Book of the Week: "The Four" by Scott Galloway

Weeks ago I introduced you to Scott Galloway's second book "The Algebra of Happiness." In that post I mentioned his first book "The Four" and how, in a nano-second, it was on my "to read list" this year.

The NYU marketing professor breaks down the four most powerful companies today and how they each are running the world we live in. Apple is the biggest technological company out, how many people do you know that DON'T have some type of Apple product? I'm guessing no one. Facebook is still the social media giant, despite Twitter and Snapchat coming into existence. Google is a media giant. And Amazon, well the only thing bigger IS the Amazon

These four big tech companies all have one thing in common and no, it's not they each have demanding bosses / founders. (They have that too.) What these four all share is is the notion that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

None of them were the first in their fields. They all had predecessors. Google had Yahoo! Facebook had MySpace. Apple: IBM and Amazon: the first online retail. They lived by the belief "the early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese." (The poor first mouse.) In fact, they are all still doing it.

After being rejected by Snapchat, Facebook purchased Instagram, taking all of Snapchat's instantaneous technology. Amazon corner in on the market of food buying "Whole Foods." Google's absorption of YouTube as well as this blogging platform. Apple acquiring other media sharing companies (i.e. Shazam) and companies that assist people in utilizing those companies (i.e. Beats).

This poses a good question. Since the "Big Four" keeps acquiring either a. its competition or b. companies that will strengthen its brand will there be a fifth?

May I present to you two businesses that have potential (and note I say potential) to be join the "Big Four" thus making them the "Power Five." The first one being Uber. It found a system in society that is broken, the taxi industry, and figured out a way to improve it, which made everyone's lives easier. In the process, it has thumbed its nose at regulations as the other four have done (i.e. Facebook's response that it is not a media outlet, it's a media platform so it doesn't have to abide by policies directed at media). Uber has the potential.

Here's another one that isn't mentioned in the book, but should be considered: Barstool Sports.

My personal opinions of the sports media platform are not top government secrets that are locked in Fort Knox, it's pretty apparent that I'm not a supporter of the platform. But I will give Barstool credit, it does have the potential to join the four.

It may have to clean up its image a little more, but that is exactly why Barstool has potential. Dave Portnoy and Barstool thrives on pushing the limits, like Mark Zuckerberg did with Facebook, Steve Jobs with Apple, and Jeff Bezos with Amazon. A lot of what Barstool does is not healthy for society, which is where it needs to clean up its act to become a member of the "Power Five." You can't have your founder acting like a petulant child and tweeted out his hatred for labor unions or, even more important, you can't continue its misogynistic message* against women.

With the way the media business is at today, the potential is there. But will Barstool want to clean up its act in order to achieve it is the real question?


*EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, despite Barstool CEO Erika Nardini's claim about the company not being misogynistic, if you have a patent and trademark on the term "Saturdays Are For The Boys" and if it's completely appropriate to keep demeaning comments about females on posts, yes you have a misogynistic culture.