SCOTT GALLOWAY
NYU professor, tech industry critic, author of The Four, Prof G podcast host
Scott Galloway is a NYU marketing professor who became the internet's angriest tech critic by telling billion-dollar companies they are full of it — to their faces, on stage, with charts. He founded nine companies (most of them failed), predicted Amazon would buy Whole Foods two weeks before it happened, and somehow turned being loudly wrong about half of everything into a $50 million media empire. The rare person who got richer by having opinions than by being right.
Net Worth
$50 Million
Nationality
American
Time Horizon
Long-Term
Risk Appetite
6 / 10
CAREER & BACKGROUND
Scott Galloway is a serial entrepreneur and NYU Stern School of Business professor who became famous for his brutally honest takes on Big Tech. He founded nine companies over his career, including L2 (a business intelligence firm sold to Gartner in 2017), Red Envelope (an e-commerce company that went public then bankrupt), and Prophet (a brand strategy firm).
His 2017 book The Four, about Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, became a bestseller. His YouTube channel and Prof G podcast reach millions.
He called Amazon buying Whole Foods before it happened. He also co-hosts Pivot with Kara Swisher, one of the most popular tech podcasts in the world.
He teaches brand strategy at NYU and is known for his profanity-laced, data-heavy lectures that go viral every semester.
COMPANIES & ROLES
L2 Inc (founder, sold to Gartner), Red Envelope (founder, IPO then bankruptcy), Prophet (co-founder), Section4 (founder, online education), Prof G Media (founder)
INVESTING STYLE & PHILOSOPHY
Galloway's personal investing style is relatively conservative given how loud he is. He keeps a heavy allocation in index funds and real estate.
He does make concentrated bets on individual stocks when he has conviction — he famously held Amazon for years. He angel invests occasionally but is not prolific.
His real wealth comes from business exits and media income, not portfolio management.
THE PLAYBOOK
Risk Approach
Moderate. Galloway has experienced the full spectrum — he had a company go public and then go bankrupt (Red Envelope), which taught him that financial ruin is always closer than you think.
Post-L2 sale, he became much more conservative. Heavy real estate holdings in New York and Florida.
He preaches diversification publicly and mostly follows his own advice, with occasional concentrated stock positions.
Money Habits
Galloway owns significant real estate in New York and Florida. He talks openly about his wealth and spending — nice apartments, good restaurants, private school for his kids.
He is not frugal and does not pretend to be. But he is very intentional about where money goes.
He has said his biggest financial luxury is "buying back his time" — paying for convenience so he can focus on what matters.
BIGGEST WIN
Selling L2 to Gartner for an estimated $134 million in 2017. He built L2 into the go-to benchmarking firm for digital competence of luxury and consumer brands.
The exit, combined with his media career taking off simultaneously, catapulted him from "NYU professor" to "famous rich guy who yells about tech on the internet."
BIGGEST MISTAKE
Red Envelope. Full stop.
Galloway has been brutally honest about this — he took a gift e-commerce company public, it was valued at hundreds of millions, and then it went bankrupt. He has called it the most painful experience of his career and has said it took years to emotionally recover.
He lost a significant amount of personal wealth in the collapse.
FINANCIAL PHILOSOPHY
Diversify, own assets, and do not confuse being smart with being lucky. Galloway preaches that the most reliable path to wealth is boring — buy index funds, own property in growing cities, and let time do the work.
He is deeply skeptical of anyone who claims they can consistently beat the market.
FAMILY & PERSONAL LIFE
Divorced, then remarried. Has two sons.
Lives in New York City and Florida. Very open about his divorce, co-parenting, and how financial stress during Red Envelope affected his first marriage.
EDUCATION
UCLA (BA), UC Berkeley Haas School of Business (MBA).
BOOKS & RESOURCES
The Algebra of Happiness by Scott Galloway, Prof G Pod (podcast), Pivot with Kara Swisher (podcast), No Mercy / No Malice (his weekly blog)
As an Amazon Associate, Netfigo earns from qualifying purchases. Book links above may be affiliate links.
QUOTES (6)
Failure and resilience are the hallmarks of every great career. I have had nine companies. Most of them failed. The ones that worked made everything worth it.
The most important financial decision you will ever make is who you marry. Seriously. More than any stock pick or career move.
Young people, I am going to let you in on a secret: nobody has any idea what they are doing. The successful ones just do not stop.
Big Tech is the most effective tax avoidance scheme in history, disguised as innovation.
NETFIGO SCORE
Proprietary 5-dimension investor rating
Risk Appetite
Contrarian Index
Track Record
Accessibility
Time Horizon
Related Profiles
Head-to-Head
Compare Scott Galloway vs another investor.