The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google
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- Create Date：2021-03-31 13:16:19
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Scott Galloway
- ISBN：0552173436
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Summary
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
For all that’s been written about the Four over the last two decades， no one has captured their power and staggering success as insightfully as Scott Galloway。
Instead of buying the myths these companies broadcast， Galloway asks fundamental questions。 How did the Four infiltrate our lives so completely that they’re almost impossible to avoid （or boycott）？ Why does the stock market forgive them for sins that would destroy other firms？ And as they race to become the world’s first trillion-dollar company， can anyone challenge them？
In the same irreverent style that has made him one of the world’s most celebrated business professors， Galloway deconstructs the strategies of the Four that lurk beneath their shiny veneers。 He shows how they manipulate the fundamental emotional needs that have driven us since our ancestors lived in caves， at a speed and scope others can’t match。 And he reveals how you can apply the lessons of their ascent to your own business or career。
Whether you want to compete with them， do business with them， or simply live in the world they dominate， you need to understand the Four。
For all that’s been written about the Four over the last two decades， no one has captured their power and staggering success as insightfully as Scott Galloway。
Instead of buying the myths these companies broadcast， Galloway asks fundamental questions。 How did the Four infiltrate our lives so completely that they’re almost impossible to avoid （or boycott）？ Why does the stock market forgive them for sins that would destroy other firms？ And as they race to become the world’s first trillion-dollar company， can anyone challenge them？
In the same irreverent style that has made him one of the world’s most celebrated business professors， Galloway deconstructs the strategies of the Four that lurk beneath their shiny veneers。 He shows how they manipulate the fundamental emotional needs that have driven us since our ancestors lived in caves， at a speed and scope others can’t match。 And he reveals how you can apply the lessons of their ascent to your own business or career。
Whether you want to compete with them， do business with them， or simply live in the world they dominate， you need to understand the Four。
Reviews
Yat Sing Ip
，
Nothing much stands out for me in this book。 Basically it was a statement of a lot of facts which are public information about how the 4 companies function。I’m reading this book in 2021 and of course by now we know the 5th horseman has appeared and it’s Netflix。Interesting that the author veered off to giving tips on career choices midway through the book。 Perhaps this might have been written with his students in mind。Don’t spend too much time reading it， skim through whichever parts that doesn’ Nothing much stands out for me in this book。 Basically it was a statement of a lot of facts which are public information about how the 4 companies function。I’m reading this book in 2021 and of course by now we know the 5th horseman has appeared and it’s Netflix。Interesting that the author veered off to giving tips on career choices midway through the book。 Perhaps this might have been written with his students in mind。Don’t spend too much time reading it， skim through whichever parts that doesn’t interest you， you won’t miss anything。 。。。more
Gabriel Sloane
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What's with the one star？ What's with the one star？ 。。。more
Igor Pejic
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All you need to know about GAFA in an easy to read bestseller。 This book will change your perspective on big tech forever。 Pity that infrastructure giants such as IBM are left out。
Michelle Peterson
，
Meh。 Author was weird and oddly egotistical。 Learned a thing or two but I think this is one to skip if you ever， like me， get on a weird tech business biography kick。 He REALLY doesn’t like Apple。 Sounds jealous to me 。
Danny
，
"It's never easier to be a billionaire， but it's never harder to be a millionaire。"Fresh perspective on the four companies with a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek attitude and cynical sense to keep it from being too serious and boring。 The author can't help himself from self-aggrandizement sometimes， but you already knew that if you listen to his podcast and it's what makes him interesting。 This is a fun read。 "It's never easier to be a billionaire， but it's never harder to be a millionaire。"Fresh perspective on the four companies with a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek attitude and cynical sense to keep it from being too serious and boring。 The author can't help himself from self-aggrandizement sometimes， but you already knew that if you listen to his podcast and it's what makes him interesting。 This is a fun read。 。。。more
Tam Nguyen
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Cuốn sách phân tích sâu sắc và đưa ra những sự thật và các mặt của 4 công ty quyền lực nhất đang chiếm phần lớn thị trường （Amazon， Apple， Google， Facebook）。 Tác giả có sự phân tích và đánh giá sâu sắc những khía cạnh liên quan đến bộ tứ này。
Karim
