Scott Galloway, the marketing professor and co-host of the "Pivot" podcast, has a blunt take on the podcast industry — and on his co-host Kara Swisher's massive success.
According to a report from Fortune, Galloway compared the podcast business to the NBA. His point: just like professional basketball, podcasting has a very small group of people earning huge amounts of money, while most others make very little.
What Scott Galloway Said About Podcasting and Kara Swisher
Galloway's comment — "Podcasts are the NBA" — was made in the context of discussing Kara Swisher's extraordinary rise. Swisher, who co-hosts "Pivot" with Galloway, has become one of the most visible figures in media today.
She is currently filling in for Joy Behar on ABC's "The View." She is also appearing alongside Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada 2," starring in a CNN documentary, preparing a national tour, and producing four podcasts most weeks. That level of visibility, Galloway suggests, is rare — and so is the money that comes with it.
How Kara Swisher Built Her Media Empire
Swisher's ubiquity is not accidental. According to Fortune, her success is built on more than three decades of covering the technology industry with a professed indifference to power. That reputation vaulted her into a rare echelon of journalism celebrity.
She used that reputation to persuade rivals Steve Jobs and Bill Gates to appear onstage together. She made Mark Zuckerberg so uncomfortable under questioning that he broke out into a sweat. And she interviewed Elon Musk. These moments built her credibility and her audience.
The Reality of the Podcast Industry
Galloway's NBA comparison highlights a hard truth about the podcast industry. While a handful of top creators — like Swisher, Joe Rogan, and a few others — earn millions, the vast majority of podcasters struggle to make any money at all.
In our view, Galloway's comment is an honest assessment of an industry that often gets romanticized. Podcasting is often sold as a democratic medium where anyone can find an audience. But the economics tell a different story. The top 1% of podcasts capture the vast majority of listeners and advertising revenue. For everyone else, it is a hobby, not a career.
Our Take: The Winner-Take-All Economy of Podcasting
Galloway's comparison to the NBA is fitting. In professional sports, a tiny fraction of athletes make life-changing money while the rest earn modest salaries or nothing. The same is true in podcasting. Kara Swisher is the LeBron James of the industry — a rare talent who has turned her skills into a multi-platform empire.
But for every Swisher, there are thousands of podcasters who will never see a significant paycheck. That does not mean podcasting is broken. It means it is a competitive industry where success requires a combination of talent, timing, and relentless work. Swisher's career shows what is possible — but Galloway's comment reminds us that it is not the norm.
Readers should take this as a reality check. If you are starting a podcast, do it because you love the craft, not because you expect to get rich. The NBA comparison is a warning as much as it is a compliment.
