Woke, Inc.

Are corporations championing social justice causes out of true concern, or are they creating a smokescreen to cover their relentless pursuit of profit and power?

1. Corporations Exploit Social Justice for Image Management

Companies have learned to leverage wokeness—or progressive social values—to present themselves as virtuous entities. By publicly supporting causes such as diversity, equity, and environmentalism, they distract from their questionable, profit-driven behaviors. This allows them to gain consumer trust without genuinely contributing to these movements.

Corporations often cherry-pick social causes that are already gaining traction, ensuring minimal risk to their operations while maximizing public approval. Their commitments to these causes are less about genuine change and more about co-opting popular movements for branding. This strategic alignment provides corporations with a shield against criticism of their other activities.

For instance, Goldman Sachs in 2020 claimed it would only help companies go public if they had at least one diverse board member. However, most public companies already met this standard, making Goldman’s announcement more performative than substantive. At the same time, attention was diverted from a bribery scandal involving Malaysian development funds, for which Goldman agreed to pay $5 billion in penalties.

Examples

• Walmart announced wage increases but maintained its anti-union stance.
• Coca-Cola hosted diversity training while profiting from unhealthy sugary drinks in poor communities.
• Big Oil companies run "clean energy" ads while continuing to invest heavily in fossil fuels.

2. Stakeholder Capitalism Warps Democratic Values

Stakeholder capitalism urges businesses to serve all groups affected by their actions, not just shareholders. While this sounds noble, it places corporations in the role of moral arbiters, something traditionally left to democratic debate and public policy.

This shift pressures companies to take stands on controversial political issues, from voting rights to climate change, which can alienate consumers and distort public discourse. CEOs increasingly feel compelled to voice political opinions not in their personal capacity, but with the authority of their corporation, warping the democratic process.

Delta Airlines exemplifies this when its CEO criticized Georgia’s voting legislation, stating it clashed with Delta's values. Why should a company dictate public opinion on legislation? By doing so, private corporations wield disproportionate influence over civic matters traditionally decided in democratic forums.

Examples

• Facebook’s donations to specific political causes raise constitutional questions about corporate influence.
• Nike launched social justice campaigns, leveraging Colin Kaepernick’s activism to heighten their marketability.
• Disney polices content in ways that align with shareholder concerns but limits cultural and artistic debate.

3. Conflicts of Interest Shield Corporate Misconduct

Corporations skirt regulations by carefully presenting their actions as aligned with social priorities. They skillfully use vague promises and compromise solutions to avoid harsher consequences imposed by regulations.

Pharmaceutical companies, for example, faced growing public anger over soaring drug prices. Allergan responded with a pledge to increase prices by only 9.9% annually—just shy of double digits—so they appeared cooperative while sidestepping structural changes like price caps. This wasn’t reform; it was clever PR.

These kinds of actions are shielded by the Business Judgment Rule, which protects companies from litigation unless clear financial conflicts of interest can be proven. Broader standards are needed to hold decision-makers accountable when their personal ambitions or ideological beliefs result in harm to society.

Examples

• Executives escape accountability for prioritizing “safe” environmental projects over urgent, politically sensitive ones.
• Political donations by corporations blur the line between public service and business interests.
• Social responsibility programs deflect attention from lobbying efforts against stronger healthcare regulations.

4. Wokeness Functions as a Modern Religion

Wokeness has adopted the traits of a religion, complete with dogma, rituals, and harsh consequences for those who question it. Adherents are expected to accept its worldview entirely, and those who dissent often face exclusion or punishment.

Workplaces now hold diversity and inclusion training sessions that resemble indoctrination rather than education. Employees risk being ostracized or fired for raising objections. This dynamic introduces chilling parallels to religious discrimination, as it forces personal beliefs into professional environments.

Consider the case of Emmanuel Cafferty, who innocently mimicked an OK hand gesture—unaware of its use by hate groups—and was fired after being labeled as racist. Wokeness demands conformity, teaching individuals to see privilege and bias everywhere while rejecting alternate perspectives.

Examples

• Coca-Cola’s “be less white” employee training exemplifies enforced ideological alignment.
• Google dismissed employees who protested gender pay gaps, raising free-expression concerns.
• Firms require mandatory training sessions that echo religious movements’ dogmatic meetings.

