[tanderson92]

> > Maximizing shareholder value is like a death grip that squeezes any public corporation into not making financial gambles on ethical grounds.

> Will this meme never die on HN? There is an obvious counter-example: Apple, a public corporation who publicly fought a similar request.

This is a poor example to use to disprove the claim; Apple used the FBI encounter to prove to customers that they were tough on security, a component of their value proposition to a segment of the customer base.

[snowwrestler]

"Maximizing shareholder value" has become like a Rorschach test, or a "just-so" story that people try to use to retroactively explain everything.

Why didn't Yahoo fight their order? Maximizing shareholder value.

Why did Apple fight their order? Maximizing shareholder value.

An explanation that applies to all outcomes does not actually explain anything.

[tanderson92]

Regardless of the merit of your claim, it remains the case that the provided example is ineffective.

There were many earlier this year that said standing up to the FBI improved their perception in foreign markets.