The Democrat Who Could Flip Texas and Pivoting Out of a Dying Industry

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1:52Scott Galloway:Welcome to Office Hours with PropG. This is the part of the show where we answer your questions about business, big tech, entrepreneurship, and whatever else is on your mind. If you'd like to submit a question for next time, you can send a voice recording to officehoursofpropgmedia.com. Again, that's officehoursofpropgmedia.com. Or post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit, and we just might feature it in our next episode. Our first question comes from Pristine Butterfly 961 on Reddit. They say, Prof, what are your thoughts on James Tallarico? I listened to your episode with him and Jessica.

2:20Scott Galloway:He was well-spoken and seems to be a genuine down-to-earth guy. Seems like the Dem nominee is up in the air for 2028. If Tallarico wins the Senate in Texas, how does that impact his ability to be a Dem nominee in 2028? Okay, so some data. Tallarico won the Democratic primary on March 3rd with 53 % of the vote versus Crockett's 45.6%, And she was a very strong candidate. Cal Street traders had Tallarico at 86 % likelihood to win the Democratic primary. Polls showed the race considerably tighter. And then the Texas Senate winner, Cal Street is also stating that the Republicans have a 65 % likelihood of holding the seat versus 35 % for Democrats.

3:02Scott Galloway:So it's two to one right now. But that's down from four to one, 80 % Republican odds in late 2025. So Tallarico is giving, it appears the markets are more hopeful about a Tallarico nominee. Texas is sort of known for producing a Democrat that we all fall in love with and then get our hearts broken. And every time, you know, Democrats around the nation give money to a Texas candidate, like Beto O 'Rourke, who was a very attractive candidate, especially against a guy named Ted Cruz, who was, you know, I would argue as an unattractive candidate for most people. And then we get our hearts broken that Texas is just pretty, pretty deep red.

3:41Scott Galloway:But here we are again, hopeful that this outstanding candidate will change that. So if Tallarga does, in fact, win in November, it would be a major shift. Texas Democrats have not won statewide office in, let me see, I think it was 88, so 12 years. So, oh gosh, almost 40 years. He'll face the winner of the Paxton versus Cornyn Republican runoff on May 26. Right now, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appears to be the favorite in the runoff, which would be great for Tallarico because Paxton, what's the term, is fucking crazy. And I mean, that's kind of the problem with our electoral system is we send crazies from the left and crazies from the right.

4:21Scott Galloway:Tallarico is seen as pretty moderate, mostly because he constantly cites scripture and his religious background and weaves it really elegantly into his politics. And I think that appeals to a lot of moderates and probably a lot of people on the right. He's pulled slightly better against Paxton than Senator John Cornyn, who's more and more moderate than Paxton. You know, this is very hopeful. And I said that if Tallarica were able to pull off a big win in Texas, maintain that popularity, that he would be, I think, almost immediately on any short list to be the VP candidate for the Democratic ticket for president in 2028.

5:01Scott Galloway:If people felt he could deliver Texas, if anybody on the ticket delivers Texas for the Democrats in 2028, it's game over. That means the Democrats win. So the prospect of it being, say, a one in three chance that they can get Texas versus a one in 20 chance by putting a Tallarico on the ticket, it might be worth the risk. It is a risk, though, because they would be giving up the Senate seat, because my understanding as the likely Republican governor, would then get to appoint someone to that Senate seat and would appoint a Republican. So given how close the majorities are in the Senate, I'm not sure they would give up the Senate seat.

5:41Scott Galloway:But if he won big, he's immediately a candidate, as is John Ossoff. If Senator Ossoff goes on to win decisively in Georgia, he'll be a likely presidential candidate, And I don't know if you've been watching Senator Ossoff, but he's made a really key strategic move. And messaging and words are so important. Rather than demonizing the billionaire class, he's using this new term, the Epstein class, which is just genius and something the broader Democratic Party should adopt. Because if you start trying to, with this progressive rhetoric bullshit, self-inflicted wound of saying billionaires are evil, white people are racist, and young men are a problem, then all three of those cohorts are going to leave.

6:29Scott Galloway:And, you know, 30, you know, about 60 % of the electorate is white, 30 % of the electorate is white males. And if you start with this messaging around successful white males or young white males are, you know, just fundamentally bad by virtue of their identity, they're just going to, OK, fine, have at it. We'll vote Republican. So that's just really stupid messaging that might work, might be red meat in a primary, but in a general, it's suicide. So he's elevated from that and is now going after what he calls the Epstein class. I think that's I think that's genius. But in general, I think whether it's Tallarico, Ossoff, Senators Murphy, Bennett, Klobuchar, I just got outreach from Senator Slotkin's office.

