The Four by Scott Galloway explores the successes and developments of the "Four Horsemen" of economics: Amazon, Google, Apple and Facebook (page 2). Galloway provides a unique insight into the numbers presented by these companies and also attempts to spell out the factors attributed to each company's success. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The book begins by introducing each of these companies and then examining them in more detail. Amazon, or “the largest store on Earth,” has found its success by appealing to the “hunter-gatherer instinct” of humans, bundling many consumer benefits together (p.33,26). Apple maintains an integrity policy that not even the federal government can break, after refusing to unlock the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone (p.63). They have created a luxury brand that signifies wealth and status, allowing them to capture 80% of the smartphone market's profits while only holding 14% of the market share (p.84,70). Facebook users spend an average of 35 minutes a day on the platform (p.96). Combined with artificial intelligence that can predict the content you're interested in, Facebook is unmatched in providing effective ads, all while being a global social media platform (p.103). Google is a religion, capable of providing answers to anything, as if it were a God who can answer every prayer (p.128). The next part of the book discusses the common methods used by the Four, along with the implications that these companies pose on the future. The central idea of this book is that there are traits common to market dominators, and these could perhaps predict future industry leaders (p.183). Galloway calls this set of characteristics “algorithm T” and the factors are “product differentiation, visionary capital, global reach, friendliness, vertical integration, artificial intelligence, accelerator, and geography” (p.183). Galloway goes on to discuss possible candidates for a “Fifth Horseman,” which include Alibaba, Tesla, and Microsoft (p.204). This book concludes by mentioning ways everyone can learn from the greats. Galloway gives advice to readers, suggesting steps such as going to college, getting certified, and moving to a city (p.239,240). Galloway seems to apply several success principles to his book. His entire book was ambitiously visionary: it attempted to analyze the four most influential businesses of the time. It also does well to incorporate the global reach factor. This book is definitely written for the general public and Galloway throws any sense of formality out the window. It does not use difficult vocabulary and makes many social and cultural references that will help people understand and relate to the content. He also incorporates humor, as when he mocks Apple, saying that they could "hack the universe" with their capital, but instead they will probably just "make a better screen for their next phone" (p.95). Despite this, Galloway still provides numbers and data to support his claims, many of which are represented with visually appealing graphics. One flaw is that the advice he gives to people in the last chapter is very general. It's almost common knowledge that college and social connections are critical to success; this doesn't add much to the book. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The “Four Horsemen” all have a story to tell, and Scott Galloway presents the interesting parts. The story of.
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