# Billionaires, CEOs, "corporations", and capitalism- Are things really different, or is it propaganda? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 22, 2026, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073 "2026-10-22T18:34:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/101 "2026-10-24T15:12:06Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Not only that, it’s just not accurate How is it not accurate? Has Elon Musk ever put together a Tesla on an assembly line? Has Jerry Jones ever played a down of football for the Dallas Cowboys? Has Jeff Bezos ever taken the item an Amazon customer ordered off a shelf at an Amazon warehouse, packaged it, and delivered to that customer? Had Miriam Adelson ever dealt a hand of blackjack at one of her casinos? Have Rob or Jim or Alice Walton ever worked a checkout line or stocked the shelves at a Walmart? Of course not. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/102 "2026-10-24T15:29:10Z")
> [@bump](#): > > > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > > > Nobody earns a billion dollars, you steal it from the people who work for a company you own. > > See, that’s exactly the sort of refrain that I never heard until the past few years. Well, the phrase in the 60s was “Don’t trust anyone under 30.”. The sentiment was the same, and there was pleanty of anti-capitalist going around, too. Remember, on the Woodstock album there was an announcement along the lines of “For those of you who don’t think capitalism is too weird, there’s a booth…” ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/103 "2026-10-24T16:04:53Z")
> [@bump](#): > > > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > > > Nobody earns a billion dollars, you steal it from the people who work for a company you own. > > See, that’s exactly the sort of refrain that I never heard until the past few years. You’ve never heard of the Labor Theory of Value? It’s basic Marxist claptrap. It’s not particularly insightful or accurate, but it’s also not exactly new. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/104 "2026-10-24T16:24:06Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > How is it not accurate? Has Elon Musk ever put together a Tesla on an assembly line? Has Jerry Jones ever played a down of football for the Dallas Cowboys? Has Jeff Bezos ever taken the item an Amazon customer ordered off a shelf at an Amazon warehouse, packaged it, and delivered to that customer? Had Miriam Adelson ever dealt a hand of blackjack at one of her casinos? Have Rob or Jim or Alice Walton ever worked a checkout line or stocked the shelves at a Walmart? Of course not. This reminds me of the argument Vaush made recently; that without a company like Nintendo stifling competition and freed from needing to work for a living under socialism, creative individuals would build better gaming consoles in their own homes as a hobby and somehow mass produce them in a way that gives everyone else access. The idea is so obviously divorced from reality that I don’t even know what part to address first. No, a person who creates a company doesn’t necessarily physically build a car. What he _does_ do is take on risk - if the company fails, the employees continue to receive a pay check for as long as the company continues to operate, but the owner may be sinking deeper and deeper into debt. And additionally, the owner and founder does much of the work of organizing a functional company in the first place. If this was truly so unnecessary, then we’d see a bunch of car assembly line workers go off together to create their own worker-owned car manufacturing co-op. And in fact, we _do_ see this happen for simpler businesses, where there’s much less organizing to do up front in order to start operating - there are a number of worker owned co-op grocery stores, for example. But as far as I know, there aren’t any examples of complex businesses like car manufacturers, computer hardware manufacturers, etc that are worker owned co-ops, and a search for this didn’t reveal any. So apparently, the people who create companies _do_ bring something to the table after all. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/105 "2026-10-24T16:39:11Z")
> [@bump](#): > > See, that’s exactly the sort of refrain that I never heard until the past few years. > > And it’s demonstrably false, even if it is a feel-good and catchy thought. Many billionaires either founded and ran wildly successful businesses without walking over their employees any more than any other business, they inherited it, or they got really lucky. > > That’s why I look at a lot of this stuff cock-eyed; it’s too glib and fits right into the narrative that the country’s adversaries would want to push. Not only that, it’s just not accurate. But it’s catchy and people like to believe it’s true. The concept is more that someone will found a company, and the employees who built it into a multi billion dollar company get paid 60k a year while the owner gets all the equity. There should be more equity sharing among corporations as wealth inequality is very severe. > [@Babale](#): > > No, a person who creates a company doesn’t necessarily physically build a car. What he _does_ do is take on risk - if the company fails, the employees continue to receive a pay check for as long as the company continues to operate, but the owner may be sinking deeper and deeper into debt. And additionally, the owner and founder does much of the work of organizing a functional company in the first place. I feel like this is partly why there is pushback, because this is the narrative that we are told to accept our entire lives. Does the employer take on risk by starting a business? Sure, but I do not see how taking on risk justifies why their net worth explodes well past their employees net worth. There are no billionaires in Antarctica, because there are no workers there. Also an employer can easily legally set up his business so that the business is at risk if it fails, not his personal finances. They can set it up as an LLC. People are constantly having this narrative pushed at them that you just gave them, and a lot of people see it for what it is, an attempt to justify the plutocracy and oligarchy and they rebel against it. The ‘common sense’ narrative you just pushed serves the interests of the financial elite. A lot of people see through that and are rebelling against it. We live in an age of severe regulatory capture where the economic elite can buy up media outlets and politicians and use them to ensure that more and more wealth and power continues to flow upward and ensure that the public think it is the right thing to do even as their own economic situations get more and more precarious. