Businesses don’t need to be moral to succeed

Businesses don’t need to be moral to succeed

There are a lot of ways to run a business and make good money in a way that is fair to everyone. There are also ways to run a business that are manipulative and exploitative, and those can make good money as well. A great example would be those companies that are using AI to make life worse for all of us, but are probably succeeding — at least for now.

In a recent podcast episode from Seth Godin, he explained his take on things:

The business model of building an asset around acting like a leader. But that doesn’t mean it’s the only business model. There have always been business models exploited by capitalists that don’t meet most of our standards for how moral leaders ought to lead.

He also explains that where there are a lot of different business models, one direction is clearly better than the other:

There are many different business models. I have spent 20 years encouraging people to look at an overlooked one. It is the business model of trust and attention, of generosity and care, the business model of humanity, of being the one who’s worth paying extra for, of being the one we would miss if you were gone.

You can work to make things better for everyone, or you can work to take as much as you can for yourself. I hope you choose the right one.