I thought the same, kinda sad isn't it? Palm's email to Apple was like a teacher talking to an unruly teen, but not insultingly so.

So what do we learn? Either Karma isn't real, or being a childish bully is the key to success. I'm not sure I like either answer.

> Either Karma isn't real

If you look not at the companies, but individuals...

Only the western mainstream version of karma is supposed to work within one's lifetime. The proper spiritual interpretations of it usually span multiple lifetimes. Not a huge believer myself, but I agree with your conclusion, this kind of short-acting karma surely doesn't exist. As demonstrated daily by the many horrible influential people.

I’d say Christianity relies pretty heavily on fears of the guy in the sky and what happens after you die

What happens when religion loses its place in western society though. Hummmm

Yes it does, but even this version is not the quick "what goes around, comes around" what people casually think karma is, or what media like /r/instantkarma reinforces (albeit playfully).

Karma is just not the only factor. It sure helps but Palm just had the wrong strategic vision and didn't have great marketing. WebOS was not a bad idea but they didn't manage to sell it well.

from my own experience and observations i'd say anti-karma is real. you do good, fate will punish you for it ;)

It looks like it's impossible to build a highly successfull public company as shareholders (likely because of eroded responsibility) will always prioritise profit over ethics

that would imply, rather simply, that we would have more ethical companies if public ownership was forbidden. but i don't think that would be true.

The entity with more integration had more power than the one without.

It's sort of why we have anti monopoly laws on the books.

It's not to penalize successful people it's to prevent their largess from becoming a financial bloodclot within their industry.

The petulant, unreasonable bully died of a treatable cancer while the much more emotionally intelligent, reasonable person lives on. Universe in balance. Jobs was a gaping asshole and the world is richer without him in it.

Capitalism is a system which favors acting in an unethical manner.

Which is why things like minimum wage laws, anti-cartel regulations etc exist

It was not just business. It was illegal collusion.

direct slavery is very profitable