I wouldn’t mind the idea of everything going digital. So long as we actually own the digital copies we buy. So long also as we are able to continually access said digital copies. We wouldn’t be having this physical vs digital debate going on for so long, if the practices of what companies like Sony and other media companies have been going about with handling digitally purchased content.
It’s a very stupid easy of a solution that has been continually fumbled time and time again. Because greed got in the way.
Yes. I think I assumed the opposite of publicly traded was privately traded?
You’re getting there! There is nothing to trade in a private company. People may own more or less of a private company via ownership of private shares, but it’s not what we think about when we use the terms “traded” or “shares”.
And is the difference that publicly traded corporations have stricter fiduciary requirements to shareholders? Because that’s why I’ve always heard Steam is able to hold the line on line must go up.
Fiduciary requirements are often overblown in conversations online. They do not require the CEO to show a profit, quarter after quarter. The idea is more like, “Do what’s best as best as you know, and don’t fuck anything up too badly or on purpose.”
For example, the CEO of my last company told the Board of Directors that he intended to lose money for two years while he built up our people and products. They applauded him! (We screwed around and made a profit anyway.)
But yes, private corporations have way more control over the company’s direction.