No it is not. Tesla has the best batteries in production currently and they use the least amount of cobalt. They even have plans to stop using cobalt completely in future versions. But currently they have a battery that is 20-25% better in most metrics and uses the least amount of cobalt.

And 50% of the world cobalt production comes from DR Congo, a country that hasn't been stable since the 1990s. A lot of that cobalt money ends up in the hands of international mining companies doing dodgy deals with corrupt top government officials.

Nit pick, but "in the hands of international mining companies", mining companies don't have hands, it's never corrupt companies, it's corrupt [groups of] people.

Corporations definitely have a culture, for better or worse. And it's not always just the sum of their employees'.

Ergo "groups of people". It's easy to dismiss the responsibility that lies on people by saying "this or that organisation failed/was malevolent/whatever". Sometimes results are emergent and unexpected, but it seems starkly - from my observations - that individuals usually do realise, and often are consciously in control of their directing influence.

Group effects are known, cf bystander effect. Actually companies show a bystander-like effect, "what we're doing here is evil, someone [else] should change that".

Just because such behaviours are common in groups doesn't mean individuals aren't responsible. It's easier to ignore your moral responsibilities by invoking the company as the responsible party.

No. Not "ergo, groups of people." Not emergent effects. And not the bystander effect.

Corporate culture as in, we want you to be a {insert company name here} person. And the corporation is set up to make that happen.

You're discounting having the ability to mold someone for a decade+, which is not an insignificant effect on their behavior.

There are Li-ion chemistries that don't require cobalt. They don't have quite as high energy density.