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To reductio ad absurdum that - every time you see any marketing, eg “Drink Coca-Cola because it’s refreshing”, you should hear “Drink Coca-Cola because it’ll make us money.”

To your point though: “democratize x” makes my eyes roll. It’s overused hip marketing speak.

That's accurate though; coca cola don't care about whether you're refreshed unless it's profitable to them. The refreshment is the means towards the end of profit.

But it is also not zero sum. Long term viable companies provide a higher value to their customers than the price they charge.

Altruistic startup = a non profit ?

Non profits and charities can certainly be altruistic.