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/106 "2026-10-24T16:44:15Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > There should be more equity sharing among corporations as wealth inequality is very severe. But why? Equity means risk. The basic relationship between employer and employee is that the employer takes on all of the risk and the employee gets a guaranteed paycheck in exchange for their work. Sometimes that relationship is shifted, with the employee taking on additional risk and thus getting the potential for a greater return. But generally you do that _when you are high enough in a company to actually have a significant influence over how the company performs_. If I’m a low level grunt, or a mid level manager, the company’s overall performance is very much outside of my control. Outside of some bonus for sufficient company performance, why would I _want_ equity? I can’t influence whether that equity grows or shrinks in any real way. Now, if I’m a partner at the company, or a vice president, or whatever else - I start to have significant influence over how the company does, so it makes sense for me to have equity. The relationship is fundamentally different than a basic employer/employee relationship. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/107 "2026-10-24T16:49:01Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I feel like this is partly why there is pushback, because this is the narrative that we are told to accept our entire lives. Do you want a false narrative instead? > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Does the employer take on risk by starting a business? Sure, but I do not see how taking on risk justifies why their net worth explodes well past their employees net worth. What do you mean? Why wouldn’t it justify that? > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > There are no billionaires in Antarctica, because there are no workers there. There are no billionaires in Antarctica because no one lives in Antarctica full time, at any socioeconomic level. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Also an employer can easily legally set up his business so that the business is at risk if it fails, not his personal finances. They can set it up as an LLC. Ok, and? The founder of the company is the one taking risk whether they can go after his house or not. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > People are constantly having this narrative pushed at them that you just gave them, and a lot of people see it for what it is, an attempt to justify the plutocracy and oligarchy and they rebel against it. It’s not an attempt to justify anything, it’s a description of how the real world work. But if you have an alternative explanation for why we don’t see worker owned co-op car manufacturers, I’d love to hear it. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/108 "2026-10-24T17:03:03Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Equity means risk. The basic relationship between employer and employee is that the employer takes on all of the risk and the employee gets a guaranteed paycheck in exchange for their work. The problem is it no longer works that way in real life. In real life we live in a world where the oligarchs get bailed out by the people if their business fails. The real world operates in a “heads I win / tails you lose” manner that benefits the wealthy and connected ownership class. If I’m correct that this is the situation we actually find ourselves in as a society, why should the ordinary people not rebel (by voting for people like Bernie Sanders, not by actual armed rebellion) against it? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/109 "2026-10-24T17:34:20Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > The problem is it no longer works that way in real life. In real life we live in a world where the oligarchs get bailed out by the people if their business fails. This is simply not true. 20% of businesses fail in the first year. 50% fail in the first 5 years. 65% fail in the first 10. People lose money on businesses all of the time. “Oligarchs get bailed out by the people” is a snappy talking point, but it’s not really an accurate reflection of reality. > [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > The real world operates in a “heads I win / tails you lose” manner that benefits the wealthy and connected ownership class. 70% of wealthy families lose their wealth by the second generation and 90% lose it by the third. This is simply not true. > [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > If I’m correct that this is the situation we actually find ourselves in as a society, why should the ordinary people not rebel (by voting for people like Bernie Sanders, not by actual armed rebellion) against it? 1. I would argue that you aren’t correct about that 2. Bernie’s proposed solutions are not ones that actually work in the real world. They have failed again and again and again. