[r_hoods_ghost]

Neither. Both. They exist in a state of constant negotiation with their hosts, driven by the corporate equivalent of a survival instinct.

[ben_w]

I wonder how they compare to the power of the British East India Company at various points in the latter’s history?

[emodendroket]

Can't think of any army they've fielded, nor any monopoly the government has explicitly granted them, so the analogy has its limits.

[ben_w]

Apples and oranges can, despite the aphorism, be compared.