Corporate Profit Motive

The cluster revolves around discussions of how for-profit companies prioritize maximizing profits over societal good, ethics, or altruism, with sarcasm, defenses, and criticisms of this behavior.

📉 Falling 0.4x Startups & Business
5,262
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#119
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
4
2008
19
2009
26
2010
58
2011
73
2012
88
2013
128
2014
156
2015
132
2016
166
2017
290
2018
368
2019
449
2020
422
2021
548
2022
487
2023
755
2024
548
2025
513
2026
34

Keywords

US HN MBA CEO STRICTLY GM OTOH profit profits companies maximizing motive company society money corporation profit company

Sample Comments

beaconstudios • Dec 31, 2021 • View on HN

Companies do what's profitable, not what's good.

rmc • Dec 6, 2018 • View on HN

Maybe the problem is profit-driven companies...

amenod • Jul 7, 2013 • View on HN

Companies mostly care about making money, not being beneficial to human race. (not passing judgement, just observing)

stalfosknight • Sep 12, 2023 • View on HN

How dare a profit-seeking corporation want to make money!

redmen • May 5, 2022 • View on HN

It's a pity companies seek profit above all else?

alexeisadeski3 • Mar 1, 2014 • View on HN

Sounds like you're saying that companies should only do things for profit - but only if it's actually profitable :)

jfrunyon • Nov 9, 2020 • View on HN

... do you really expect a company, whose entire goal and motive is maximizing profit, to waste their profits? Because if so this conversation is not worth continuing.

dunstad • May 24, 2019 • View on HN

Sounds like the profit motive has some significant issues.

LightBug1 • Sep 23, 2025 • View on HN

Aren't they a profit motivated company?I'm not necessarily saying that's a bad thing. But it inevitably means they will not always be aligned.

scarface_74 • Mar 29, 2025 • View on HN

You mean for profit companies only do things that are in their self interest? I am shock!