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Comment by sfifs | Hacker News Reader

The biggest driver i feel is increased financialization of company ownership. Since the 80s, financiers essentially punish any boards or CEO who prioritizes longer term impact items like goodwill at the cost of short term quarterly results. This massively influences incentives - as a CEO or board you may know what is the right thing for long term success but you'll be fired if you choose that over short term results.

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I also think that brands are being attacked and devalued.

Look at all the ASKJKL type uppercase brands on amazon.

Meanwhile trusted/established brands are impossible to search for specifically.

And established brands are bought and sold to bad new owners. Pyrex was sold and doesn't make good (borosilicate) glass products anymore. Segway went to ninebot.

I'm sure there are lots of examples of this...

Many established brands now have official stores on Amazon. Like here's one for Bose (not an endorsement). Search takes you right there.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Bose/page/9E24AFD5-B420-4859-B...

I don't think that Segway was ever considered trusted or established. It has always been kind of a goofy niche product used by guided tour groups and mall security.

Nope. Financiers don't punish CEOs who prioritize longer term impacts, as long as the CEO maintains credibility by communicating a viable business plan and consistently delivering on commitments. The classic example is Amazon which had huge stock price appreciation while being unprofitable. Activist investors only step in to demand changes when the CEO and Board are incompetent.

Milton Friedman and Jack Welch were pioneers of this nonsense.

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