scott galloway launches 'Resist and Unsubscribe': what the boycott asks and which companies are targeted
Overview
Scott Galloway, a marketing professor and media commentator, launched a campaign called Resist and Unsubscribe that urges consumers to cancel subscriptions and otherwise reduce engagement with major technology firms and service providers. The initiative, described on ResistandUnsubscribe. com, frames a coordinated, month-long economic strike as a way to pressure companies with perceived influence over national policy and to signal broader opposition to recent federal immigration enforcement actions.
Goals and rationale
Galloway and the campaign organizers argue that markets—and specifically subscriber growth and revenue—are the most direct lever to influence corporate behavior and, by extension, political calculations. The campaign casts the economy as a primary constraint on presidential and corporate decisions, and proposes that a drop in subscription metrics would prompt boards and executives to reconsider policies they view as enabling or accommodating contentious federal actions.
Who is on the lists
The Resist and Unsubscribe website presents two lists. One names ten "subscription-driven consumer tech companies" identified as having outsized influence over the economy and the president. That list includes Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Paramount+, Meta, Uber, Netflix, OpenAI and X (formerly Twitter). A separate list identifies consumer-facing companies the organizers call "active enablers of ICE, " naming AT& T, Comcast, Charter Communications (including Spectrum), Dell, FedEx, Lowe's, The Home Depot, Marriott and UPS.
Recommended actions for participants
The campaign outlines practical steps for people who wish to join. Suggested actions include unsubscribing from brands on social media, deleting apps, avoiding interaction with targeted companies' advertisements, and canceling paid subscriptions. Galloway also encouraged social media activity to amplify the effort: posting to Instagram stories, using an "Add Yours" sticker to share acts of resistance, tagging his account (@profgalloway) and using the hashtags #resistandunsubscribe and #resistICE to spread awareness.
Galloway's messaging and examples
Galloway framed the effort as a response to high-profile immigration enforcement operations that drew national attention, and as a means to force corporate leaders to align actions with public values. He has described the president as "coin-operated, " arguing that shareholder pressure and market signals are the clearest incentives for change. Galloway has also cited precedent for consumer-driven pressure affecting corporate behavior, pointing to subscription cancellations in other contexts as an example of how audiences can influence companies.
Critiques and context
Commentary on the campaign has been mixed. Critics note the historical difficulty of sustaining boycotts and question whether a subscription-focused campaign can achieve the scale and persistence required to materially affect revenue or corporate policy. Academic and journalistic analyses of past boycotts show patterns of initial enthusiasm followed by rapid declines in participation or counter-movements that neutralize impacts. Those skeptical of the tactic argue that canceling a single subscription is already a behavioral hurdle for many consumers and that coordinating multiple simultaneous cancellations across large populations is unlikely.
What to watch
The campaign's near-term measure of impact will be whether it translates into sustained, measurable declines in subscriber numbers, paid usage or other commercial metrics for the named companies. Equally relevant will be corporate responses, if any, from boards and executives confronted with public pressure framed around market outcomes. Observers will also be watching whether the movement maintains momentum beyond initial media attention and social-media activity.
For readers considering participation, the official Resist and Unsubscribe site lists the targeted companies and outlines the specific actions supporters are asked to take.
