You come across as completely dismissing the existing relationships between corporations and government (revolving door appointments, lobbying, being chosen to

You come across as completely dismissing the existing relationships between corporations and government (revolving door appointments, lobbying, being chosen to craft legislation, pre-drafted pro-business legislation ALEC, etc) and the role those relationships play in choosing the winners and losers in the market. If in reality hard work was the only measure of whether or not a business will succeed then it would be fine to claim that this article is attempting to "donwplay the value of hard work". But that's not at all the reality of how systems interact in our quasi-capitalist country. Anecdotally, numerous friends who are ideologically conservative lament the state of corporate influence over government regulation. They believe that a handing over of economic independence to our loving, caring government has already happened but it's a proxy for the corporations who have the most influence. Which removes the ability of the free market to choose the winners and losers.