One problem with #capitalism, especially around publicly-traded companies, is that there is really nothing that prevents a group of rich people from buying up a popular company, saddling it with debt to the purchaser’s company, then bleeding it dry of cash, slowly ruining its products, and then selling the corpse for parts. This often nets the buyer a tidy profit, but leaves employees without a job, and customers without a product they love.

What possible countervailing force exists in a capitalist system to stop this? Absolutely nothing. Everything is above-the-table legal. All buyers need is enough money to purchase the company outright. Then squeeze, profit, discard.

Capitalism assumes people will try to profit by providing goods and services that customers are willing to buy for a premium. This assumption is often used to justify the glorification of capitalism, but this assumption is obviously false. The greatest profiteers in capitalism are “financial engineers” that produce nothing of actual value.