A number of leading capitalists assert that our economic system is âfrayedâ (Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase), âbrokenâ (Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates) and even âdeadâ (Marc Benioff, founder of Salesforce). As a result, there has been a resurgence in corporate focus on âstakeholdersâ and not just âshareholdersâ â most notably reflected in the Business Roundtable (BRT) âStatement on the Purpose of the Corporationâ released last year. In that statement, the leaders of nearly 200 of the most important U.S. corporations expressed their commitment to communities, as well as other stakeholders.
Then came the horrific death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis. Since then, many companies have joined the chorus supporting Black Lives Matter, some asserting a commitment not just to oppose racism but to be âanti-racist.â