During a presentation at SXSW in Austin, NYU professor Scott Galloway shared his predictions for the year 2025 and criticized tech CEOs. Galloway, who hosts The Prof G Pod, expressed his strong opinions about the behavior of tech leaders, whom he accused of exhibiting a “domino effect of cowardice.” He specifically called out Elon Musk and denounced the trend of business leaders normalizing actions that he finds unacceptable. Galloway highlighted instances where tech CEOs have made questionable decisions, such as attending the President’s inauguration and influencing editorial content at major publications. He warned that such actions contribute to a dangerous path towards fascism in America. Galloway emphasized the significant influence that tech leaders have on society and stressed the importance of their character. He displayed a slide featuring prominent tech leaders as dominos in his presentation, including Jeff Bezos, Satya Nadella, Mark Zuckerberg, and others. Galloway criticized the willingness of these leaders to compromise their principles for the sake of business interests, citing examples of CEOs justifying their actions as necessary for shareholders. He also raised concerns about the relationship between advertising spending and corporate influence, specifically mentioning an incident involving X CEO Linda Yaccarino and the pressure put on an advertising company to advertise on the platform. Galloway’s remarks called attention to the ethical dilemmas faced by tech executives and their role in shaping societal norms.