，
Didn’t think this would turn into a horror book but it is。 Scary to think how these four companies are so intertwined into life and getting better at knowing what you think and want each and every day。 Also frightening how government turns a blind eye to their shady business practices。 Main takeaway is how the guys heading these companies have made fortunes but employ a ton of low-income earners （Uber， Tesla， Amazon） These companies have killed the middle class。 Probably much more valuable insig Didn’t think this would turn into a horror book but it is。 Scary to think how these four companies are so intertwined into life and getting better at knowing what you think and want each and every day。 Also frightening how government turns a blind eye to their shady business practices。 Main takeaway is how the guys heading these companies have made fortunes but employ a ton of low-income earners （Uber， Tesla， Amazon） These companies have killed the middle class。 Probably much more valuable insight from this book if you’re a tech or business major， less so for someone like me。 。。。more
Chetan Hemaraju
，
The Four Horsemen – Amazon， Apple， Facebook and Google – dominate not only our online experience but the whole corporate world。 The Four have become the world’s most valuable companies。 They’ve reached their success by appealing to our deep human desires while also engaging in some questionable practices。 And while there’s no doubt they’ll be around for a while， at some point， one of Four might disappear， or a fifth horseman might arise。 In the meantime， it’s best to learn how to thrive in the w The Four Horsemen – Amazon， Apple， Facebook and Google – dominate not only our online experience but the whole corporate world。 The Four have become the world’s most valuable companies。 They’ve reached their success by appealing to our deep human desires while also engaging in some questionable practices。 And while there’s no doubt they’ll be around for a while， at some point， one of Four might disappear， or a fifth horseman might arise。 In the meantime， it’s best to learn how to thrive in the world they’ve created。 。。。more
Matthew Oxman
，
Galloway is an entertaining writer/thinker， and also has a good sense of humor。 I found myself laughing out loud at a few moments during this audiobook。 In general， I found myself agreeing with about 70% of what he says about these companies and his predictions about what the future holds。 Reading it 4 years after it was written， it seems to have aged well。 A few downsides to this book， however。 For example， why does he spend the last quarter of the book dispensing career advice？ Also， why shoul Galloway is an entertaining writer/thinker， and also has a good sense of humor。 I found myself laughing out loud at a few moments during this audiobook。 In general， I found myself agreeing with about 70% of what he says about these companies and his predictions about what the future holds。 Reading it 4 years after it was written， it seems to have aged well。 A few downsides to this book， however。 For example， why does he spend the last quarter of the book dispensing career advice？ Also， why should we listen to him？ He admittedly has been close to broke several times， including in the recent past。 I'm not sure this is the best forum nor messenger for a self-help tome。 I'd give this book a 7。3 out of 10。 。。。more
J。 Justin
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Really enjoyed it。 Snarky at times but packed with data and insight， the four was a quick and fun read about business and big tech。
Maxi Wangchuk
，
The author talks about the big four Companies of the world i。e。 FB， Google， Amazon and Apple。 Each one has it's own competitive advantage over one another like the Google knows our intention and most probably could predict our next move。 Like Apple positioned themselves as a premium brand in the world earning more than 3x profit margin than it's competitors。 Amazon has all the products the world wants and FB has all the data and behavioural records of 2 billion plus people of the world。 It's a m The author talks about the big four Companies of the world i。e。 FB， Google， Amazon and Apple。 Each one has it's own competitive advantage over one another like the Google knows our intention and most probably could predict our next move。 Like Apple positioned themselves as a premium brand in the world earning more than 3x profit margin than it's competitors。 Amazon has all the products the world wants and FB has all the data and behavioural records of 2 billion plus people of the world。 It's a massive amount of data FB has built and still continues to store， add and learn more about it's users and data。 The interesting thing about FB is the 2 billion plus users of FB creating free data everyday。 The market value of these four Companies is equivalent to the GDP of France and represents a massive amount of wealth in few individuals and founders。The author gives a global perspective of how big these four companies are and how they are going to change our daily lives。 They enjoy monopoly and have enough cash in the company to acquire potential competitors like FB acquiring Instagram and Whatapp at massive valuations。 These acquisitions are not ethical， correct and good for the world's community as viewed by the author。 These Four Companies are going to be there in our lives until and unless new startups or existing companies like Tesla， Alibaba， Microsoft and Uber etc could takeover their positions。 