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They have a money printer that gives them nearly unlimited flexibility. Being a private company means Gabe can do long-term investments without concern.

Steam has been an incredibly good steward of its position, but I fear for the day when capitalism finally sinks its claws into the platform.

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> capitalism finally sinks its claws

Capitalism has nothing to do with short term greed.

Some CEOs are just too arrogant and think that optimizing for the short term won't hurt goodwill. That's their own failure. Capitalism says nothing about how a business should be run. It's merely defining the idea that humans who own things (capital) allocate their resources and keep the result.

I think they know it'll hurt goodwill. I think they don't think they have to care what other people think about them. I think they think they're too big to fail.

Capitalism doesn't break things, it builds them. You're thinking of greed, which exists in all economic types.

Unregulated capitalism breaks things for sure. That regulation can stem from government intervention or private ownership (or both).

Regulation can also break things if done incorrectly/poorly/inefficiently/corruptly.

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