How does that work? The head of engineering gets a unit cost reduction target and then they call some shareholders to come review some proposals for which option works best? Do they show up with a printed certificate showing they own at least one share?

Public companies are required to hold annual meetings with shareholders where they vote for board members and bring up proposals. Shareholders may choose to vote for board member with views about managing the business that they agree with.

https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/040315/what-can-sha...

Pass that buck on down the line.

So what would you say you do here?

It’s your job to decide whether to make the world slightly worse and make an extra dollar, or maintain/improve quality while finding efficiencies elsewhere.

The second option may be more difficult but let’s not pretend there aren’t companies that choose it and succeed.

That’s a very ignorant perspective.

For me, it’s rarely about efficiency, and almost always about improving outcomes for workers and users.

Micromanaging efficacy to maximise profit is an economists job.

If the general public wants a cheap, bad product, they can do so, but they rarely have the inside knowledge to discern quality. Marketing is responsible for telling miseducating them.