Woke Capitalism

In this age of cancelation, corporate American has become increasingly political—or gone “woke” in current parlance. American corporations are certainly under many types of pressure from all directions, but why do they almost always seem to move in one direction—toward increasing left-wing progressivism.

Some pressure is direct and public. Other is exerted through the boardroom under the rubric of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), often through shareholder activism. Sometimes the influence is applied internationally, especially from China seeking to influence public opinion, shape government decisions, and acquire U.S. technology.

Western capitalism is suffering from this increased politicization, neatly captured in the proverbial observation “get woke, go broke.”

Commentary and Research

• “Courage Is Not Enough to Overcome Woke-Progressivism,” December 21, 2021
• “Can ‘Woke’ Boardroom Culture Be Broken?,” July 7, 2021
• “Woke Capitalism in Woke, Inc.,” September 1, 2021
• “Shareholder Activism: Woke Capitalism from the Inside,”
• “The Dictatorship of Woke Capital and the Politicization of American Business,” March 10, 2021
• “The Walmart Foundation, a Microcosm of Woke Capital,” August 14, 2020

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