The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google

The author, Scott Galloway, is both an entrepreneur and marketing instructor at NYU Stern. His observations are consistently counterintuitive in the best possible way. He is angry that Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook are unnaturally praised for predatory actions, yet he is still able to explain clearly why they have achieved their unmatchable success with lessons that are replicable. It’s interesting to read this 5 years after it’s 2017 publication. Much of it is still spot on, but it’s starting to become apparent that The Four are likely to become The Three with Facebook wandering aimlessly in the metaverse. It all reminds you how unlikely any company will matter 50 years after its emergence, mostly because the anticompetitive forces that create distance between competitors also alienate customers and ultimately undermine trust.