The author also talks about Innovations disrupting jobs and affecting those lives and families dependant on job opportunities。 Tech companies have replaced many jobs and automated almost everything possible that resulted in less requirement of human beings。 The future is all about automation and one must acquire skills that aligns to the future。 The author also mentions about the strategies these big four companies have adopted and differentiated themselves from the rest of the companies。 The author also talks about life and tips to career enhancement like focusing on skills rather than passion。 Which i totally disagree。 I feel passion is the key driver to learning anything in life。 For me passion comes first and then skills can be acquired。 Interesting perspectives。 。。。more
Andreas Emmanuel
，
Sadly I must agree with a lot of the other reviewers on this one。 Anyone who has even a passing familiarity with the tech industry and the companies covered by Galloway won't uncover any new information with this read。 This book had some big ideas and tried to cover a lot of ground， but the author's lack of focus really hurt the end product。 Sadly I must agree with a lot of the other reviewers on this one。 Anyone who has even a passing familiarity with the tech industry and the companies covered by Galloway won't uncover any new information with this read。 This book had some big ideas and tried to cover a lot of ground， but the author's lack of focus really hurt the end product。 。。。more
Celia Álvaro Juanes
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ya era hora de leer algo un poquito más formativo y la verdad es que resulta bastante ameno para estar hablando todo el rato de las entrañas del capitalismo🤐
Dominika
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What a full of himself asshole。 If you want to read him praise himself， say fuck a lot and compare everything to sex - go for it。
Pam Fleischer
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I especially liked pages 220-245。 Due to rapidly changing technology， this book was slightly out of date by the time I finished it。 I found the author came at the topic with sarcasm that was at times negative and dark， even though questioning very real concerns about the size and power vested in just four companies。
Tarek Aloui
，
I find this book to be as much of an analysis of the biggest tech companies as a self-help book。 It derives meaningful， practical tips from the stories of how big companies came to be and thrived。 This is a must-read book for the entrepreneurially-minded or simply those interested in understanding how the four succeeded when others did not。
Doug
，
It starts out "okay"， but simply as company histories with a few interesting factoids。 I disagree with some of Galloway's socioeconomic beliefs and most of what he says isn't new or insightful。 Certainly nothing is "hidden" as the title suggests。 But the book is 4 years old。。。 which is like 20 years in the 21st century。 3/4 of the way the book devolves into some kind of jobhunting guide written for high-schoolers and just becomes。。。 bad。Meh。 It starts out "okay"， but simply as company histories with a few interesting factoids。 I disagree with some of Galloway's socioeconomic beliefs and most of what he says isn't new or insightful。 Certainly nothing is "hidden" as the title suggests。 But the book is 4 years old。。。 which is like 20 years in the 21st century。 3/4 of the way the book devolves into some kind of jobhunting guide written for high-schoolers and just becomes。。。 bad。Meh。 。。。more
Jo Engreitz
，
This was a weird hodge Podge of a book。 I didn’t not enjoy it， but was also put off by Galloway’s language （he likens partnerships with big tech to abusive relationships， calls Siri a bitch， and uses at least 7 “hot girl” metaphors） and ultimately didn’t feel I exited the book any the wiser。 The majority was a digestible， entertaining and somewhat provocative account of “The Four” tech giants， what makes them tick （leveraging IP， monetizing free data or content， appealing to human logic， lust or This was a weird hodge Podge of a book。 I didn’t not enjoy it， but was also put off by Galloway’s language （he likens partnerships with big tech to abusive relationships， calls Siri a bitch， and uses at least 7 “hot girl” metaphors） and ultimately didn’t feel I exited the book any the wiser。 The majority was a digestible， entertaining and somewhat provocative account of “The Four” tech giants， what makes them tick （leveraging IP， monetizing free data or content， appealing to human logic， lust or love， differentiating product and UX often by simplifying， attracting cheap capital by telling effective “visionary” stories， expanding globally， building likable brands， vertically integrating， building AI moats， attracting top talent by positioning themselves as career accelerants， and setting up house in attractive geographies）， and who might follow in their footsteps （Airbnb？ Uber？ Tesla？ Microsoft？ IBM？ One of the cable/telecommunication companies？ Walmart？ Alibaba？）。But then some surprise sections at the end:An annotated list of personal success factors for the ambitious worker in times of rapid technological change and upheaval: the basics like smarts， working hard， and treating people well。 Some less touted but legitimate ones: emotional maturity including stress resilience and adapting， curiosity， and “pimping your career” i。