Recently I've asked some people: "What is the purpose of a company" and have got different kinds of responses. What would the people here say as an answer?

in america the purpose of a corporation is to maximize shareholder value =(

in my ideal world the purpose of a company is to make the world a better place in which to live the “in which to live” being the primary concern

in this ideal world the humans that are involved in the making of the company would follow two principles: 1/ the profits of the company serve the purpose 2/ the company is governed by those that provide the labor

1/ the profits of the company serve the purpose in practice this means that personal financial gain for individual laborers (including ceo and execs) and for investors are capped

for example, investors who invest may have their returns capped at 2x, 10x, 100x, any multiple the excess profit is returned to the company to invest in its purpose

2/ the company is governed by those that provide the labor in practice this means that becoming a purely financial investor cannot buy a seat on the governing board

to be qualified to participate in governance the individual must be actively contributing personal labor to the day-to-day of the company

I see it in much the same way! What better way to increase profits than actually creating something people care about and are willing to pay for? I feel people focusing on the money might get short sighted in the long term.

Small adjust “people who focus on the money have a short sighted vision” There is a reason innovation feels slow. Technology is sort of at a plateau for the consumer. But companies are still trying to squeeze out every drop they can for profit. Profit only. Nothing else.

That furthers the desire for individualism. Self brand, self promotion, selfishness over all. We are lead to believe individual wealth is the only way out. Only way to freedom. Yet we want change in so many other areas…