Try free for 30 days

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
For Profit cover art

For Profit

By: William Magnuson
Narrated by: Dan Woren
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST ECONOMICS BOOK OF THE YEAR

A THE ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR

We have long been suspicious of corporations recklessly pursuing profit and amassing wealth and power.

But the story of the corporation didn't have to be like this. For most of history, they were not amoral entities, but public institutions designed to promote the societies that granted them charter. Magnuson reveals how the corporation has evolved since its beginnings in the ancient world. What happens in this next chapter of the global economy depends on whether we can return to their public-minded spirit, or whether we have sunk irrevocably into the swamp of high profit at all costs.

Epic and compelling in scope, For Profit illuminates the roles corporations played, for good and evil, in the making of the modern world.

©2022 William Magnuson (P)2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Critic Reviews

Brilliantly conceived and enlightening at every turn, For Profit is a thrilling history of an institution that has shaped all our lives - for better and for worse (Lawrence Wright, author of 'The Plague Year')
In this lively and informativehistory of the corporation, William Magnuson shows that corporations were born to serve the public interest-only to be used and abused time and again to maximize profits for shareholders and executives. A must-read for any student of the world's most influential form of economic organization (Adam Winkler, author of 'We the Corporations')
A magnificent history of corporations . . . Private enterprises have produced some of humankind's greatest achievements. But often the most dazzling overstep the mark, leaving a trail of debris and distrust behind them (The Economist)

What listeners say about For Profit

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.