Saying that companies are the cause of most or all of the world’s problems with is just saying that people are the cause. Which they are. People are the problem. All have been, always will be. In all their institutions that they occupy or by themselves.
So what? It’s not a very useful observation. If we are going to live together in peace we have to accept each other and move on with life. We have to move past seeing others who have different views, culture, and beliefs as an existential threat. Continually pointing at people and calling them an existential threat is terrifying and wrong. Stop doing it.
Companies are led by people, but in the neoliberal society we have elevated companies as an entity above people. Companies have more rights and less responsibilities than people, and more influence due to lobbying.
As well as being bound by certain rules (making profit for shareholders, due diligence) that binds them to certain decisions even if the people leading them want to do differently. It binds them to prioritise profit over any other concern.
So I do think companies are a different force than people yes. This is why I thought it was a great thing that companies were developing an identity and a conscience. Due to the power I have I want to target my buying decisions to companies which are aligned with my ideals.
This new direction takes them back to being just money makers which IMO is a bad thing. It's not all about money, considerations like environmental impact are more important right now, on the verge of a climate crisis. I want companies to have a stance on this so I can stimulate the ones that do well on this front. That in itself makes their social/environmental identity an influence on their profits.
So what? It’s not a very useful observation. If we are going to live together in peace we have to accept each other and move on with life. We have to move past seeing others who have different views, culture, and beliefs as an existential threat. Continually pointing at people and calling them an existential threat is terrifying and wrong. Stop doing it.