[hn_throwaway_99]

> If the answer is no, you don't sell trade flows and yes, you will rebate your borrow fees, can you make a lifetime commitment that you won't go back on your word?

To be honest, why would you even ask that? "Lifetime commitments" are ridiculous. It's simply not a promise that any founder or business owner could ever make. Businesses get sold, circumstances change, etc. It's better to just accept that as a risk factor and decide whether or not you'd be comfortable taking on that risk.

[BobaFloutist]

>Businesses get sold, circumstances change

Is there really no way to put a binding bylaw in incorporation papers that will survive a sale? Something like a land-use covenant, but for a corporation?

I'm not sure that's necessary for this particular case, but for something like private data exposure I've been playing with the idea that it's the only way to actually trust a company with your data.

[hn_throwaway_99]

In the US, not that I'm aware of. I suppose it would be possible to add a "poison pill" ("If we change this, we'll pay everyone $X dollars") to then just make it a normal contract, but again essentially no company would be willing to do that because it extremely limits their options. Also, "forever" is a lot shorter than people think, it's only as long as the powers-that-be are in a position to enforce a contractual position.

[1oooqooq]

nonsense. there's millions of ways.

one is to be upfront about it on every advertisement and service description... can't get any easier than this. and is as effective as the complicated canary shenanigans.

[hn_throwaway_99]

> one is to be upfront about it on every advertisement and service description

Did you even bother reading the thread? What happens when your company gets sold, and all the old promises are thrown out the window? This has happened many times before (just ask Palmer Lucky about Facebook logins for Oculus), and that is what people are asking is preventable, and your suggestion does nothing to solve that problem.

[1oooqooq]

the marketing will have to remove all promises, so customers can move out.

they get around this using platitudes, like "do no evil".

[rcMgD2BwE72F]

>Businesses get sold, circumstances change, etc.

More importantly, founders also lie about their intent.

It's easier to trust owners when they commit and are ready to go to court over their promises. Ever heard of Lavabit? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavabit

It's never ridiculous to ask. What's ridiculous is for founders to make their customers believe they're ethical when they're not. Let's ask then, and you don't have too high expectations.