The statutes of incorporation that were signed and put on record when your company was formed, almost certainly say that the goal of the business is to create as much shareholder value as possible. That's a legal obligation.

The shareholders who own a part of the company, almost certainly took their stake as position for collecting some of that shareholder value, that is to say, to make money. Whether that is from annual dividends, or just an increased share value over time, or both.

This is what drives the need for companies to orient themselves around, and measure/report on short term financials. Every week, month, quarter, year, the financial graph should be trending "up and to the right".

For some, it's not even about profit - just revenues. Some large tech companies that you are familiar with still don't declare any profits - but their share value has risen *enormously*, which is great for shareholders.

For a corporate listed on a stock exchange, this situation is almost impossible to reverse. So the board will have a very tough time making any radical changes, as long as the numbers are going up and to the right.

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For the rest of us, there is much more hope. Small and medium size companies have fewer shareholders, sometimes just the family or founders. They should be easier to persuade to think long term over short term, and certainly much more attuned with the non-financial value being created.

Startups and freelancers? You're in luck, with no legacy, you get to choose your long term strategy every single day. Go you!