The Problem with Corporations

The Problem with Corporations A lot of people think I’m anti-corporation. I am not. I don’t think corporations are innately bad or evil. Corporationsâ€"large ones in particularâ€"are inherently problematic, though, because their primary objective is, by definition, to make money. There’s nothing wrong with bringing in revenueâ€"I’m certainly not allergic to earning an incomeâ€"but when it’s the central focus, which it has to be for a large corporation, then the wrong lines tend to get real blurry real quick as the bosses’ collective feet are held to the fire. I’ve seen it too many timesâ€"an upstanding, respectable person ignoring his values, bending his ethics, and exhausting his moral gas tank just to aid the bottom line. (I know, because I did it myself in my corporate days of yesteryear: that’s why I left.) Bending one’s principles in the name of profit or capitalism is not celebrating the true nature of capitalism at all. A small business or individual, however, can earn money while their main focus is on something more rewardingâ€"be it creating, innovating, growing, or cultivating a passion. So, yes, I’m wary of corporationsâ€"but I’m heartily supportive of the people who work for them to feed their families. Read this essay and 150 others in our new book, Essential.