I remember the early 2000s when Google was basically just search and email. It’s motto was “don’t be evil” and it was hailed as one of the best places to work, with images and videos of people joining around on scooters through the company’s corridors.
Now, it just feels like a bit of a cesspit. They kill off services after five minutes and those they keep around barley receive and kind of QoL or other updates (you still can’t manually tag people in Photos). The internal culture seems to have grown right down the dunny as well, with covering up of sexual harassment, treating employees in general like shit and taking away consumer’s rights. Also, Sundar Pichai seems to be a real dickhead.
A similar story can be said to have happened for many other once respected companies. Disney, Microsoft, Twitter, I could go on.
So my question is, are there any companies any more that are actually decent? They seem to genuinely want to improve the world and the lives of the people in it?
From what I can see, any kind of positivity from 95% of companies is just a smoke screen to hide their greedy, CEO circle-jerk ways.
I would argue Disney and Microsoft were never good companies. They did some pretty questionable and scummy business practices early on. I think it’s just easier now to be aware of these things and so the rose-color glasses have been removed.
One thing that comes to mind is that Microsoft used their monopoly position in the OS space to destroy Netscape. By bundling IE with Windows, they leveraged the fact that most people needed windows as their OS to dominate the early web browser market and Netscape went bankrupt as a result. And Microsoft has done that numerous times by leveraging their market dominance. Does anyone remember when WordPerfect and Lotus 123 were the dominant document and spreadsheet applications? And recall that early Word and Excel were quite lacking in features, but that by leveraging bundles with Windows, MS managed to take over the productivity software sector?
I think part of the grand project that is capitalism had long been for companies to ingratiate themselves with customers to the point that we trust those companies. But in reality I don’t think they were ever “good” in any true sense of the word, they were just very skilled at keeping up appearances. And I think our feelings today come from a combination of increased awareness among the customer base combined with the fact that companies seem less concerned about keeping up those appearances to the same degree because of defanged governmental bodies who can no longer regulate them and the fact that we as consumers have fewer options in terms of alternatives. When a company like Amazon started as a book store it seemed innocent. But it’s put so many small local stores out of business there are literal products we can’t buy anywhere but Amazon. And so Amazon has us over a barrel and doesn’t have to pretend to be a company that cares about customer service or rights anymore. I think more and more companies just don’t care to pretend to be good anymore.
I did not know that about Netscape. Very interesting, and sad.
I’ve not used Amazon for six years. I’ve never found anything I couldn’t get elsewhere, even if I (happily) had to pay more. What kind of stuff is now Amazon only? I guess it differentiates by country, but I did not realise it was quite that bad.
I guess the romantic notion, or at least the dream of it, of there being a company that treats people well and provides good services is something ingrained in Australian culture. It probably is for others as well, but I think the “fair go” attitude of Australia is maybe makes it something I really wish was real. I just don’t understand why these companies need to be so shitty.
Off the top of my head Anker is a good example. They have a direct store in some other regions, but in Canada they only sell through Amazon, which pisses me off because Anker makes excellent batteries and cables but I can’t buy directly from them. I’ve also found that most mom and pop hardware stores in my city are closing or have closed and if I want any building hardware or small materials (latches, hinges, etc.) I have to shop at companies like Amazon or Home Depot, both of which are big box stores with shitty ethical practices.
Thankfully I have a source on kitchen equipment which means I can get everything I need for cooking and baking without using companies like that. But as those stores dwindle I fear one day we’ll only have big box stores and online retailers. I hope not.
I think small stores have more of a chance to maintain ethical practices and be “good” in the sense you were originally referring to. I think a small shop run by a person with principles can be a “good” business, but I’m skeptical about any major corporation being anything but self serving.
Honestly, I think it’s the far reaching effects of the specifically American brand of capitalism that is reshaping the world. The specific ideologies that make up fundamental US perspectives on commerce are deeply ingrained in the practices and behaviours of these big companies. And the more American ideology seeps into our daily lives, the more non-US countries grow accustomed to those practices and behaviours. In Canada we felt it earlier due to proximity, even though we’ve tried to fight it. But with the internet and US culture becoming increasingly global even beyond the traditional reach of things like Hollywood, people are growing up immersed in US values that reshape their expectations. US culture and companies are pervasive and the non-US countries can only keep their guard up for so long.
I believe Costco is a common answer for this question. Relative quality for their brand products, generous return policy, employees paid well and with more benefits, good customer service, lots of free samples, famously cheap and tasty food court.
The thing with Costco though is you need a membership, and you’re going to be buying in bulk for the most part. It’s a different sort of business model.
I often find it helpful to separate companies and their people. At base, companies make money, its their main focus whether that is for charitable reasons or personal ones.
But, that does not mean that everyone working there is governed by the same run book.
I’m working on a “Pinkwashing” talk with this in mind at the moment. Though I’ve got to be honest I’ve not fully formed my own opinions here yet…
Evil companies focus on profit above all else. Focusing on profit above all else makes the company more successful in the long run. Successful, evil companies edge more benevolent companies in their shared marketplace (or convince them to change) until there are no benevolent companies left.
[quote=“Bliceheart, post:10, topic:15011”]
At base, companies make money, its their main focus whether that is for charitable reasons or personal ones. [/quote]
Granted, but why do they have to be pricks while doing so?
What’s “pinkwashing?” Is it saying women are important to the business when they aren’t actually?
Pretty much. It’s when a company is all about a cause!..except when their actions have to bear out their words, and then they’re nowhere to be found. A company turning everything rainbow in June for Pride Month while donating to the campaigns of anti-LBGTQ+ politicians is, sadly, a common example. Companies show up when there’s money to be made, and vanish when there’s actual work to be done to help the communities they’re profiting off of.
My feeling is never put your full faith in a company, they’ll probably eventually disappoint you. No company is incapable of problematic behaviour, because companies are run by people, and people are imperfect.
I like Wholesome Games, but I still have lingering problems with the types of things that are considered wholesome, and the types of games admitted into the circle, because it relies on certain privileged positions in life. But that problem is a systemic one that extends to the very ideology at the heart of the “wholesome” movement.
