This is a common misconception. Corporate directors do not have any legal requirement to maximize profits. Directors' fiduciary duty is not only to shareholders

This is a common misconception. Corporate directors do not have any legal requirement to maximize profits. Directors' fiduciary duty is not only to shareholders but to the corporate entity itself. They are required to act in the best interest of the company, and companies can have many goals other than shareholder profit. Of course money is the lifeblood for any corporation, and a powerful incentive for decision making, but there's nothing legal that forces a company to squeeze profits at the cost of all else.