The Four

Have Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google become new gods in our digital age, shaping every aspect of our daily lives?

1. The Four Horsemen represent key aspects of human behavior: God, Love, Lust, and Consumption.

Google is the modern oracle, replacing the role of deities by answering our every question within milliseconds. Its presence is so pervasive it forms the backbone of modern information seeking. Facebook, meanwhile, provides a sense of love and belonging, fulfilling our deep human need for connection in a virtual space where over a billion people gather daily. Apple seduces us with its sex appeal through luxury technology, building a status symbol out of everyday devices. Finally, Amazon satisfies our desire to gather and consume, offering every imaginable product with unparalleled convenience.

Each company connects with fundamental human desires. Google satisfies curiosity and the hunger for knowledge. Facebook feeds our need for community and friendship with its endless streams of photos, messages, and likes. Apple has turned its technology into a cultural status symbol, much like luxury fashion brands. And Amazon prioritizes speed, affordability, and volume, embodying consumption at its most extreme.

This quartet has changed how people think, interact, and shop. Their products and services not only facilitate modern life but also mold habits and behaviors. They’ve become the templates for success, growth, and power in the digital marketplace.

Examples

• Google answers over 3.5 billion search queries per day, transforming data into a global "god-like" presence.
• Facebook connects 1.2 billion daily users, creating a digital social space akin to a collective human experience.
• Apple sells products as lifestyle icons, with net profits of $53.4 billion in 2015, outdistancing competitors.

2. Amazon thrives on our instinct to gather and consume while devastating traditional businesses.

Amazon capitalized on the primal human desire to acquire resources, born from our evolutionary need for survival. Its simple and scalable platform allows customers to get almost anything delivered right to their doorsteps. The rise of Amazon Prime, with more than half of American households subscribing, illustrates how it has embedded itself deeply in modern consumption habits.

Despite the ease Amazon brings to shoppers, its immense growth comes at significant costs. Small businesses struggle or collapse in its wide shadow, as Amazon dominates with practices like underpricing and rapid shipping. Additionally, its workplaces are seen as harsh and increasingly automated, reducing job opportunities.

Amazon wields technology and logistics to create unbeatable supply chains, ensuring a customer experience few can rival. Yet, this has left competitors reeling, unable to keep up with both its prices and convenience.

Examples

• Amazon's 2016 growth comprised half of the total growth of all U.S. online commerce.
• Prime membership reached 52 percent of U.S. households in 2017, reflecting its consumer dominance.
• Amazon's warehouse operations are increasingly automated, leading to fewer jobs but unmatched efficiency.

3. Apple draws us in with luxury and the desire to stand out.

Apple has established itself as more than a tech company; it’s a luxury brand that appeals to people’s desire to be different. Unlike other smartphones or laptops, Apple products project status and style. Their premium pricing ensures customers associate Apple with exclusivity and sophistication.

Apple's unconventional decisions, like resisting a court order during a federal investigation, demonstrate the brand's unique ability to operate outside the usual corporate rules. This rebellious, rule-breaking spirit enhances its image as a company that values ideals over conformity.

Furthermore, Apple amplifies its allure through its minimalist design, providing hardware that is both functional and beautiful. Its customers don’t just buy a product; they buy into an identity that screams innovation and elegance.

Examples

• Apple achieved a $53.4 billion profit in 2015, the highest ever recorded by a company.
• It accounted for 79 percent of smartphone industry profits with just 14.5 percent market share in 2016.
• Its aesthetics mimic luxury goods like Porsche and Prada, emphasizing sleek, minimalistic designs.

4. Facebook profits from our need for connection while evading accountability.

Facebook taps into a deep, universal need: to feel loved and connected. With billions of users interacting daily, the platform strengthens friendships and rekindles relationships. However, beneath this surface, it profits from the personal data it collects from its users’ activities.

By selling advertising targeted with surgical precision, Facebook transforms every click, photo, and like into a monetized resource. While Facebook provides these tools free of charge to users, the cost comes in the form of privacy and exposure to unchecked content. Additionally, its status as a platform – rather than a media company – allows it to forgo responsibility for the information it distributes.

Facebook shapes not only personal connections but also public opinion. Its algorithms amplify bias, showing users only content that aligns with their existing views, creating a polarized society.

Examples

• Facebook's algorithm tailors news feeds for its 1.2 billion daily active users, strengthening echo chambers.
• Advertisers specifically target user behaviors and preferences, gaining access to vast pools of data.
• Despite growing influence, Facebook avoids editor responsibility, absolving itself from content scrutiny.