e。 building your personal brand and SEO。 A few dubious tips: top college education （as unfair as it might be）， certifications （really？）。 A really wonderful， humble section about learning and leveraging the four if you’re a boomer， and the importance of spending below your means （the true path to wealth）。 And a few tidbits for how to manage the slights， injustices and stressors of tech employment - staying loyal to people and managers who fight for you rather than staying loyal to the company， always leaving on good terms no matter what， seeking justice by winning the long game， pursuing your talents over your passions and aligning those talents with what your employer is known for， and demonstrating strength （mental， emotional and physical）。A fun quiz to see if you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur: 1） are you comfortable with public failure？; 2） do you like to sell？; 3） do you lack the skills to work at a big firm？And a summary of the criticism: “we have a perception of these large companies that they must be creating lots of jobs， but in fact they have a small number of high paying jobs， and everybody else is fighting over the scraps。 America is on pace to be home to 3 million lords and 350 million serfs。 It’s never been easier to be a billionaire but never been harder to be a millionaire。” 。。。more
Shantanu Kishwar
，
It’s a decent enough book， though already somewhat dated in a few years given the massive developments over issues of big-tech。Though it gives an insight into how these companies work， how they came up， and how they achieved dominance in their respective fields， it meanders a lot and gets a little repetitive。 There are also parts that feel unnecessary， like the author going a little too in-depth about his time at NYT and the conflicts that went on with their business model。 Though the insights f It’s a decent enough book， though already somewhat dated in a few years given the massive developments over issues of big-tech。Though it gives an insight into how these companies work， how they came up， and how they achieved dominance in their respective fields， it meanders a lot and gets a little repetitive。 There are also parts that feel unnecessary， like the author going a little too in-depth about his time at NYT and the conflicts that went on with their business model。 Though the insights from that were useful， readers really didn’t need a blow-by-blow account of things。Also， didn’t work very well to go through this as an audiobook， too many details， hard to keep track， bookmark， etc。 If you do want to go through it， I’d advise doing so through a text-format。 （Kindle or hard-copy）。 。。。more
Cayde Jeter
，
I was going to rate this book higher， but the transphobic comment about Caitlyn Jenner turned me off to the author。 "Sorry， Caitlyn， you'll always be Bruce to me" just did not sit right。 Also， seemed like a doomsday book about the big four rather than super helpful for future entrepreneurs。 Like I said， decent read but a few things just didn't sit right with me。 I was going to rate this book higher， but the transphobic comment about Caitlyn Jenner turned me off to the author。 "Sorry， Caitlyn， you'll always be Bruce to me" just did not sit right。 Also， seemed like a doomsday book about the big four rather than super helpful for future entrepreneurs。 Like I said， decent read but a few things just didn't sit right with me。 。。。more
Alex Hsia
，
Great book that discusses the rise of four of the largest tech companies in the world and how they've impacted our everyday lives。 A must-read for anyone remotely interested in technology/computers/social media。 Great book that discusses the rise of four of the largest tech companies in the world and how they've impacted our everyday lives。 A must-read for anyone remotely interested in technology/computers/social media。 。。。more
Shaleani
，
This by far is one book that has validated my believes about these companies。 Having worked in a data centric field and knowing the privacy and data infringements that they have is worrying。 Scott Galloway explains very eloquently how these companies have evaded taxes and laws just by being good at story telling。 They tell you all the nice things first and then give you the bad news。 In psychology this is called priming emotion protection。 They ease in the bad news so you don’t realise it。 The f This by far is one book that has validated my believes about these companies。 Having worked in a data centric field and knowing the privacy and data infringements that they have is worrying。 Scott Galloway explains very eloquently how these companies have evaded taxes and laws just by being good at story telling。 They tell you all the nice things first and then give you the bad news。 In psychology this is called priming emotion protection。 They ease in the bad news so you don’t realise it。 The four is successful at this and you can see it as they are in our daily lives now。 We as the customers need to stop giving the four it’s power and push for better protection by having them regulated。 We need more digital laws。 I truly agree with Scott in his perspective。 Overall， this was definitely a good read and eye opener。 。。。more
Usif
，
A bit boring at the start but after chapter 6 ， it becomes really interesting discussing who is next and how u can adapt yourself to not be crushed by gaints
Damian
，
