A chart named Bob.

When I saw this chart for the first time, the initial thought that popped into my head was, Well looky here, it’s Bob.

Bob, but in chart form.

I used to work with Bob. You might have worked with Bob. Ever done a stint for a company that was owned by a publicly-traded entity or a private equity firm? Then you could have crossed paths with a manager who was great at nickling-and-diming but not-so-great at fostering economic growth, personifying what is shown in this chart.

They were the billionaire-friendly ones. Rentier capitalism is their capitalism. Passive-income blowhards who give bootstrappy speeches about hard work love the Bobs of the world. The Bobs are well aware that the old business adage the customer is always right has been replaced with the investor is always right.

Please, think of the yachts.

When your company’s core product or service isn’t really your company’s core product or service because the speculator-bros need gambling money, it’s weird. The people who should be in charge are not in charge and the ones who run things remind you of the officer in the war epic who gets fragged by his own troops.

Customers and clients and consumers and whoever, you keep wondering where they fit into the equation — besides providing shareholders with piles of casino chips, I mean.