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The only values that are real are the ones that contribute to making money. Values go out of the window real quick whenever they negatively impact revenue, wha

The only values that are real are the ones that contribute to making money. Values go out of the window real quick whenever they negatively impact revenue, whatever they are. I like the idea of anti values, certainly much better, but even there you might as well not have them imo.

hsn915 5y ago
This is a common sentiment but it is wrong. Making money is just one of the operational constraints that a company has to take into account. Companies exist to fulfil a purpose. That purpose is not just "make money". Steve Jobs founded Apple not to just "make money". I think this does not need further elaboration. The same applies to Tesla and SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk. Companies that only exist to make money are probably terrible by any measure you choose.
- danuker 5y ago
  While just "making money" may sound a bit short-sighted, it IS the reason for the company's existence. Hopefully, however, profit is correlated with/caused by providing value to humanity, which in turn encourages "good behavior" from companies. If a company is seen as "bad", it starts to lose clients.
- codeptualize 5y ago
  That's not the point I'm trying to make. I agree that it's not the only purpose, and even if it was I don't think that's bad per se. You could also see it as fulfilling a purpose to make money, they often go together, it's probably the ideal situation. My point is; As long as making money and their values align it's all good, but if decisions need to be made that present a choice between values and profit/growth it becomes very hard to choose for values. Especially once a company goes public, gets acquired, or needs significant investment, it might not even have the option to live by its values. That's why I think values are only real/true if they align with profit/growth. Similar to what the article describes; what do they really mean? How much impact do they really have? How much of it is PR? What it comes down to imo is; Is there willingness to sacrifice growth and revenue for values? I'd say in most cases the answer to that is no, and I would much prefer it if companies are just clear and honest about that. If you do count other forms of companies, like not-for-profits, then it's a totally different story of course.

hsn915 5y ago

This is a common sentiment but it is wrong. Making money is just one of the operational constraints that a company has to take into account. Companies exist to fulfil a purpose. That purpose is not just "make money". Steve Jobs founded Apple not to just "make money". I think this does not need further elaboration. The same applies to Tesla and SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk. Companies that only exist to make money are probably terrible by any measure you choose.

danuker 5y ago
While just "making money" may sound a bit short-sighted, it IS the reason for the company's existence. Hopefully, however, profit is correlated with/caused by providing value to humanity, which in turn encourages "good behavior" from companies. If a company is seen as "bad", it starts to lose clients.
codeptualize 5y ago
That's not the point I'm trying to make. I agree that it's not the only purpose, and even if it was I don't think that's bad per se. You could also see it as fulfilling a purpose to make money, they often go together, it's probably the ideal situation. My point is; As long as making money and their values align it's all good, but if decisions need to be made that present a choice between values and profit/growth it becomes very hard to choose for values. Especially once a company goes public, gets acquired, or needs significant investment, it might not even have the option to live by its values. That's why I think values are only real/true if they align with profit/growth. Similar to what the article describes; what do they really mean? How much impact do they really have? How much of it is PR? What it comes down to imo is; Is there willingness to sacrifice growth and revenue for values? I'd say in most cases the answer to that is no, and I would much prefer it if companies are just clear and honest about that. If you do count other forms of companies, like not-for-profits, then it's a totally different story of course.