining.”
• “Amazon is the world’s most customer-focused company; unfortunately, it’s customers are us.”
• “It is conventional wisdom that Steve Jobs put “a dent in the universe.” No, he didn’t. Steve Jobs, in my view, spat on the universe. People who get up every morning, get their kids dressed, get them to school, and have an irrational passion for their kids’ well-being, dent the universe. The world needs more homes with engaged parents, not a better fucking phone.”
• “Facebook is a media company that pretends to be a technology company.”
• “The essence of Amazon’s strategy is to reduce friction.”
• “Failure and invention are inseparable twins. To invent you have to experiment, and if you know in advance that it’s going to work, it’s not an experiment.”
• “The winners of the digital age have built their fortunes by colonizing the resources of others.”
• “The ultimate gift, in our digital age, is a CEO who has the storytelling talent to capture the imagination of the markets while surrounding themselves with people who can show incremental progress against that vision each day.”
• “The Four are the new gods, and they are transforming our economy and reshaping our world.”
• “Technology is the new religion, offering hope and salvation to the masses.”
• I think there’s something sort of perverted in our society where we no longer worship at the altar of kindness and character, we worship at the altar of money and innovators.
• “Some people think luxury is the opposite of poverty. It is not. It is the opposite of vulgarity,” said Coco Chanel.”
• “The Four are the new robber barons, reaping vast wealth at the expense of the rest of us.”