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/110 "2026-10-24T17:35:30Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Does the employer take on risk by starting a business? Sure, but I do not see how taking on risk justifies why their net worth explodes well past their employees net worth. There are no billionaires in Antarctica, because there are no workers there. Because they own the company. Their net worth only explodes if the value of the business explodes. For most employees, unless their compensation includes shares of ownership or some other profit-sharing, it is primarily based on the market value of their services. Or to put it in a way, let’s say you own a home and you pay a service to cut the lawn every week. If the value of your home doubles for whatever reason, are you obligated to double how much you pay the lawn guy? > [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > > [@bump](#): > > > > Not only that, it’s just not accurate > > How is it not accurate? Has Elon Musk ever put together a Tesla on an assembly line? Has Jerry Jones ever played a down of football for the Dallas Cowboys? Has Jeff Bezos ever taken the item an Amazon customer ordered off a shelf at an Amazon warehouse, packaged it, and delivered to that customer? Had Miriam Adelson ever dealt a hand of blackjack at one of her casinos? Have Rob or Jim or Alice Walton ever worked a checkout line or stocked the shelves at a Walmart? Of course not. Try having any of those line workers run a trillion dollar business, let alone found one like Jeff Bezos. > [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Well, the phrase in the 60s was “Don’t trust anyone under 30.”. I thought it was “don’t trust anyone OVER 30?” You know, because by the time they hit 30 they have to deal with the pragmatic realities of dealing with real-world responsibilities. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > The concept is more that someone will found a company, and the employees who built it into a multi billion dollar company get paid 60k a year while the owner gets all the equity. There should be more equity sharing among corporations as wealth inequality is very severe. Are you under the impression that many employees of Amazon, Meta, Google, and other tech giants don’t receive options and stock incentives and some of them became exceedingly wealthy? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/111 "2026-10-24T17:38:52Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Or to put it in a way, let’s say you own a home and you pay a service to cut the lawn every week. If the value of your home doubles for whatever reason, are you obligated to double how much you pay the lawn guy? You don’t have to pay him anymore, but he DOES own your lawn and when you sell your house you have to give him the portion of the profit that came from having a well maintained lawn /s ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/112 "2026-10-24T17:38:53Z")
It remains true that wage work is still a fantastic deal for most regular shlubs, and that is only possible with capital that comes from somewhere - whether it’s entirely private, government directed or (typically) a combination. There have been plenty of “too big to fail” style collapses where the government saved the supposedly risk-taking capitalists, but there are still plenty of times when business don’t turn a profit, or a localized failure happens and capitalists are actually allowed to lose money where as the workers get to keep all the paychecks they were getting while either the business wasn’t turning a profit or the profits ended up getting erased, and the harm to them is limited to losing their source of income as opposed to actually having to lose an investment. The worker co-op model does exist (probably the most notable example of complex economic activity being done by a co-op is [Mondragon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondragon_Corporation)). I think the most likely explanation for why this isn’t the dominant mode of production is the conventional one that private ownership and/or government planning allows/encourages the biggest bets on technology that increases productivity and adds value to consumers lives, and the winners end up being the people who develop those technologies. There’s a counterargument at least worth considering that it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy - that rather than wealth being created by private investment and thus allowing capitalists to become supremely wealthy that the people who somehow got wealthy in the past are now the ones with the most capital and they can just bully co-ops by starting with a bigger stack of chips rather than being better at accumulating more chips. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/113 "2026-10-24T17:48:02Z")
> [@DeadTreasSecretaries](#): > > The worker co-op model does exist (probably the most notable example of complex economic activity being done by a co-op is [Mondragon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondragon_Corporation)). I think the most likely explanation for why this isn’t the dominant mode of production is the conventional one that private ownership and/or government planning allows/encourages the biggest bets on technology that increases productivity and adds value to consumers lives, and the winners end up being the people who develop those technologies. There’s a counterargument at least worth considering that it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy - that rather than wealth being created by private investment and thus allowing capitalists to become supremely wealthy that the people who somehow got wealthy in the past are now the ones with the most capital and they can just bully co-ops by starting with a bigger stack of chips rather than being better at accumulating more chips. As a free market capitalist, I have absolutely no problem with a co-op. They exist within the framework of the free market, and as long as they play by the rules, they can set up their internal ownership structure however they want. What I would have a problem with is an economic system that either makes it illegal to own and run a private business, or which makes it unduly burdensome to do so as a sneaky way of banning them. ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/114 "2026-10-24T17:55:07Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > As a free market capitalist, I have absolutely no problem with a co-op. They exist within the framework of the free market, and as long as they play by the rules, they can set up their internal ownership structure however they want. I agree with that - the question is given that both private ownership and co-ops are allowed, why does almost everyone in the private sector work in the private ownership model (other than the obvious explanation that it is the best way to to the work we have the private sector do)? If there is no reason and the obvious answer is correct, than business owners existing and getting to have the power over their companies is justifiable. The question then would be what we want to have the government do and how much of the power of the rich and/or privately owned corporations should we take away to do it. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/115 "2026-10-24T17:55:53Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > > [@msmith537](#): > > > > Or to put it in a way, let’s say you own a home and you pay a service to cut the lawn every week. If the value of your home doubles for whatever reason, are you obligated to double how much you pay the lawn guy? > > You don’t have to pay him anymore, but he DOES own your lawn and when you sell your house you have to give him the portion of the profit that came from having a well maintained lawn /s No, our lawn guy is just some service we hire. They have no ownership of the property. That’s the point. In fact we just fired out lawn guy because they didn’t meet our standards of lawn care. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/116 "2026-10-24T17:59:58Z")
> [@DeadTreasSecretaries](#): > > agree with that - the question is given that both private ownership and co-ops are allowed, why does almost everyone in the private sector work in the private ownership model (other than the obvious explanation that it is the best way to to the work we have the private sector do)? I think that clearly is the answer, combined with the fact that for most businesses (and certainly for any business that has significant risk of failure, which frankly is most of them), being an employee is much better than being a part owner. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/117 "2026-10-24T18:00:57Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > No, our lawn guy is just some service we hire. They have no ownership of the property. That’s the point. In fact we just fired out lawn guy because they didn’t meet our standards of lawn care. The /s tag was meant to denote sarcasm. I don’t think anyone would seriously make the argument that your gardener should have ownership of your lawn, but I included it anyways just in case that’s not as obvious to someone else as it is to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/118 "2026-10-24T18:38:30Z")
The difference we are seeing has a lot to do with the cold war becoming a distant memory. During that period, it was unthinkable to question capitalism. In more normal times, both before and after it has become a subject of legitimate debate. A competitive, free market does find the most efficient way to make money. It often works but in some cases, there can be problems. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the government stepped in to deal with monopolies. During the great depression, collapsing banks became a serious problem. In more recent times, we have seen several attempts at deregulation. Sometimes they worked out. Sometimes, not so much. For telephones and air travel, it mostly worked. The 737-Max debacle revealed a few issues. The average traveler does not seem to see a big improvement in the experience but the airlines seem to be doing okay. Banking deregulation has been quite a mess. We saw massive industrial real estate projects that no one actually moved into in the 1980’s. There was also the mortgage meltdown of 2008. Electric power deregulation was another horror story. Deregulation often revealed the hard way why those rules where imposed in the first place. Competition seems to depend on no one actually winning. When it happens, we have a monopoly. The model can also have problems when the market is not really free. This tends to happen when insurance gets involved. When the auto body shop bills the insurance, the total does not really bother me. It’s not my problem. US medical care is a major mess because it is based on insurance. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/119 "2026-10-24T19:04:48Z")
I worked for a Fortune 100 company. I retired as a VP—a first level VP, which gave me a comfortable living but zero influence on strategic decisions. Part of my bonus each year was restricted stock grants. Every employee at non-management levels had a bonus pool that was set by a number of factors, which included company and business unit performance. This cohort generally had a floor for these calculations, they were never gonna get nothing. But in a great year, lots of people were really happy. My firm’s philosophy was that everyone contributes to our success and they should enjoy the profits. Seems to me this was very workable and successful model. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/120 "2026-10-24T19:13:13Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > I worked for a Fortune 100 company. I retired as a VP—a first level VP, which gave me a comfortable living but zero influence on strategic decisions. Part of my bonus each year was restricted stock grants. > > Every employee at non-management levels had a bonus pool that was set by a number of factors, which included company and business unit performance. This cohort generally had a floor for these calculations, they were never gonna get nothing. But in a great year, lots of people were really happy. > > My firm’s philosophy was that everyone contributes to our success and they should enjoy the profits. Seems to me this was very workable and successful model That sounds like the model every company I’ve worked for uses. Isn’t it a pretty common one for US companies? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073.md?page=7)