1B+ write-off's all deserve a full post-mortem. It's crazy to imagine such amount of value disappear into void.
There are a few big exceptions to this. Discovering a new deposit of mineral wealth and the microcomputer revolution drastically speeding up business tasks are examples.
I personally believe that the failure to understand this is the reason why the political left is so bad at building economies when given a chance. Being obsessed with the fair distribution of value, they overlook the creation and preservation aspect. In the end there's nothing to distribute.
No free exchange ever occurs unless the counterparties disagree on value, leading to a net gain post transaction.
The classic example is the owner of a section of river imposing a toll for boats traversing the river. The rent creates value for the owner but exactly the same amount negative value for the rest of society.
A toll for a ferry the owner created would be creating wealth. As would developing a resort there.
Modern examples of rent seeking are usually related to regulatory capture or housing politics.
>In October 2020, Vista's CEO Robert F. Smith and investor Robert T. Brockman were named in a tax evasion case.[33][34] That month, Smith signed a non-prosecution agreement with the IRS, agreeing to pay $139 million and testify against Brockman.[33]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vista_Equity_Partners#Tax_evas...
Investors have an interest though, but presumably more visibility if they want it