Comment by ru999gol | Hacker News Reader

Comment by ru999gol | Hacker News Reader

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> Corporations are not robots. Apple is run by people, and specifically people who are much more knowledgable on this subject than the average consumer. They should feel some level of social responsibility.

Sometimes I wonder how many instances to the contrary people need to get this falsehood out of their heads. Corporations are only beholden to their shareholders, if any one person at Apple (including the CEO) is not at all times acting solely to maximize the profit to their shareholders they will be replaced by someone who will. The government has to force corporations to their will through tight regulations, consumer protection and anti-trust legislation. Why are all corporations spending this incredible amount on political corruption/"lobbying", its because all these things work.

This is a way of thinking that emerged within the past century. It was not always considered universally true, and I think it's harming society.

Why do we consider it acceptable for CEOs to shrug off any and all social consequences of their actions? We can and should outlaw actions that are socially harmful, but we shouldn't just shrug our shoulders when powerful people find ways to skirt those rules to enrich themselves.

They're really not. In court, it is sufficient to be able to argue that your actions are in the long-term interest of the company. In practice, CEOs are hard to replace, and it is easy for them to pack the board. Lots of companies have dual class shares so that a group of insiders can run the company however they see fit.

Anyway, even if it were true in practice, this is entirely the result of laws and court decisions. Governments could change it with the stroke of a pen.

> if any one person at Apple (including the CEO) is not at all times acting solely to maximize the profit to their shareholders they will be replaced by someone who will.

Google apple largest shareholders

This is mostly something people repeat on the internet it is only slightly related to reality

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