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Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by amne on Friday October 22, 2021 @07:11AM (#28955790)
Isn't it illegal for a CEO to lead the company away from profit?
Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by barney54 on Friday October 22, 2021 @07:19AM (#28955849)
No. A CEO’s job is to provide value to shareholders. This doesn’t mean short terms profits at any cost.
Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by 2OEH8eoCRo0 on Friday October 22, 2021 @07:27AM (#28955907)
Provide value to shareholders or work in the best interest of shareholders? I always took it as: don't enrich yourself to the detriment of shareholders.
Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by p_l on Friday October 22, 2021 @07:30AM (#28955929)
Fiduciary duty is more about "do honest work and don't steal from stakeholders".

Nowhere does it state that the gambling bet (publicly listed company) has to optimize for returns of the gamblers (shareholders).

Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by stevesimmons on Friday October 22, 2021 @07:18AM (#28955846)
It isn't illegal. And even if it were, the key question is over what timeframe is profit maximised.

Next quarter can be made far more profitable by taking short-term actions that destroy future customer, employee and supplier goodwill. But that just digs a big hole for future profits.

Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by Coolerbythelake on Friday October 22, 2021 @08:03AM (#28956204)
This is about deliberate mind control and behavioral manipulation. For profit. It's disingenuous to claim it's all about free market consumers when you are brainwashing and twisting people. Keep in mind the users are really not the customers anymore. The people posting here are quite a bit higher on the intelligence scale than the general public, who don't really have good critical thinking skills. When you see what happened on Jan 6 I can't find an illustration to prove the point better. FB needs to be regulated for the safety of country. Unless we're all for nihilism. FB is a parasite.
Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by dogleash on Friday October 22, 2021 @07:16AM (#28955825)
No. Go read Ford v. Dodge. It’s about not actively and deliberately screwing shareholders.
Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by amne on Friday October 22, 2021 @08:31AM (#28956443)
"The Michigan Supreme Court held that Henry Ford could not lower consumer prices and raise employee salaries."

Doesn't this just prove my point?

I oversimplified my statement but would it be legal for lord Zuck to come out tomorrow and say "we are reducing ads by 90% on the platform and here's a checkbox that will disable all tracking and remove all data we have about you that you didn't explicitly upload yourself" with no alternative revenue source presented which inevitably leads to lower revenue for FB which then inevitably means reduced dividends etc.

note: I understand the users are not the "customers" and the actual equivalent would be for Zuck to say to advertisers that the cost to display ads has dropped by 90% which would be even worse for users. My point is the outcome of "lower dividends" being evidently caused by a decision made by the CEO (to now show ads anymore, to not track users behind their backs anymore, etc.) as being in the end illegal.

Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by NhanH on Friday October 22, 2021 @07:15AM (#28955824)
No it is not. Especially when the CEO holds the majority of voting power (that means company bylaws or whatever it is can be changed by the CEO pretty much unilaterally).
Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by agent327 on Friday October 22, 2021 @07:22AM (#28955872)
No, absolutely not. And I find it very sad that apparently Big Finance has managed to convince people that it would be.
Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by jamesandthewolf on Friday October 22, 2021 @07:13AM (#28955814)
Profit does not just need to be money based, it can also be defined on mental health and well being no?
Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by archerx on Friday October 22, 2021 @07:16AM (#28955827)
Bless your heart.
Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by revolvingocelot on Friday October 22, 2021 @07:33AM (#28955964)
You should leave this site immediately and never dare return.
Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by jamesandthewolf on Friday October 22, 2021 @08:05AM (#28956224)
LoL why? surly we can measure profit in other forms then money. It's 2nd meaning is simply advantage, benefit. Example "there is no profit screaming at referees from the bench"
Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by revolvingocelot on Friday October 22, 2021 @08:21AM (#28956359)
Of course "we" can, but we at this site certainly won't, and the relentless tide of half-baked rationalization to this end can drown the weak swimmer.
Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by jamesandthewolf on Friday October 22, 2021 @09:01AM (#28956697)
Sorry do you speak for all members of this website or just yourself. The weak swimmers are what exactly? people who value other people for who they are, not for how much they own? This is confusing.
Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by revolvingocelot on Friday October 22, 2021 @11:19AM (#28958337)
You should work on your reading comprehension.
Re:Facebook chooses profits over people by jamesandthewolf on Friday October 22, 2021 @12:51PM (#28959552)
Yeah I am confused as it appears you agree with me and I'm debating against myself that is my confusion .