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Corporate Power vs. Shareholder Representation
The current structure of financial management, where firms like BlackRock and Vanguard control voting rights for mutual funds and ETFs, undermines individual shareholder representation. This centralization leads to corporate executives prioritizing their fiduciary duty to these fund managers over their responsibility to ordinary shareholders. Consequently, executives may make decisions harmful to the public, as their job security hinges on pleasing just a few powerful entities rather than acting in the best interest of the broader shareholder base. This dynamic erodes the principles of capitalism and allows corporate leaders to make unethical choices for profit—often disregarding the health and well-being of consumers—reflecting a systemic issue where accountability is limited, and the interests of a select few prevail over those of the many.