• Cyborganism
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    14711 months ago

    The reason why Valve does all this cool shit is because it’s a private company and not publicly traded. It owes nothing to no one.

    As soon as a company goes public, it owes its shareholders its profits and has an obligation to make as much as possible and use whatever means it can to do so.

    Gabe doesn’t care. He does what he wants and he knows what his customers want.

    • @RagingRobot
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      3811 months ago

      This is super true in so many ways. I worked for a private company for several years and about 2 years ago they were bought out by a public company. Things changed real quick lol. The original owners swore they would never sell too. I til they did one day lol

      • lad
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        1511 months ago

        Well, things change. With time I became more wary of people who claim they will “never” or “always” do something. It’s not a realistic thing most of the time

        • @ObsidianZed
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          411 months ago

          Definitely, though when they inevitably change their mind, it stings like an implied promise broken.

      • @spez_
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        011 months ago

        I hope my company does because I have shares

        • lad
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          511 months ago

          Such a deep meaning behind such simple comment 🌚

    • @[email protected]
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      611 months ago

      Don’t forget the part where they’re able to do that because they basically own the Windows market so pursuing projects that won’t see a RoI in the short term is possible for them but wouldn’t be for others.

    • @[email protected]
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      511 months ago

      Private companies have a fiduciary duty to their shareholders just the same as public ones. The big difference is that they tend to have far fewer shareholders and they usually all have some personal relationship. So it’s less likely to result in a lawsuit.

      Gabe apparently owns 50.1% of Valve. I don’t know who owns the rest (I’m reading some places that he got divorced, so possibly his ex-wife?), but if they’re not happy with how it’s being run they could certainly sue. That being said it seems like a money making machine at the moment, so why would you.

      • Cyborganism
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        111 months ago

        Valve is not a publicly traded company though. They don’t really care if investors aren’t making the expected profits.

        I mean, they care, but it’s all Gabe who decides in the end. If he doesn’t care as much then that’s the way it is.

    • firecat
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      -6711 months ago

      “HE kNoWnS whAT CuStoMeRs WaNT”

      No he doesn’t, people kept saying HL3 and there’s no HL3. The company committed crimes and illegal activities in many countries.

      Stop the propaganda nonsense.

      • @[email protected]
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        2111 months ago

        People don’t even know what people want. Gabe knows people expect HL3 to be some godly game and he knows what they make will in all likelihood not live up to that image. Why bother if it will just bring disappointment to everyone? Just save the effort and enjoy the memes.

      • @SquirtleHermit
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        1611 months ago

        What makes you think he doesn’t know people want HL3? Even you know, and you don’t strike me as the brightest bulb in the knife drawer.

      • @thedirtyknapkin
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        911 months ago

        regardless of Gabe knowing what people want, the point about being privately owned stands. it really is the publicly traded companies that are the problem. at least private ones aren’t legally obligated to pursue profits over all else. they have the choice to be evil. they may still make that choice, but public companies can be sued by their investors for being “charitable to customers” instead of maximizing profits.

        • @[email protected]
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          111 months ago

          I’ve heard that there’s been a marked “financialization” of corporations in the last decade or so. More and more companies make more money from leveraging/leasing/whatever rather than actually making a product and selling it to people.

          As a private company, Valve gets to avoid this.

      • @ChicoSuave
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        811 months ago

        You’re not very good at this

      • Jessie
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        311 months ago

        Half-Life Alyx wasn’t good enough for you? Sheesh, go play ANY of the HL mods or many other new games released. Bad hill to die on…