> Everyone is nuts to talk about 'shareholders' - who cares? As a 'consumer' - I want a good service and cheap (i.e. free) with no ads. I have zero interest in 'shareholders' of a company I'm not a shareholder in, other than legal protections.
Shareholders own the company. Which is why people care what they think.
I have preferences for how my neighbors manage and maintain their properties, but since I don’t actually own those properties, my preferences don’t mean a lot.
As a customer of a company, I can decide whether I’m getting my money’s worth. As a general observer I might have an opinion about whether the company makes the world a better place. So shareholders shouldn’t be the only story. But I don’t think it’s strange to focus on what the shareholders think, or for the company’s owners to decide on corporate direction.
My point is a lot of discussion centres around 'creating shareholder value' and 'increasing the stock price'. Many people comment on 'how to do that'.
But it's nuts - why would 'most people' who are likely Twitter 'users' and not 'shareholders' care about someone else's benefit over their own?
Twitter could very well jam up with more ads - as a sure fire way to make more money.
But not I / We are stuck with a crappier product, possibly very crappy i.e. a value transfer from our pockets, to investors.
Shareholders technically 'control' the company, they can do what they want, but what we should want them to do is 'lose money' and give the surpluses to us.
Shareholders own the company. Which is why people care what they think.
I have preferences for how my neighbors manage and maintain their properties, but since I don’t actually own those properties, my preferences don’t mean a lot.
As a customer of a company, I can decide whether I’m getting my money’s worth. As a general observer I might have an opinion about whether the company makes the world a better place. So shareholders shouldn’t be the only story. But I don’t think it’s strange to focus on what the shareholders think, or for the company’s owners to decide on corporate direction.