5. Companies Enable Authoritarian Regimes

Many American corporations willingly work with oppressive regimes like China’s Communist Party (CCP), sharing user data and complying with censorship laws. In bowing to regimes that abuse human rights, these brands undermine their claimed support for justice and ethical practices.

Airbnb, for instance, handed detailed user data—including phone numbers and conversations—to the CCP to maintain access to the Chinese market. The same companies that champion democracy in the US tacitly support repression abroad. This contradiction often goes unexamined by the public.

By complying with the CCP’s demands, corporations expand their market presence while turning a blind eye to abuses, such as China’s Uyghur genocide. These partnerships expose the hypocrisy underlying corporate claims of social responsibility.

Examples

• Apple preserves global sales by censoring apps that mention Tibet or human rights.
• NBA players and coaches faced backlash for speaking against Hong Kong oppression.
• YouTube complies with censorship policies abroad while banning conflicting opinions domestically.

6. Big Tech and the Issue of Censorship

Tech companies like Twitter and Facebook use their platforms to amplify certain messages while silencing dissenting views. They justify these decisions as “content moderation” under woke principles, but their actions raise ethical concerns.

Take Twitter’s 2020 treatment of the Hunter Biden laptop story. By blocking its dissemination before it could be independently verified, Twitter influenced public access to information in the lead-up to a presidential election. Such actions stretch beyond benign moderation into deliberate censorship, curbing open debate.

These companies enjoy legal immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields platforms from liability for user-generated content. However, the author argues this legal protection enables Big Tech’s overreach. A reevaluation of Section 230 is needed to protect free speech and democratic balance.

Examples

• Twitter’s banning of sitting President Donald Trump fostered acrimony over speech rights.
• Facebook adjusts its algorithms to promote or suppress causes based on internal priorities.
• Amazon dropped books with dissenting scientific or cultural viewpoints from its site.

7. A Bastardized Vision of Service Created a Vacuum

Wokeness has thrived because Americans have lost a true sense of service. Civic duties are treated as transactional obligations, where volunteering is done to build résumés rather than bolster communities.

Youthful ideals have shifted from community improvement to self-interest disguised as activism. Slogans like "defund the police" resonate not because they solve problems but because they offer an easy way to signal virtue. Corporations seize on these hollow gestures for branding.

To counter this trend, real civic service must be reinstated. A strong sense of collective purpose—achieved through mandatory service—can provide young people with the sense of belonging and shared identity they currently lack.

Examples

• Politicians talk about serving the public but clash when implementing long-term community care.
• Social media "activism" encourages shallow engagement rather than meaningful effort.
• Military or Peace Corps programs create bonds that transcend individual backgrounds.

8. Section 230 Enables Tech Companies to Dictate Free Speech

Protected by Section 230, Big Tech platforms can choose not just what gets published but what gets restricted. In doing so, these companies act as gatekeepers of speech, operating outside the realm of fair public review.

The law, while originally enacted to protect children from harmful content, helped businesses like Twitter and YouTube flourish. However, abuses arise when these companies censor opinion articles or suspensions seemingly based on political alignment. Amending Section 230 could rein in unchecked power.

Examples

• Facebook promoted select political ads while rejecting others outright.
• Reddit moderators often reinforce a specific political stance, angering its diverse user base.
• Alternative platforms like Parler struggle to compete fairly, facing legal hurdles tied to uneven enforcement of rules.

9. Resurrecting Shared National Identity

Wokeness thrives because citizens lack a shared national identity, focusing instead on divisive differences. By emphasizing actions that highlight unity instead of division, America could reclaim the solidarity it's lost.

Programs like mandatory civic service could provide young citizens with a reason to collaborate toward shared goals. Meaningful efforts, like restoring underserved areas or tutoring marginalized groups, make a lasting impact.

If volunteering is framed as a transformative experience rather than a checkbox, it can reduce adversarial ideologies while uniting citizens for the common good.

Examples

• Rural clean-up initiatives strengthen collective ties among different ethnic groups.
• Intergenerational programs connect high schoolers with elderly mentors through meaningful work.
• Awareness campaigns foster transparent, inclusive community building.

Takeaways

1. Advocate for amending rather than repealing legal protections for tech platforms to balance free speech with accountability.
2. Support mandatory civic service programs in schools to nurture collective national belonging and combat performative activism.
3. Stay mindful when large corporations publicly align with causes—research whether their actions match their claims.