The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

No Mercy / No Malice: The Algebra of Resistance

February 21, 2026

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  • The "Resist and Unsubscribe" campaign, aimed at countering Trump's influence by targeting big tech companies enabling ICE, has generated 1.2 million unique visits in 21 days without paid media, demonstrating the significant economic firepower of owned media channels. 
  • Influential voices on their own platforms (like Substack and personal podcasts) are proving more effective at driving traffic and action for the campaign than appearances on traditional broadcast media, although traditional outlets like NPR still provide a significant initial boost. 
  • Sustained economic pressure, exemplified by historical boycotts like the Montgomery Bus Boycott, is critical for success, as even small misses in subscriber growth for major tech companies can result in billions of dollars in market value loss. 

Segments

Sponsor Messages and Introduction
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode opens with advertisements for Darktrace cybersecurity, MIDI Health for menopausal symptoms, and Indeed job postings.
  • Summary: Support for this episode of The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway is provided by Darktrace, which offers AI cybersecurity solutions. MIDI Health specializes in treating hormonal symptoms related to menopause for women over 40. Indeed is promoted as a tool for employers to quickly find qualified candidates using sponsored jobs.
Resist and Unsubscribe Initial Metrics
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(00:02:06)
  • Key Takeaway: The Resist and Unsubscribe website achieved 1.2 million unique visits in 21 days organically, equating to an estimated $4.5 million to $8 million in necessary paid advertising.
  • Summary: Scott Galloway introduces the core topic: analyzing the media effectiveness of the ‘Resist and Unsubscribe’ campaign. The campaign aims to counter Trump’s influence by targeting companies enabling ICE through economic strikes. The initial organic traffic success highlights the value of owned media channels built over time.
Media Effectiveness Analysis
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(00:06:22)
  • Key Takeaway: NPR drove more unique visitors (over 28,000) to the campaign site than many other traditional media appearances, demonstrating public media’s strong referral power.
  • Summary: Initial engagement saw strong subscriber growth on the No Mercy, No Malice list and high response on Instagram. However, appearances on major networks like CNN provided a halo effect but less direct action than NPR. A single NPR story generated traffic leading to an estimated 1,400 unsubscribes.
Celebrity and Podcast Influence
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(00:08:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Celebrity endorsements, such as Chelsea Handler’s post, and influential voices on their own platforms (like Tim Miller on Substack) generate higher direct traffic than traditional media interviews.
  • Summary: Chelsea Handler’s video about unsubscribing garnered over 128,000 likes and inspired 6,000 site visits, translating to significant estimated lost revenue for targeted companies. Tim Miller’s influence via his own platform drove nearly as many users as the main profgalloway.com site.
Pivot Audience Demographics
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(00:10:14)
  • Key Takeaway: The Pivot podcast audience, particularly among adults aged 25-54, surpasses Fox News, CNN, or CNBC in size, and its listeners possess a much higher median income.
  • Summary: Data from Pivot shows its core demographic audience is larger than several major cable news networks. While Fox and CNN have larger overall audiences, Pivot’s audience skews toward higher median incomes. Canceling a $240 annual ChatGPT subscription translates to a $10,000 market cap reduction for OpenAI based on current valuations.
Target Companies and Economic Impact
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(00:11:28)
  • Key Takeaway: The campaign targets both major tech platforms and companies enabling ICE, aiming for maximum disruption via subscriber slowdowns, which sting the market significantly.
  • Summary: The primary targets include Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Netflix, Paramount, and Uber, alongside enablers like AT&T, Comcast, and Dell. Minor misses in subscriber growth, like T-Mobile’s recent report, caused immediate $12 billion market value drops, illustrating the sensitivity of tech stocks.
Historical Context and Call to Action
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(00:12:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Effective economic strikes require sustained, coordinated effort, as demonstrated by the 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott, rather than single actions.
  • Summary: The campaign seeks to inspire a resistance roadmap, emphasizing that consumers have a weapon in their capacity to make a difference. The effort has already cost big tech an estimated quarter billion in market value. Americans must decide if they are equal to the challenge of defending democracy through sustained economic pressure.