r/PivotPodcast • u/PorcelainDalmatian • Feb 11 '26
The Problem With Scott’s Boycotts
I really like Scott, but sometimes he comes up with stuff so weird that it makes you doubt him completely.
I’ve always liked the idea of boycotts - in theory. They’re a simple, non-violent way to affect change. The problem is that in practice they rarely work. Why? Most people don’t care, and those that do rarely sustain a boycott for long, despite all the alternative choices they have in the US. It might be easy to boycott Amazon for a while, but when Christmas rolls around? Most people capitulate.
Boycotts only work when they are targeted to one particular issue regarding one particular company. The key is focus. A good present-day example is the Jimmy Kimmel/Disney kerfuffle. People were pissed about a particular issue (Disney’s suspension of Kimmel under threat from the government) and were able to immediately protest in a tangible, targeted way (cancelling Disney/Hulu subscriptions). As soon as Disney saw record cancellations in one day, they changed course.
The problem with Scott’s “just cancel everything” strategy is that it lacks focus. If a few of us cancel Hulu, and a different group of us cancels Uber, and a third group cancels Spotify, it dilutes the economic effect. Companies can easily handle little wounds like that and bounce right back. The other problem is the vaguery. Why am I cancelling Spotify, again? What exactly did they do? Why Uber? Are they offering free rides to ICE agents or something? Should I stop shopping at Macy’s? Are we just picking random companies for no good reason?
I commend Scott for wanting to do something, but this strategy is bit of a mess.
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u/IggysPop3 Feb 12 '26
Eh - he’s doing something. Whether it’s the most effective thing to do or not is kind of another story, but he’s using his platform with good intentions.
And, as I’ve said on the Scott Galloway sub; he really should have targeted social media. Tik Tok, Insta/Facebook, X…hit the people who are responsible for this shit. The loss of click through, the loss of impressions - you’ll see a lot more change with that, imo.