The East India company era had WAY less regulation all around, way lower taxes, less types of taxes, a very attractive simple investment climate (the literal founding of the concept "stock market", in its simplest and most primitive form) and close to 0 (illegal) immigration. They also had no euro, no socialist EU and no self-imposed limitations on energy conversion (there was no electricity, but wind was huge and allowed for mass production of stuff).
When companies were operated by royal charter and owned by aristocrats there wasn’t much meaningful distinction between dividends and taxation.
> They also had no euro, no socialist EU and no self-imposed limitations on energy conversion (there was no electricity, but wind was huge and allowed for mass production of stuff).
These are the diseases of weak states, incapable of creating state ownership enterprises that could dominate the world.
From the East India Companies to Airbus, strong European companies have been made around strong European states.