iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Replies

By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 13/06/2026

It's been 55 years since Milton Friedman - cursed be his name - published his *NYT* editorial, "The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits," inventing "shareholder supremacy" out of whole cloth, declaring it a universal, inarguable truth: www.nytimes.com/1970/09/13/a... 1/

A fake cover for CEO magazine. The central figure is a ZOLTAR fortune-telling animatronic, seated before various divination tools. The headline over him is FIDUCIARY DUTY. In the top right corner, there's a slug reading 'UNIVERSAL EXCUSE: A bright line test that's also *totally* unfalsifiable.' To Zoltar's left is another slug reading, 'FRIEDMAN SAID IT: I believe it. That's good enough for me.'

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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 13/06/2026

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog: pluralistic.net/2026/06/13/m... 2/

pluralistic.net

Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow – No trackers, no ads. Black type, white background. Privacy policy: we don't collect or retain any data at all ever period.

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Captain Hurley 🇺🇦 🇵🇸🏳️‍⚧️🇪🇺 @zoonie.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Christ is that all.

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Three👁️Eyed👁️Devil👁️ @anarcish.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

So excited for Zoltar the mechanical psychic. Big get for him

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Lucy Kemnitzer @lucykemnitzer.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Milton Friedman's name is filth, he enabled so much destruction & murderously anti-social behavior.

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Vania @dawookie.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Fiduciary responsibility's a fine priority IF there's responsible government HOLDING the ethical boundaries to protect society and the planet from the inevitable tunnel-vision. The way conservatism wants to do it is we give toddlers a gun and the keys to a car and then <big shrug> hope they survive

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gnarlygale.bsky.social @gnarlygale.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

friedman was a deluded fanatic, whenever anyone tells you the only thing that matters is “whatever bs they’re obsessed with” they’re either a fanatic or a sociopath

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DougieLombax🩷💜💙 (Dougie/Adrienne/Zeek/not my real name) 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇮🇪🇦🇲🇺🇦 @dougielombax.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Jesus fuck that premise and thought alone sounds utterly VILE!

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rationalpear.bsky.social @rationalpear.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

there’s a basic truth milton didn’t understand (or conveniently ignored), and tbf neither do most dem politicians. corps don‘t have unalienable rights. in fact, they have no right to exist at all. a democratic society gets to decide what they can/can’t do, and what duties that have to society.

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Steve Bertoni @stealie.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Good to see someone dunking on the ethically challenged autistic savant Milton Friedman. It is stunning how little he knew of life outside academia.

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Floon @hteasley.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Milton Friedman has much to answer for. Fuck that guy.

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Laszlo Sragner @xlaszlo.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

He is so laughably simplistic that I am not even sure how his thoughts survived this long (no, actually, I perfectly know). If companies declare that, society should go and tax and regulate them into where they want. The fact that doesn't happen is a good topic for investigation.

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FatRaccoon 🦝🎈 @fatraccoon.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

...installing corporate psychopathy the Milton Friedman way.

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wil @wilful.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Next I want to know who invented "sovereign risk" and effectively said that parliament is subservient to private business.

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Karl-on-Sea @karlonsea.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

This’ll not make sense to a non-Brit, but there’s a story of an economics student having an exam panic & writing an essay about the economist Milton Keynes. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_...

en.wikipedia.org

Milton Keynes - Wikipedia

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