The Intangible Corporation

Corporations used to have a physical presence in a community and a commitment to the community.  This article describes the intangible corporation that consists primarily of intangible assets such as patents, brand value, copyrights etc.  They are also committed to shareholders who have no commitment to any particular community or to any future generation.  The less tangible the corporation the more footloose and fancy free it is.  A corporation named WhatsApp, with no physical assets, no profits and only a few employees was just purchased for $22 billion.  It may be the model for the modern intangible corporation.  The following quote provides a good description of the modern intangible corporation.

From entities with persistent ownership beholden to their nation states, corporations have transitioned into organizations with investors with no commitment to any particular nation or generation other than the present. The result is that the interests of the corporation have progressively diverged from those of the societies within which they operate.