[s1artibartfast]

I'm not saying anything is the employees fault. Good on them for taking advantage of systemic dysfunction to get a salary. I just don't think it is also an argument that they are creating value.

As for the shareholder, If I were to steal man the position I would say the critical role in the machine they provide is the motivation. The equivalent of the animal brain amygdala. Their existence provides the drive to execute and reward pathway.

A different analysis might say that both the useless employee and the shareholders are cancer, sucking up value and providing nothing. In a better designed system both would be surgically removed