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What do you think of this prediction? (programming.dev)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 52 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (25 children)

I think this post massively overestimates the power a CEO has. The CEO is beholden to the shareholders. Valve is private, ~~so~~ and its shareholders are its workers. It would be useful to know how many shares Gaben has of valve, but I still don't think the next CEO would suddenly also be the majority owner.

Also, I know things have changed a lot in the last 12 years, but 12 years ago regarding the total dissolution of Valve, Gaben said:

“It’s way more likely we would head in that direction than say, ‘Let’s find some giant company that wants to cash us out and wait two or three years to have our employment agreements terminate."

Also, forcing users onto windows is THE way to kill valve's profits. The whole point of the Linux push was a direct response to the windows store, and msft's threat of forcing valve to give them a cut of purchase through steam. Msft will still do that the first chance it gets. So even the most profit-minded new leader wouldn't make that choice, as it's plainly shortsighted.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Employees are stakeholder, not necessarily shareholder. Management, likely. The grunts, I think not so much.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

How are you differentiating stakeholder and shareholder? The employees are certainly shareholders.

Valve doesn't really hire "grunts". The people who are actually considered employees of valve are very few and highly skilled. The number of Wikipedia from 2016 is very out of date and estimates 360. But valve's LinkedIn still says "over 300".

[–] ben_dover 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

there are common definitions for both terms. the employees aren't shareholders as long as they don't own a part of the company, but they are stakeholders since they have something to do with the company. their partners, publishers, etc. are stakeholders too

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

Yes, I was making sure that was the distinction you were making, because I'm trying to disambiguate for you: the employees of valve are both shareholders and stakeholders.

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