Has this book stayed on topic， I would have given it at least 4 stars。 The first half， true to the title， is about "the four" and the problems they are wreaking upon society。 Fascinating stuff people living in said society should know！ That's why I bought the book。 But then the second half is essentially a self-help book on how to succeed or "be relevant" in today's workforce。 Maybe it would have sold as a separate book on its own merits （surely there are enough unsuccessful， irrelevant and self Has this book stayed on topic， I would have given it at least 4 stars。 The first half， true to the title， is about "the four" and the problems they are wreaking upon society。 Fascinating stuff people living in said society should know！ That's why I bought the book。 But then the second half is essentially a self-help book on how to succeed or "be relevant" in today's workforce。 Maybe it would have sold as a separate book on its own merits （surely there are enough unsuccessful， irrelevant and self-absorbed people out there who would be interested？）， but I don't give a flying f about this， and felt like I got swindled into reading it by a dubious title。 I guess the editor is at least partly to blame as well。 Worth buying for either half if that's what you're looking for， but don't bother with the other half if it's not。 。。。more
Syeda Noshin
，
It was so long ago now I read this so I don't recall the book but I remember slodging through it， probably not the fault of the book perhaps just my taste as I don't have a huge interest in cooperation It was so long ago now I read this so I don't recall the book but I remember slodging through it， probably not the fault of the book perhaps just my taste as I don't have a huge interest in cooperation 。。。more
Jules
，
I found the initial chapters that were dedicated to each of The Four interesting。 I found it hard to focus on the subsequent chapters where I found the writing a little too unfocused。 I’m generally a big fan of Galloway’s and really enjoy listening to him on podcasts。 I’m therefore a little disappointed that this book fell a little flat for me。
Ayush Saran
，
As someone with a deep vested interest in technology and a splash of business， this was the perfect book for me to pick up recently。 "The Four" focuses on the workings， policies and principles of Facebook， Google， Amazon and Apple and how these 4 companies have penetrated almost every household to the point where they now exercise influence to a degree that very few have actually understood。 With emphasis on Amazon conquering the retail industry， Apple establishing itself as a luxury brand enjoy As someone with a deep vested interest in technology and a splash of business， this was the perfect book for me to pick up recently。 "The Four" focuses on the workings， policies and principles of Facebook， Google， Amazon and Apple and how these 4 companies have penetrated almost every household to the point where they now exercise influence to a degree that very few have actually understood。 With emphasis on Amazon conquering the retail industry， Apple establishing itself as a luxury brand enjoying profits surpassing the revenues of many billion dollar conglomerates， Facebook connecting everyone together and Google taking over the market for Search， this book is extremely informative and engaging at the same time。 It has some really good insights into the modern day influence these companies hold over the average person， connected online。 Moreover， the book has a hint of amazing humor which makes the reading experience all the more fun。 With relatable content catering to every age segment， the main idea of the book is very brilliantly propagated by means of personalized stories， writing imagery and descriptive statistics。 The statistics presented in the book are very unique in the sense that it really gets you thinking about it。 He presents a transparent front enlightening the positives and negatives of the companies and their management。The second half of the book also presents the authors personal opinion about the Four， and how they've come to influence his personal life as well。 A man with substantial experience in his industry， he hasn't shied away from providing the occasional advise to his readers。 Furthermore， the book presents multiple detailed case studies about not just the Four companies， but many more， who in his opinion have the potential to enter the race to a trillion dollar valuation， some of them being Uber， AirBnB， At&T， Verizon， Alibaba， Tesla etc。 All in all， it's a great read with many deep and thoughtful insights that really put certain modern situations and dilemmas into perspective。 。。。more
Andrés Bonilla
，
Facebook: Network with a loooot of people。 Help us avoid our lonelinessGoogle: Great browser， makes life easy and can solve our queries in less than a secondAmazon: Wonderful retail system。 Invests lots of money to improve a little bit， anyone else can afford that。Apple: Sells luxury items， it is not focused on technoly as it seems。You are welcome， with that summary you can totally avoid touching this book :）
Joseph Bae
，
An extremely insightful read me at for the common man on explaining the current tech giants （at the time， written in 2017） their path to world domination， and their plans to continue world domination and how to survive。 Written in a sincere and realistic expectations， the general advice is basically “plan out your future WELL” or you’re basically going to be struggling for a long time
Jing Shiau
，