If not then the comparison is not really valid.
> The problem is the lack of ethics of Facebook and Big Tech in general.
And big oil. And big pharma. And big anything.
Large corporations are built to maximize profit. And it is this focus on profit that is the problem.
So 'profit seeking'...
Profit-seeking should not imply unethical, no need to twist language when there is already the vocabulary to convey the proper meaning.
Nobody said that profit-seeking implies unethical. It was said that profit-seeking companies should not deserve our unconditional trust.
Well the last time I checked I didn't turn a blind eye to my work helping to start a promote a genocide in Burma so I really don't see your point.
I don't think that profit-seeking ever results in behaviour that is ethical. If I make a decision based on my desire for more money then it is almost always going to be a choice not based on ethical or moral values.
The difference is the scale. If I cut a few corners as a independent contractor then at worst my client gets slightly less value from their money.
If I cut corners as the owner of a chain restaurant then my profit-seeking has an impact on the employees I have and my customers.
If I am a major corporation that has billions of users then my profit-seeking has incredible impact.
If so, you'd have to argue why you want to change a neutrally-charged concept into something that carries negative connotations.
I don't understand this. At the end of the day they are separate things, probably you are saying a profit-seeking company is more likely to be unethical?
The fact that two things are usually correlated doesn't make them the same, right?
Somehow, this was translated into: profit-seeking companies are unethical. Which is not what I said.
> There is certainly an incentive for companies to make their ethics secondary to profit.
Replace "companies" for "dentists", "engineers", "plumbers" and "cooks", and this statement is still valid. The temptation to cheat and cut corners to favor short-term gains will always exist.
Yes, larger corporations give the ability for individuals to distance themselves from the consequences of their actions, and therefore it is more likely to see unethical behavior from large, faceless corporations. Still, this is not about "profit-seeking" or "profit-maximizing".
Your issue (and mine) is with Corporatism, not Capitalism. It is an important distinction to make.
Please stop demonizing "profit-seeking". The problem is the lack of ethics of Facebook and Big Tech in general. Putting it on "private, profit-seeking" companies is a tired, sophomoric take.