I think one of the root problems is that there are too many "public" companies, that serve not the public, but their shareholders instead, with the additional p

I think one of the root problems is that there are too many "public" companies, that serve not the public, but their shareholders instead, with the additional problem being that public companies are required to put their shareholders first; thus "public company" is a complete oxymoron. As we've seen so many times, this results in the public interest being put aside, with negative consequences to the public in order to benefit the shareholders.