7:17Scott Galloway:My sense is she's gearing up for a run. She seems to be very ambitious and going on a lot of programs lately. Good for her. Anyways, and I think they're all, you know, good or great. I think our bench is just incredibly strong. Governor Shapiro, Newsom, I think these are really strong candidates. And when I look at their bench, it's Rubio and Vance, which are, you know, sort of, I think Rubio's going to have a tough time defending some of the past statements he's made. He just comes across as literally like an amorphous blob that'll say anything to try and advance his political career. I also think the war in Iran will land squarely on his shoulders.

7:58Scott Galloway:Also, Vance is just incredibly unlikable. And every president, I would argue, since Nixon has been had one thing in common, and that is sort of likable. People say Trump isn't, but a lot of people say when you meet Trump, he's very likable and very charismatic. Anyway, I think our bench, when I say our, I mean the Democrats, is much stronger than the Republican bench. We're just going to have to be smarter about it. There is, just to wrap this up, there's what's called a jungle primary in California. And there's a lot of good or a lot of decent Democrats running, but they're all splitting the vote.

8:30Scott Galloway:And the top two might be two Republicans and the top two advance to the general election. So you might end up with a Republican because of the fact that there's a lot of decent Democratic candidates splitting the vote. This is where Speaker Pelosi or Obama or Governor Newsom need to weigh in and start getting deals done or Senate Majority Leader Schumer, Senate Minority Leader, excuse me, need to step in and start promising Democrats some sort of appointments or something or intimidating them or threatening them and get them the fuck out of the race. Anyways, we never underestimate the Democratic Party's ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

9:09Scott Galloway:But State Representative Tallarico brings a new dimension to the Democratic Party, and that is the integration of his faith and politics. And Democrats are seen as being openly hostile towards religion, which I think has really, really hurt Democrats. Anyways, thanks for the question. question number two also comes from reddit okay share 36-03 asks hi scott i've been in the auto industry for 14 years the last 11 years i've been selling ferraris in the last three years i've noticed a major change in buying habits and the people who buy them i've witnessed clients age before my eyes and they are not being replaced by the younger generation two questions what advice do you have for people working in an industry that might look drastically different in five to ten years and what advice do you have for someone who might be stuck in an industry because it's the only experience they have on their resume.

10:01Scott Galloway:I get this question a lot. So according to the data, Ferrari buyers are actually getting younger. 40 % of new Ferrari buyers are now under 40, up from 30 % in 2023, according to Ferrari CEO. I got to think a lot of that's crypto, sort of crypto in the manosphere. I can't help it. Anytime I see someone under the age of 40 in a Ferrari, I think they're probably living with their mother or they rent. You should never own a nice car if you rent, in my view. And that is, I was not, the ultimate, I mean, the real brag is to have a nice home, is to have a place that's clean, well-decorated, and comfortable.

10:37I think a car is really trying hard, you know, from someone who's owned a bunch of Range Rovers.

10:44Scott Galloway:This is how I can tell I can get, I'm getting older. I'm actually looking at that new Ferrari 12-cylinder. I don't think I would fit in the thing, but I think, oh, it's so beautiful, I would just want to park it in my driveway. Yeah, so it looks actually as if the buyer is getting younger. Ferrari shipped almost 14 ,000 cars in 2024 while generating one and a quarter billion dollars in profit. Waiting list currently sit at two years. Jesus, that's amazing. 81 % they manage scarcity almost as well as any brand in the world. The key in luxury is scarcity. And I'll come back to that, but I think it's a key point in managing your own brand.

11:18Scott Galloway:Anyways, 81 % of 2024 Ferrari sales went to existing owners. That's right. They do the same thing with Birkin. I bought someone in my life a Birkin bag, and they asked me if I wanted to get on the list for another bag. And I thought, well, okay, if I need to be on a list, I want on the list. 48 % to buyers already own multiple Ferraris. Wow. So half the people who buy Ferraris already own more than one. The new younger buyer is largely recycling with a closed loop. So in sum, it does look like actually they're getting younger. But your broader question is, what do you do when you're kind of have nothing but experience in a certain industry and looking to make a pivot?

11:54Scott Galloway:What I would suggest is ask yourself, why are you making the pivot? And is there a way to make the pivot internally? What do I mean by that? You might think I'm sick of sales and I want to be more marketing or I want to be managing people. Is there a way to go to someone internally and say, OK, I've been here a while. would it be possible? Is there a Ferrari management program? Is there a path to another part of Ferrari where you would get to scratch the itch to do something different? Because I would not, I don't, when people say, I don't like what I do, I'm just going to quit and it'll force me to find something different.

