Re:The U.S. tried to build a new fleet of ventilators
by pdonis on Sunday March 29, 2020 @03:49PM
(#22722075)
> private entities can't do it, because the market forces them not to
Private entities don't have to be subject to the market. Someone like Bill Gates or Elon Musk could set up a privately owned company, not publicly traded, that would not be subject to investors' demands for consistent quarterly growth. Matter of fact, maybe that's what Bill Gates should switch his attention to from malaria.
The fact is, a private individual, or a small group of them, can have a longer time horizon than the government does, and a longer time horizon is exactly what is needed for something like this.
Private entities don't have to be subject to the market. Someone like Bill Gates or Elon Musk could set up a privately owned company, not publicly traded, that would not be subject to investors' demands for consistent quarterly growth. Matter of fact, maybe that's what Bill Gates should switch his attention to from malaria.
The fact is, a private individual, or a small group of them, can have a longer time horizon than the government does, and a longer time horizon is exactly what is needed for something like this.