The actual approach is a perfectly reasonable business strategy
Except for keeping this secret. Than it's called lying.
Except for keeping this secret. Than it's called lying.
One of the biggest shocks I had going from childhood to adulthood was the sudden flip between people telling you that you have to be honest and the people now telling you to stop being honest. And the people who had previously told you that you must be honest, they tell you "oh yes, that's work", when you go back to ask them what you should do given you are being instructed by the people who pay your wages that you now have to lie.
I regret my parents never taught me we're living in softly adversarial world. People are not going to kill you, but businesses are out to fleece you.
"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made." - Groucho Marx
See also; the appointed Liars of the Zoon tribe of Terry Pratchett's Discworld.
And the apparent message from that debacle isn't; "be honest", rather it is; "being dishonest nets billions, try not to get caught though".