Sigh. Sorry that I didn't specify "long-term route." Some of those examples are of companies making moves that made them money in the short term but hurt them in the long run. In a free market, customers can easily stop giving money to corporations that do that. I might point out that in a couple of those scenarios heavy government regulations and/or protections made that difficult for people to do. I would also point out that those examples are a small percentage of companies overall because again, most people are good people. Things will never be perfect, but we don't list off the examples of successful companies giving customers what they want because there are so many.

Also, you have to understand that public corporations get cash from people buying their products and services and from investors. The investors are therefore just as much their customers as you and I are. Often it feels like investors preferences are given far more deference than your and my preferences. In a free market, we can pay attention to that and make choices accordingly.

Finally, your opioid example is very pertinent to the original topic. You and I were not Purdue Pharmas customers in that scenario. The doctors and insurance companies were. We are just a weird cost of doing business caught in the middle.