NB that "returning money to the shareholders" is ultimately what companies are for [...] This could not be further from the truth. Companies - and actually the

NB that "returning money to the shareholders" is ultimately what companies are for [...] This could not be further from the truth. Companies - and actually the entire economy - only exists for one purpose, to satisfy the needs of the people, to efficiently produce good and service that people need or desire. Profits are just means to the end, a control signal to steer the economy. Not that they are not important, but they are not why we have companies.