Woke Capitalism Quotes

“Paying tax is the corporate social responsibility and a means through which a share of corporate profits can be allocated for the provision of social goods by a government that, in liberal democratic countries, is at least notionally able to represent the interests of the people. Not so for Amazon, however, who has long been the poster child as a tax avoider par excellence.”
― Carl Rhodes, Woke Capitalism: How Corporate Morality is Sabotaging Democracy

“Woke capitalism is a defensive move that serves to quell this frustration, to preserve, if not enhance, a status quo where corporations hold an increasing share of political power. This is a power, however, that can no longer be justified by the assumption that the invisible hand of capitalism will lead to shared prosperity. That is a myth that has very much been busted by the facts of history. In place of the invisible hand, with woke capitalism, corporations seek a moral justification for their existence, positioning themselves as the saviours of the exploitative inequality-generating system that they produced. This is being achieved by a hostile takeover of democracy.”
― Carl Rhodes, Woke Capitalism: How Corporate Morality is Sabotaging Democracy

“According to George, it is because when a company has a social purpose, its employees, in a bid to make their lives meaningful, will align their sense of purpose with that of the company. The result is that they work harder and are more innovative, and ‘that, in turn, leads to increased revenues and ultimately greater profitability – the basis for creating ongoing shareholder value’.22 In other words, acting woke is a way to squeeze productivity out of people without paying them any more.”
― Carl Rhodes, Woke Capitalism: How Corporate Morality is Sabotaging Democracy

“What makes today’s woke capitalism different from the corporate social responsibility of the past is that it is not just about maintaining legitimacy, preventing revolt and forestalling regulation; it is about the direct takeover of democracy, both ideologically and practically.”
― Carl Rhodes, Woke Capitalism: How Corporate Morality is Sabotaging Democracy