12:32Scott Galloway:No, no, no, no. Don't leave a job until you have another one. Because unless you have rich parents and you can do whatever the fuck you want, My sense is it is much harder to find a job when you don't have a job. And also to just be honest with yourself, do you have good momentum right now? Are you saving money? Are you good at what you do? And should you just tough it out? If none of that is true and you're truly miserable and want to make a pivot, then one, see if you can do a pivot internally. And two, maybe start a side hustle or start thinking about other types of jobs. Maybe you want to buy a business from a boomer that is selling a vocational business.

13:11Scott Galloway:It's so situational because the questions I would ask you are, what are you good at? Do you have any capital to invest in a business? Do you know anyone else at other companies who you might be able to join and do something else with a friend or someone you've known for a while? Have you been presented with any opportunities? What kind of money do you have saved up? You know, it's very situational, but this is what you want to do. You want to put together a kitchen cabinet of two or three people that you trust. and ask them for coffee and just lay it all out for them. Say, you know, I'm kind of, I'm thinking about a career change.

13:41Scott Galloway:I would just love your advice. You're a smart person. And hopefully they'll ask you a bunch of questions and you can give them a full transparent lay of the land and they can advise you. But there's no one size fits all here. And I get a lot of outreach from people in the advertising and the agency business, which I used to be in technically as a brand strategist saying, I'm in this industry. I know it's dying. What do I do? All right, if you're under the age of 35 and you have the ability to jump ship and go to a different part of the marketing ecosystem, specifically the digital part, then get out.

14:14Scott Galloway:But if you're 45 and your clients like you and you're making good money, yeah, I'd say ride it out and just start packing away money such that at 55 or 60, you can quit and do something else, whether it's teaching high school math or being an artist. And you have the money to do whatever you want. But I just hate the idea of leaving when you have momentum. And I, again, don't know how much momentum you have at a Ferrari. So what do you do? One, see if you could do a pivot internally. Two, assemble a kitchen cabinet of people who can advise you and ask you good questions and help you make this decision because you'd benefit from some outside questions.

14:54Scott Galloway:I don't make any decision, important decision anymore without talking to a few people because I used to think leadership and masculinity was about assessing the situation and making bold, dramatic decisions. No, that's called being reckless. So absolutely start to talk to other people and see what they say and then make a decision. And also put me on a list for the Ferrari 12, is it Chilindri? Type F167. The front engine Grand Tour featuring a six and a half liter naturally aspirated V12 engine producing 830 horsepower at 9250 RPM. Not that I'm going through a midlife crisis. Thanks for the question.

15:37Scott Galloway:We'll be right back after a quick break.

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19:11Scott Galloway:Welcome back. Question number three comes from SAGS on Reddit. Hi, Scott. I'm 27 and just finished my PhD. I've secured a role in big tech where the work aligns with my talent. The tension is that I don't fully align with the product's impact on society. The work, however, satisfies me intellectually. How do you recommend navigating this disconnect? You've already navigated it. You've made a question. You've made a decision. So stop beating up yourself. I don't, I mean, if it gets too much, I don't, I don't know. How do you navigate it? Edibles, alcohol, I don't know. Or just acknowledge that you're focused on your own economic security.

19:44Scott Galloway:I, you know, there's a lot of good people that work in meta. Meta is not good for the planet. And, but people have an obligation to make a living. So I wouldn't, you know, you've made the decision, boss. So, you know, you can control what you can control on a regular basis. Ask yourself if that is really weighing on you. but I wouldn't beat yourself up because you made the decision. So try and make as much progress as you can. You know, I would say this bullshit. You can be an internal agent of change. Now, trust me, if you're trying to make a change in big tech from the inside, in my view, you're a gnat up against a giant windshield.

20:23Scott Galloway:I think it's gotta be regulation. But look, I'm a bit of a capitalist on this stuff. I think you have an obligation to affix your own oxygen mask, take care of yourself, build economic security. And if you're in a position to then, if it becomes overwhelming for you, if, you know, you find out that one in eight people, girls in the UK site, Instagram is a means or a catalyst for self-harm, which is data they collected. And that really weighs on you, then get a job somewhere else. And I don't know if you're working at Met or somewhere else, but I don't know. The hand wringing after you've accepted the job is just self-loathing.

20:53Scott Galloway:So I don't know. And some get over it and then spend a couple of years there. See if you like it. See if, in fact, it's weighing on your conscious. and also if you have the opportunity to do something that offers the same upside in economic security without the kind of emotional tax. But anyways, congrats on the position. You must be very talented. That's all for this episode. If you'd like to submit a question, please email a voice recording to officehours at prop2media.com. Again, that's officehours at prop2media.com. Or if you prefer to ask on Reddit, just post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit and we might feature it in an upcoming episode.

21:30Scott Galloway:This episode was produced by Jennifer Sanchez and Laura Genere. Cammy Rieke is our social producer. Brad Williams is our editor. And Drew Burrows is our technical director. Thank you for listening to the PropG pod from PropG Media.