Sure, but if you're this cynical you could also make a strong argument [1] that companies work, or fail to work, to improve the life/goals of the managers of the company. Shareholders and employees get screwed on a regular basis.

No private company even pretends to be serving "the market" either. That's the beauty of it, in theory. Nobody in the private sector is working "for" the private sector. And yet (in theory) it works.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Elop