Biggest trend of 2026
Scott Galloway argues the biggest trend of 2026 isn't AI chatbots but IRL, in-person experiences, exemplified by the World Cup.
Snapshot · The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
No Mercy / No Malice: World Cup Experience
Explore episode
Jun 27, 2026
Where this was said
Introduction: The Experience Economy Thesis
At 1:42 · chapter starts 1:38
The essay proper begins with Galloway's arresting observation: watching the World Cup, he's seen more men embrace in two weeks than in two years — evidence that football generates a beautiful byproduct: togetherness. From there, he pivots to the macro claim that will anchor the entire piece: the biggest trend of 2026 isn't AI chatbots, it's IRL experiences [1] — George Hahn "The biggest trend of 2026 isn't AI chatbots — it's IRL experiences. From the World Cup to movie theaters to live concerts, people are choos…" 01:40 . To ground this, he reaches back to a 1998 Harvard Business Review article by Joseph Pine and James Gilmore, who coined the term 'experience economy' and argued that economies progressively evolve from commodities to goods to services to experiences, with each stage becoming more personalized, immersive, and emotionally resonant. Their formulation — 'commodities are fungible, goods tangible, services intangible, and experiences memorable' — serves as the conceptual spine for everything that follows.
The Biggest Trend of 2026 Isn't AI — It's IRL Experiences
The biggest trend of 2026 isn't AI chatbots — it's IRL experiences. From the World Cup to movie theaters to live concerts, people are choosing real-world togetherness over digital convenience.
The Experience Economy: From Pine & Gilmore to the World Cup
In 1998, economists Pine and Gilmore predicted economies would evolve toward staging memorable experiences. Galloway argues digital atomization and pandemic scarcity proved them right — experience is now the ultimate premium.
60% rise in experience spending since 1960
Since 1960, US consumers have increased their share of discretionary spending devoted to experiences by 60%, while spending on goods fell 35%.
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