“We think if a data center exists, it should make everyone's utility bills cheaper and not more expensive. They should be required to bring their own energy, and that energy should be renewable. And they should make sure they have a self-contained system that doesn't use water.”
Pivot (Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway) · Tech Strategy & Big Tech · November 2026
Context
Galloway noted that nearly every data center ballot measure passed and asked why cold, power-rich Colorado wouldn't welcome them. The Denver mayor said the city has paused data centers while a task force writes rules, citing water use in a drought state.
Transcript
All right, Scott?
…to restrict data centers passed. Very anti-data center. I look at Colorado and I see cold weather. I see a lot of power generation. I see big expanses of land not near schools or public parks. Why wouldn't Colorado be the Saudi Arabia, the digital age and say, come on, come off for data centers?
…a day is a major problem for this state. And so, you know, it's not to say that they shouldn't exist someplace. We put a moratorium on them in the city and county of Denver until we're able to get our hands around. You know, right now they were used by rights. So anyone could just buy a piece of land and put up a data center there. We think that's not the right way to go about doing business. We think if a data center exists, it should make everyone's utility bills cheaper and not more expensive. They should be required to bring their own energy, and that energy should be renewable. And they should make sure they have a self-contained system that doesn't use water. And I think there are places that do that, but the places that do that well need 500 acres to do that. I don't think you're going to put that in the middle of a residential neighborhood. And so I think we're working on a task force that will make recommendations for what to do in the city. I think there are places in the state where it could be a real economic boom to smaller, to smaller towns…
cost. A lot of it was done via NDAs. I'm a little more conservative on this issue than he is. I think the way they did it, whether it was Kevin O'Leary in Utah just forcing it and calling the people who are against him Chinese agents, whether it was Elon spewing toxic fumes in Tennessee, the way…
People expect to have a say, and they have a right to have a say in what gets put in their neighborhood. And so I think that's the most important priority for us. And I think our folks are not opposed if it's done the right way. Three blocks from here, there's a data center. You would never know.…
Right. So one of the other issues you've been able to make a big impact is on street home. Homelessness. The number of people living on Denver streets is down 64%, and big encampments are down 91%. Your approach, police clear the camps, then you make sure there's actually somewhere to send people…
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