5. Google is seen as a benevolent god but knows everything about us.

Google has become the ultimate information provider. Like a modern deity, it offers near-omniscient insight into the world’s vast knowledge pool, earning trust through its reliability. People turn to Google for answers on even their most private concerns, sharing far more personal questions with it than with close friends.

This confidence in Google makes it the most powerful advertising company in the world. By pairing user searches with their data, it provides incredibly targeted ads. In this way, the trust users place in Google turns into massive profits.

Yet this power has dangerous implications. As Google continues to amass data, it shapes advertising, research, and digital behavior, reinforcing its dominance while raising questions about privacy and control.

Examples

• Google fields over 3.5 billion daily searches, ensuring its integral role in knowledge sharing.
• In 2016, Google earned $36 billion strictly from advertising data tied to its search engine.
• Search queries reveal intimate details about users, including health, emotions, and desires.

6. The Four manipulate us by appealing to the brain, heart, and desires.

Each company excels in its ability to identify and exploit human behavior. Google and Amazon offer optimal decision-making tools, targeting the rational brain. Facebook appeals to emotions, filling users' hearts with the satisfaction of connection. Apple seduces with the promise of elegance and sex appeal.

In addition to selling products or services, these companies create loyalty by aligning themselves with human instincts. They target the areas of life where feelings, intelligence, and social needs intersect, making their offerings irresistible.

Though they satisfy these instincts, the Four also gather, borrow, and use human data to preserve their own dominance, a trade-off not always visible to the consumer.

Examples

• Amazon and Google simplify decision-making for big and small purchases through targeted tools.
• Facebook’s design maximizes emotional user engagement with likes, shares, and posts.
• Apple markets its devices as extensions of personal identity and style.

7. The quest for the fifth horseman is underway.

Amid their success, one or more of the Four Horsemen may fall, making way for new challengers. Several companies seek this opportunity, including Alibaba, Uber, Walmart, and Microsoft. To surpass the current titans, the new contender must check eight boxes: strong differentiation, global reach, likability, AI expertise, integrated operations, visionary leadership, career acceleration, and prime geography.

Each candidate has certain strengths that reflect some of these traits. For example, Alibaba dominates e-commerce sales in China but faces barriers expanding internationally. Uber excels on a global scale but struggles with public perception.

A fifth horseman could come from an entirely unexpected industry, yet the high barrier to compete with the Four makes this a formidable challenge.

Examples

• Alibaba controls 63 percent of China’s retail market but remains limited outside Asia.
• Uber operates in 600 cities but has poor public relations due to past controversies.
• Walmart continues adapting with e-commerce efforts, leveraging its massive physical presence.

8. Consumers are more critical of the Four.

Despite their successes, the Four have drawn increasing scrutiny. Concerns about privacy, monopolistic practices, and ethical responsibility grow as their influence spreads. These companies toe a fine line between user trust and unchecked power, leaving gaps for regulation or competitors to step in.

Amazon and Facebook, for instance, have faced criticism for job losses and spreading misinformation, respectively. Apple’s pricing suggests elitism, while Google’s reach across personal data has sparked privacy concerns.

Public trust remains valuable but fragile. If one of the Four falters, more consumer-friendly alternatives may rise to challenge their dominance.

Examples

• Facebook admitted its role in spreading 2016 election misinformation, sparking backlash.
• Google faces antitrust concerns due to its control over search and advertising.
• Amazon often dodges taxes and uses aggressive pricing that hurts smaller businesses.

9. Thriving in a world shaped by tech giants requires adaptability.

Success in a world dominated by the Four involves leveraging education, skills, and location. Personal growth matters greatly. People skilled in emotional intelligence, adaptability, and commitment perform well in environments shaped by ever-changing technology.

Pursuing certifications or higher education boosts earning potential and provides opportunities in specialized fields. Additionally, cities remain centers of opportunity as the hubs for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Social media and networking platforms like LinkedIn help individuals market themselves effectively. The global, interconnected world rewards those who embrace self-promotion and continuous learning.

Examples

• College graduates earn 10 times more on average than those without a degree.
• Cities attract 90 percent of new jobs in the U.S., making relocation a key to success.
• Public profiles on platforms like LinkedIn raise visibility in a competitive job market.

Takeaways

1. Align your career path with skills and talents rather than fleeting passions.
2. Move to a city to maximize access to jobs, networking, and culture.
3. Constantly educate yourself – whether through formal certifications or self-driven learning – to adapt to an evolving world.