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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
I was drawn to the topic but realized quickly that this short read was all over the place talking about Über, Airbnb and everything in between. I expected much more but turns out I just lost interest halfway because of how little I was learning from it. If you’re not familiar with the big four at all, this could be interesting but if you work in tech and know anything about business this will turn out to be lacklustre.
Interesting. I think that we really don't have an accurate idea on how much the big four (Thats Facebook, google, apple and Amazon, the later the owner of this website) influence our lives. I'm writing a review of a book I bought on Amazon in a website owned by Amazon. That is just an example. We like ease so we choose to login, on the websites that allow it, using our google or facebook accounts. So the question is, how much more are we willing to sacrifice in the name of ease and free 1-day shipping? I think a lot.
Full review at: http://www.everydayiwritethebookblog.com/2018/12/the-four-the-hidden-dna-of-amazon-apple-facebook-and-google-by-scott-galloway/
When The Four by Scott Galloway came out last year, I knew I wanted to read it. I work in technology, so this book about Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google was right up my alley. The Four goes through each of the Four Horsemen, as he calls them, analyzing how they got so big and powerful, their respective strengths and weaknesses, and what they have in common. He also explains how they are both dependent on and competitive with each other:
Google signaled the end of the brand era… hurting Apple, who also finds itself competing with Amazon in music and film. Amazon is Google’s largest customer, but it’s also threatening Google in search[]. Apple and Amazon are running, full speed, into each other in front of us, on our TV screens and phones, as Google fights Apple to be the operating system of the product that defines our age, the smartphone.
Galloway explains why the Four Horsemen have so quickly outperformed the traditional brands and companies – across many sectors – that were the bedrock of the American economy for decades before Facebook came along. He also identifies the few companies with the potential – but not necessarily the likelihood – of becoming the Fifth Horseman. (Think Uber, Tesla, Microsoft, Walmart).
Even though The Four came out in October 2017, it already feels somewhat outdated. Things have changed for Facebook, for sure, in the intervening months, and Amazon seems to have gained strength in a number of areas even in that short time. Amazon really emerges as the company to fear here. Trying to beat them is futile.
If you’re an intense b-school type who lives and dies by numbers, this book might be too light for you. If you like funny, slightly irreverent books about business and technology, this one is for you! I really enjoyed it and learned a lot in the process. If you’re interested in working for one of the Horsemen, then this is required reading.
When The Four by Scott Galloway came out last year, I knew I wanted to read it. I work in technology, so this book about Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google was right up my alley. The Four goes through each of the Four Horsemen, as he calls them, analyzing how they got so big and powerful, their respective strengths and weaknesses, and what they have in common. He also explains how they are both dependent on and competitive with each other:
Google signaled the end of the brand era… hurting Apple, who also finds itself competing with Amazon in music and film. Amazon is Google’s largest customer, but it’s also threatening Google in search[]. Apple and Amazon are running, full speed, into each other in front of us, on our TV screens and phones, as Google fights Apple to be the operating system of the product that defines our age, the smartphone.
Galloway explains why the Four Horsemen have so quickly outperformed the traditional brands and companies – across many sectors – that were the bedrock of the American economy for decades before Facebook came along. He also identifies the few companies with the potential – but not necessarily the likelihood – of becoming the Fifth Horseman. (Think Uber, Tesla, Microsoft, Walmart).
Even though The Four came out in October 2017, it already feels somewhat outdated. Things have changed for Facebook, for sure, in the intervening months, and Amazon seems to have gained strength in a number of areas even in that short time. Amazon really emerges as the company to fear here. Trying to beat them is futile.
If you’re an intense b-school type who lives and dies by numbers, this book might be too light for you. If you like funny, slightly irreverent books about business and technology, this one is for you! I really enjoyed it and learned a lot in the process. If you’re interested in working for one of the Horsemen, then this is required reading.
informative
slow-paced
In the 70s IBM was a technology behemoth that seemed to turn everything they touched into gold. In 1990 Microsoft was the unparalleled leader in technology and left the entire industry in fear. As the market fluctuates the companies leading the charge changes as frequently as the weather.
Scott Galloway provides a compelling argument of why the Four Horsemen (Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google) are the unequivocal leaders across the industry and have never before seen influence and power across the decisions that people make every day around the world. He breaks down the history of each organization, provides analysis on why they are success, and predicts what their future will look like.
Finally, Galloway leaves you with his own formula for what makes these four organizations unstoppable, and how a "fifth horseman" could catch them. He calls this the T formula, for a trillion dollar valuation: product differentiation, visionary capital, global reach, positive image, vertical integration, artificial intelligence, accelerant, and geography.
I'll be thinking a lot about this book as the CEOs of the four horsemen begin to face an anti-trust congressional hearing on July 29, 2020.
Scott Galloway provides a compelling argument of why the Four Horsemen (Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google) are the unequivocal leaders across the industry and have never before seen influence and power across the decisions that people make every day around the world. He breaks down the history of each organization, provides analysis on why they are success, and predicts what their future will look like.
Finally, Galloway leaves you with his own formula for what makes these four organizations unstoppable, and how a "fifth horseman" could catch them. He calls this the T formula, for a trillion dollar valuation: product differentiation, visionary capital, global reach, positive image, vertical integration, artificial intelligence, accelerant, and geography.
I'll be thinking a lot about this book as the CEOs of the four horsemen begin to face an anti-trust congressional hearing on July 29, 2020.
Eh. I didn't find it super engaging or insightful, personally, but it wasn't exactly treading new ground/ information for me, either. It seems to be aimed at readers presumed to be tech savvy and highly connected-- users of smartphones, FB, and subscribers to Amazon Prime-- but who've never considered that any positive must have a downside. You can't have sweet without sour. Can't have good without bad. Can't have 2 day shipping without disrupting existing labor markets. Can't have cheap retail goods without labor and human rights abuses.
Don't get me wrong, it's accurate when it talks about the problems with the companies in question. But as a cohesive text, it's ... muddled. The middle of the book reads more like a series of, "how to succeed in business," advice tidbits, rather than a critique of major companies, and much of the text is peppered with self-help style anecdotes and business success advice.
It's like Galloway couldn't decide whether he wanted to write an academic critique of capitalist structures and business monopolies, or a personal memoir/ how to succeed in business type book, so he tried to do both at the same time and this was the result.
Don't get me wrong, it's accurate when it talks about the problems with the companies in question. But as a cohesive text, it's ... muddled. The middle of the book reads more like a series of, "how to succeed in business," advice tidbits, rather than a critique of major companies, and much of the text is peppered with self-help style anecdotes and business success advice.
It's like Galloway couldn't decide whether he wanted to write an academic critique of capitalist structures and business monopolies, or a personal memoir/ how to succeed in business type book, so he tried to do both at the same time and this was the result.
Gives a great understanding of the magnitude of advantages a corporation can get when it has enough cheap capital/ following / vision
Read for MBA program it has been recommended to me from many professors. It wasnt assigned for a class but a good book for bussiness people. Some of his opinion are a little extreme but it is really interesting and puts some big companies in perspective.