Part Two: America Is Facing a Five-Alarm Crisis and It’s Affecting Men, Women, and the Future of Us All. The New Digital Opioid Crisis, AI’s God-Like Tech, & The Dangers of AI Girlfriends | Scott Galloway

Jan 14, 2026

Scott Galloway, NYU Stern professor and bestselling author, discusses the alarming rise of male loneliness and economic insecurity in today's society. He explains how technology, AI companionship, and synthetic relationships are impacting young men's lives negatively. Galloway explores the widening gap between men and women in education and income, emphasizing the dangers of AI relationships. He also shares insights on the necessity of resilience, the effects of overparenting, and challenges facing modern masculinity.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Presence Trumps Perfect Parenting

Presence and consistent 'garbage time' with kids builds trust and opens random moments of connection.
Scott Galloway emphasizes rituals and daily check-ins as key to parental bonding and resilience.

ANECDOTE

Nighttime Rituals Unlock Teen Talk

Scott lies down with his 15-year-old at night and the boy asks questions once calm and sleepy.
That nightly ritual yields about a one-in-three chance of real conversation and connection.

INSIGHT

Money Shapes Childhood Opportunity

Economic resources (and inequality) strongly shape children's outcomes and parental bandwidth.
Schools and household income create large, persistent advantages or disadvantages for kids.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Male Loneliness Is Exploding...Tech, AI, and Society Are Making It Worse

Scott Galloway — NYU Stern Professor of Marketing, serial entrepreneur, bestselling author of Notes on Being a Man, and one of the most influential voices on culture, masculinity, and economics — returns to Mayim Bialik's Breakdown for a brutally honest conversation about what’s happening to young men today… and why it affects all of us.

In this wide-ranging discussion, Galloway breaks down why young men are more lonely, economically insecure, and socially disconnected than any generation before them, and how technology, AI companionship, and synthetic relationships are hijacking young male brains at an unprecedented scale.

We explore the growing maturity gap between men and women, why women are now surpassing men financially and educationally, and why young men are struggling so badly in the modern dating market. Scott also dives into the alarming rise of AI chatbots and synthetic relationships, especially among young people, and the hidden dangers no one is talking about.

Scott also breaks down:

- Why young men today are at a disadvantage compared to prior generations

- How tech, AI, and economic insecurity are fueling male loneliness

- Why women’s success does NOT cause men to fail

- Why young men are falling behind in education, income, and dating

- Shocking prevalence of human–AI relationships and why they’re dangerous

- Why resilience is the most important trait for long-term success

- Why older generations of men have a moral obligation to pay it forward

- How single-parent households affect children, especially boys (The U.S. has the highest rate of single-parent homes in the world!)

- Best ways to truly connect with your kids in a digital world

- Why Scott identifies as a reluctant atheist and how belief, meaning, and purpose fit into modern life

This is a conversation about masculinity, responsibility, technology, parenting, faith, and the future, and why fixing the crisis facing young men is one of the most important challenges of our time.

Scott Galloway’s latest book, Notes on Being a Man: ⁠https://a.co/d/0VNktwg⁠

Follow us on Substack for Exclusive Bonus Content: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bialikbreakdown.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices