> Someone in power doesn’t get to choose - the board of directors do. Who’s job is to act in the best interest of shareholders.

Alas, shareholder value is a great ideal, but it tends to be honoured in practice rather less strictly.

As you can also see when sudden competition leads to rounds of efficiency improvements, cost cutting and product enhancements: even without competition, a penny saved is a penny earned for shareholders. But only when fierce competition threatens to put managers' jobs at risk, do they really kick into overdrive.