The Exchanges

Q his audience. Um, how did you make the decision to build Goop, to build a business with your audience instead of, ah, endorse other businesses and get paid to put your stamp on other products that were already in market? And help us think about, you know, the, the intention of being an entrepreneur and an owner instead of being, you know, an endorser and a, and a service provider.

A I mean, I, I, I think that in my position, you know, we're expected to kind of be an endorser and put our name on something more white label. In my case, maybe it was naivete. Like, I just really wanted to try to build something brick by brick and have that incredible hockey stick and education. And, um, and the business happened very iteratively. It really just started with me kind of writing content in my kitchen in London almost 15 years ago, which is kind of hard to believe. And the business models, there have been a few of them. They've slowly evolved over time. You know, we, we started monetizing content and then moved into product and then making our own product. Um, and I think it's sort of what I didn't like so much about acting was the part where you're kind of waiting around, waiting for permission to engage, to create something, to put something out in the world. This is far more immediate, and I love my acting career, but I find this, like, incredibly fulfilling in a much different way.

AI assessment note: “In my case, maybe it was naivete. Like, I just really wanted to try to build”

Q is we're a team. We're not a family. Keep your views to yourself, essentially, and, you know, we're coming here to work, but there's a spectrum of different ways. Can you just describe where you are on that spectrum and some challenges or things that have, you know, you've had to go through in building this business relative to what, how those guys would have run, you know, their companies?

A Yeah, I mean, I think that's been kind of the, the most unexpected challenge is, is the people piece, the team building piece, knowing how once you're at a certain scale, you know, and you're not a CEO interacting with every single member of the team every day, how difficult it is to define a culture, um, be agile about the changes in the culture, um, And I think, you know, for us, I think it's hard, right? Like, I'm, I'm a woman founder. Our team is probably 70% women. Women, you know, archetypally are, we're collaborative. We are creative. Um, and I, I think that it's very hard to, you know, for us anyway at group to It would be impossible for there to be this kind of strict team, uh, mentality only. I think we, we do bring our hearts to what we do. We, there's, there's meaning at what we're trying to create. And, um, but, but, but then again, you know, there are boundaries that need to be created. And honestly, I think when I look back at all the mistakes that I've made and growing this company, All of them stem from, you know, my wanting to be a family is set a different way. My inability to sometimes say what needed to be said in order to spare somebody's feelings and so that that there's a lot of personal work for me in that in that spectrum. Um, and I think that I'm sort of starting to really get the hang of how to do that and do it in my own way, but I kind of had to gi…

AI assessment note: “All of them stem from, you know, my wanting to be a family”

Q I mean, it, it just must be hard at first, no?

A I think it is hard, you know, I think, um, I think people come in and, you know, I've been in the culture for better or worse for a really long time now, so I think everybody kind of has something they're coming in with, um, a prejudice or a projection, um, and, and I also just am, you know, famous, so sometimes that's kind of, it feels like a filter that lives between me and, and other people. I think the best people at Goop, you can feel like they drop that really quickly, um, And, and we, we work best, and make the best stuff, and, and grow in the best way when people say no, and people challenge me.

AI assessment note: “I think it is hard, you know”

Q Is Hollywood challenged in being able to speak its mind? Hollywood from the outside seems to have a very kind of monocultural point of view, and you're very quickly canceled if you say the wrong thing, or you say something that's on your mind that doesn't fit with the standard. And is that something that you view to be kind of an inherent challenge in Hollywood today?

A You know, I, it's interesting, like, I think that the, I think cancel culture is really toxic and really stems from, you know, I mean, I have a whole long theory about this, but I, I do feel like, um, I do feel like in our culture, there's a very binary way we look at good and bad, and I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves, and We are not good at understanding that we are human. We are all light and dark, and at various times we have great qualities. We have qualities we're working on. Um, and I think what happens is because we don't live in a culture where we're allowed to sort of show our shadow sides. Um, when somebody else does something that, you know, we can quickly have Sean right over, we sort of jump on it. Because it feels like a release, you know, it feels like a relief, like, oh, well, at least I didn't, you know, do X like this guy. Um, and I don't think it gets us very far as a culture. I think it's actually really reductive, and, um, and I'm hoping that we're gonna kind of mature out of this binary cancel culture way of, of looking at things. You know, I personally don't Think about it, because I would never open my mouth. Like, I, I have to be myself, and, and of course you want to be measured, and, you know, you don't want to unnecessarily, you know, get yourself in trouble or say something stupid, but at the same time, I think it's important to be true…

AI assessment note: “I think cancel culture is really toxic and really stems from”

Q a sense. You're running a tech company. You know, you're probably figuring out how to use AI and all of these disruptive tools. Your old compatriots must need a lot of help and guidance to not fight for the wrong things. So, yeah, how do you think about the future of Hollywood? Like, how would you direct them, like, hey guys, this matters, and this other stuff just doesn't matter?

A Yeah, I mean, it's, I think we're at an incredible inflection point, and You know, to, to start with. Your question, like, the inherent models of the business have changed so much, as we know, with streaming. Um, I, I do think that it brings up really interesting questions around, like, what does this mean for artists going forward? Um, the business isn't monetized the way that it used to be. Residuals used to be a huge part of how artists made their living. And I do think that this is an area where the studios kind of need to need to readdress. How they have been paying in the back end, um, especially on TV, but we are living in a time where there are these emerging technologies that just are going to change the way that things are made. And so I think, you know, look, I, as you said, I'm kind of out of it. I, I, I don't, um, act very much anymore. I am married to a television writer, um, who knows far more about the ins and outs of this. Um, but I, I do think, you know, there are, I think artists do need to understand that, you know, it's like with anything when, when an industry, um, Led by, you know, first these, these technology, right? Streaming and now AI and these things are coming around the corner. I think we all need to be, we all need to be open minded, um, and understand that, like, The, the train has left the station. These technologies exist, so we're gonna have …

AI assessment note: “be open minded, and understand that, like, The, the train has left the station.”

Q just massive cost inflation that exists that probably shouldn't exist. Nine people doing a job, the one person, et cetera. Um, just talk to us about, like, what is the future of that kind of stuff? Like, how do you provide opportunity? How do you protect folks? But then how do you make sure that the costs don't become so exorbitant that it just kills the industry without you noticing?

A I think it's a really good question. I mean, you know, I think you have to look at who, who profits from all of the inefficiencies and, um, you know, it's one of the reasons that I feel so frustrated when I'm on set is because it's, it is inefficient and it does feel like there's a lot of padding. Um, but again, you know, this is the, the systems that exist, um, have been in place for a really long time. I, I don't really want to opine on, um, you know, the state of Unions, per se. I think, you know, I, I would focus more on, like, if I was running a store room efficiencies, and, um, and I, I would rather, I would rather create profit for shareholders from creating efficiencies and, like, dealing with all of the, essentially, op-acts that it takes to make something like that, and, and, and less about, you know, not wanting to share profits with the artists.

AI assessment note: “I don't really want to opine on, um, you know, the state of Unions”