The Wealth of Corporations/The Powers of the World

There are about 30 countries in the world that have net wealth greater than the market valuations of the richest corporations. The net wealth of the UK, the fifth richest nation, is about 15 times the market valuation of Apple or Amazon. The richest nation, the US, has a multiple of about 100. India, number 45 Peru, #44, on the country list, has a net wealth somewhat less than Tencent, Facebook or Berkshire Hathaway (each recently #5 on the corporate list). Wikipedia lists India twice, once at #45 and once at #12 - I think the latter, at 6-7 multiples of the largest corporations, is more likely,

In terms technical expertise, no national government is competitive with these corporations, and in terms of data and information - the oil and steel of the modern age - there might be something like parity between the very most powerful states and the great information corporations, except that the corporations surely have it better organized.

I was pretty shocked by these facts, but it's indicative of the amount of power concentrated in the hands of these entities and those who lead them. For both corporations and nations, power is distributed to varying degrees, but both have vast control over our lives.

Of course Berkshire Hathaway doesn't have nuclear weapons, and India does.

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