Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by wbl 2518 days ago
Do you think Boeing owners would like it if no one bought Boeing planes because of safety concerns? Of course not.
1 comments

They might not 'like' it but they might not care enough as long as the stock goes up and the dividends keep flowing. The regulation should be there to prevent the erosion of certain boundaries, the eternalization of certain costs and the eventual public recovery of the profits.

Like most of the neoliberale 'economic theoretical models', the idea that the regulation is fully separated from the arena of the competition and thus cannot be captured and coopted is so ludicrous it begs the question how it ever became more than a joke in a b-list standup comedian's backup repertoire.

The dividends would not flow if no one ordered the plane.
Planes are ordered because companies hope they can make a profit operating them (the hope is important, it does not necessarily mean they can). Which planes they order depends on many factors other than safety. Costs and risks of accidents are externalized through insurance, executive and shareholder indemnification and. as a last resort. bankruptcy. Then again, if they are seen as 'strategically relevant', or have the right connections, they can rest assured they will not have to pull in the 'last resort and will be bailed out of any troubles.

A German automaker was caught gassing the world population. They're still around, even having the audacity not to even change the brand name.