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Comment by robertlagrant

14 days ago

Executives are not owners. They may not own anything. An owner could also be a plumber working for himself. That's not at all like Jack Welch.

To my limited understanding, Friedman's approach to workers was we should make it so competitors can spring up, as your best job security and working conditions and salaries come from the existence of other companies. And additionally that when companies do well, their customers (also most non-management workers for most companies) get better and/or cheaper products, as people are customers of other businesses as well as employees of their own company.

Shareholders are owners. If you have equity in something, you are literally an owner. Maybe not the sole owner, but an owner nonetheless. Also, please note my use of the adverb 'usually' to qualify my assertion re: executives and corporate ownership.

  • I agree that shareholders are owners. I saw "usually", but given the minor overlap it didn't seem sufficient to support a full assertion that MF sides with executives. Given that owners don't have to be executives and executives don't have to be owners.