By definition, they have to if they’re making profits and not sharing those profits with the workers. So unless it’s a co-op, yeah every business exploits people. The workers create the surplus value with their labor and the business owner gets to decide what to do with it, dictatorially.
Why are you even asking this? Please tell me where I said that a business owner does not deserve compensation for their labor. If they’re working, they deserve compensation. However, for them to have profits (i.e. more money taken in than all of their expenses, costs, and taxes combined), that means they are by definition not paying their workers the full value of whatever the workers created with their time and labor. Wages are a cost for an owner/capitalist. If they paid workers the full amount of the value they generate with their labor, that’s less money that the owner gets to take home, even though they weren’t the ones who created that wealth. If they worked and paid themselves the same as the workers or split the profits with the workers, and made decisions about all of the expenses/management of the business democratically, it wouldn’t be exploitation. When I say exploitation, I don’t mean they are creating awful working conditions or being abusive or something extreme; I’m literally just talking about workers not receiving the full value generated by their labor.
Projecting bezos onto all business owners is a bit of a bad faith argument, no?
Consider small businesses. Dry cleaners, home cleaning services, restaurants. Their owners usually work every day, and get paid no salary at all, or at most, a very small salary. Any payment/ retirement they get is when they hopefully, eventually make it big or sell the business.
Do you really feel that every business exploits people?
By definition, they have to if they’re making profits and not sharing those profits with the workers. So unless it’s a co-op, yeah every business exploits people. The workers create the surplus value with their labor and the business owner gets to decide what to do with it, dictatorially.
Does the owner not deserve compensation for the risk, time, and energy he takes in starting the business, and organizing and supporting the team?
Why are you even asking this? Please tell me where I said that a business owner does not deserve compensation for their labor. If they’re working, they deserve compensation. However, for them to have profits (i.e. more money taken in than all of their expenses, costs, and taxes combined), that means they are by definition not paying their workers the full value of whatever the workers created with their time and labor. Wages are a cost for an owner/capitalist. If they paid workers the full amount of the value they generate with their labor, that’s less money that the owner gets to take home, even though they weren’t the ones who created that wealth. If they worked and paid themselves the same as the workers or split the profits with the workers, and made decisions about all of the expenses/management of the business democratically, it wouldn’t be exploitation. When I say exploitation, I don’t mean they are creating awful working conditions or being abusive or something extreme; I’m literally just talking about workers not receiving the full value generated by their labor.
No. Whatever “feats” the owner is pulling, they are never enough to justify them getting 99% of the profits while the workers get the crumbs.
Bezos does not work a billion times harder than his average employee.
Projecting bezos onto all business owners is a bit of a bad faith argument, no?
Consider small businesses. Dry cleaners, home cleaning services, restaurants. Their owners usually work every day, and get paid no salary at all, or at most, a very small salary. Any payment/ retirement they get is when they hopefully, eventually make it big or sell the business.