We FIRED Google (Here's What Happened)

Join US Mobile: https://www.usmobile.com/?utm_source=... What happens when you stop paying the Google Tax? In this video, Ahmed Khattak, CEO of US Mobile, sits down with Matt Roche (CEO of Extole, and one of the earliest + brightest minds in the referral game) to talk about what came next when we cut Google out of our marketing strategy—cold turkey. We dive into: • Why brands are addicted to paid ads (even when they don’t work) • The real reason trust and word-of-mouth outperform spend • What timeless brands do differently • And how Big Tech made us forget how to actually connect with customers This isn’t a teardown. It’s a rebuild—from first principles. This conversation is for everybody: people who love to follow their favorite brands, and people who work at brands. This conversation is jam-packed with insights for any founder, growth lead, or marketer who feels stuck on the paid treadmill. 📌 Yes, we fired Google. But what we really did was start listening. -- 🎙 Featuring: Ahmed Khattak – CEO, US Mobile:   / ahmednkhattak   Matt Roche – CEO, Extole:   / matthewjroche   Chapters are below so you can jump around. -- Learn more about US Mobile: https://www.usmobile.com Shop for unlocked phones: https://www.usmobile.com/shop?utm_sou... -- Follow us! Instagram:   / usmobile   Twitter:   / usmobile   Facebook:   / usmobile   Reddit:   / usmobile   LinkedIn:   / usmobile   0:00 Why We Said Screw You Google 2:08 Meet Matt! 3:02 The “Pimps Argument” of Big Tech 3:34 Extole’s Main Clients 4:59 Paid Marketing is BS 5:46 DTC is Dead? 7:42 The Secret to Timeless Brands: Trust and Legacy 8:19 How to Kill a Brand 8:54 True Brand Love Isn’t Bought — It’s Earned 10:24 The Fall of Ferrari 12:28 Raising a Brand to Slaughter It 14:04 How Does This Happen in the First Place? 15:14 Alt Take: “Joyless Commerce” 15:58 When Love’s Gone, Loyalty Fails 16:45 Starbucks: The World’s Biggest Startup Incubator 18:19 When the Buzz Turns Bad 19:59 Swipe Mentality Is Killing Your Brand 21:14 Stop Guessing. Ask Who Told Them — And Actually Say Thanks 22:17 People Want to Be Recognized for Loyalty 22:54 2 Out of 3 Customers Came for Free… 23:55 Optimize for Each Smaller Audience 25:39 The Referral Funnel: It Starts with the Experience 27:08 Drop \$10k per Referral 27:42 The First 30 Days: Catch Referrals at Peak Joy 28:26 Is This Why US Mobile’s WoM Is So Strong? 29:18 You Need to Play 29:44 Iterate and Optimize for Results 30:00 From Checkbox to Channel 31:10 OG Status: A/B Testing Before It Was Cool 32:32 What Is the Hawthorne Effect? 33:42 Tesla: Referral GOAT? 35:20 Elon: The Dumbest Smart Guy on Earth 36:35 Don’t Kill the Code You Cracked 37:42 The Backwards Brain: Rewarding Big Tech, Resenting Loyalty 38:18 You Can’t Fake It: Referral Only Works with a Great Product 38:48 The Real ROI Isn’t a Transaction 39:55 Matt’s Take: Boost Our Program? 42:02 Greenlight: A Referral Masterclass 43:28 Reading Zuck’s Statement on Meta Ads 43:59 Zuck Wants Your Brand… and Your Margin 44:56 From Arbitrage to Algorithm: How Brands Lost Their Edge 45:57 Big Tech Owns the Door — Referral Is Your Escape Hatch 47:34 Marketing Is Talking AND Listening 48:20 When the Model Stops Working 50:45 Regulation Starts with Us 52:17 That’s a Wrap: Human Marketing Done Right © 2025 US Mobile, LLC