Hi. Four things. 1. Sign the petition calling on Danaher and Cepheid to lower test prices in impoverished communities: timefor5.msfaccess.org/?recruiter_id=127 2. My article in the Washington Post: www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/03/21/tuberculosis-deadliest-curable-disease-tests-john-green/ 3. The new 50-minute Crash Course on human responses to tuberculosis: ua-cam.com/video/7D-gxaie6UI/v-deo.htmlsi=GDPIBsRu_wNI4GHr 4. Join the community fighting for equitable access to tuberculosis testing and treatment: tbfighters.org, and tell Danaher that this is not okay. They're @danahercorporation on youtube and on most social media platforms. Thanks for being here with us. -John
*Next Danaher shareholder meeting:* "We've been receiving continued calls to decrease our test prices in low and middle income countries, and we fear it could begin to effect our interests financially." .... "Well where are these calls coming from?" ... "The call is coming from...inside."
John Green buying a share of a company as both a promise and a threat that he will tank his own portfolio until we are heard is both an incredible strat and also the funniest and most on brand thing I've ever heard.
It's called "shareholder activism" and there's a long history of it, including at major investor scales (organizations buying not 10 shares but 10% or more of all shares).
John, as a shareholder, you can vote in the company's annual meeting too! I love voting "no" on approving executive compensation for other billion dollar companies I own 3 shares of.
In addition to compensation votes, shareholders can propose binding changes to the way a company does business. I for one would be completely onboard with joining a Nerdfighteria activist investor team. For example, a successful proposal limiting a company this big from pursuing profit margins in excess of 100%, (for a rough example), on any business unit would go a long way toward creating a responsible company, and possibly an industry-wide shift. There would still be a need to push that public narrative, but the more committed votes, the stronger the push.
Can you IMAGINE being a big shareholder that likes making money, and then THIS NERD drops into your conference call and talks your ear off about how you're actively making healthcare harder to access around the world? Love you, John.
Hammer and sickle needs to adapt, for the profit system that benefits from itself and its margins also moves and adapts to hammers that were shown to be effective
Shareholder activism is, I think, an underrated tactic. Yelling in the public square is important in a lot of ways, but getting in a room and quietly talking lands different and, often, with more impact. Plus, the opportunity to vote for various choices and roles within the organization can make change happen fast, too.
if every nerdfighter who could afford to bought a share in danaher and made john our proxy, his voice in those meetings would be hugely amplified. i wish people were organizing things like this, but i think that shame around wealth amongst progressives is a real barrier to using that wealth to effect change.
Signed. I remember when John started mass posting about TB and thought "this is a strangely niche interest of his". Now I want nothing more to storm the gates of TB and destroy it
John, there was a recent study that suggested invoking one’s legacy can encourage the rich to act more charitably. That might be a strategy to add to your persuasive repertoire when speaking with other shareholders, if you haven’t tried it already. Thanks as always for your efforts on TB
The thrill I got when John said he gets to attend meetings and tell other shareholders how they are profiting off of sick people in impoverished circumstances!! There is a rush in getting to be the person who can hold the mirror up for people to face their own greed and systemic violence.
There is a classic movie about an elderly woman basically taking over a shareholder meeting for whatever her (valid) agenda is, and the pompous rich guys can't stop her bc she owns 1 share and is allowed to be there and speak. I can't remember the title and google is not helping. But they should remake it with John as the one annoying ethical person in the room. ETA: I'm convinced there is one with an elderly widow and her 1 share from her late husband, but I'm going to watch this and see what someone can do with 10 shares. ua-cam.com/video/yNJeXhAfJUs/v-deo.html Apparently $175k in 1956 money is ~$2 million now, not counting bonuses, stock, and other perks of course.
I'd say beating them at their own game. "Buy stock, get rich!" OK, I will maliciously comply with your society's weird way of functioning. Soon I will be richer by about $10 AND the knowledge of thousands of lives saved!
There's a book called the Ship Who Searched where a character does exactly that, with the intention of pushing a company to make a certain product that will benefit everyone who has the same disability she has.
Probably because it's out of reach for most interested parties to become a shareholder in any significant way. John is leveraging several positions of privilege here to accomplish this, and it's great; it's just not a tactic widely available to most of us.
Danaher's understanding of their responsibility to its shareholders is accurate. Congress needs to pass a law that allows companies to factor in more than just dollars into what is "good" for shareholders, like social or ecological impact.
This is a misunderstanding. It goes back to a 1970 Milton Friedman article in the New York Times Magazine, called "A Friedman Doctrine: The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profits." This is where the whole idea of "A company's only obligation is to return shareholder value" came from, and it took on a life of its own in popular business culture. While this can sound good and proper in a certain context, the idea that a company cannot legally consider anything else is completely nonsense. Certainnly a company that harms shareholders due to negligence or malice is neither acting in its own best interest, or that of the shareholders, and shareholders can sue in civil court when that happens. But there are lots of reasons for companies to do the right thing, even if it returns less value to shareholders, and this is entirely legal.
There are factors of long term business growth and stability that are also in shareholder's interest, not just short term profits. That's why the threat of reputational damage can effect business change that would lower profits. There is a "benefit corporation" designation that enshrines broader responsibilities on a company's mandate, but the actual legal impact is sometimes limited (and AFAIK, it's still a limited number of states that have such a designation). There's a nonprofit that operates a "B-Corp" certification (some states require business incorporated as a benefit corporation to maintain a similar certification, but any company can pursue the certification), and while it has its limitations it does provide a public baseline of what a company does to serve it's employees, local community, and the planet. Maintaining the certification, and the positive reputational impact that it provides, can be justified as a reason for a company to take actions that reduce short term profits.
Just watched the crash course on TB and it’s an exceptionally well made video! Thanks to all the netdfighters for not just donating but also spreading awareness
The real flaw is business schools teaching people that "shareholder interest" means "higher profits" only, and that shareholders have no interests other than profit.
@@lijohnyoutube101is it really what most shareholders want, or is it the stereotype that is grossly overestimated? I know there’s a lot of money greedy people who are shareholders, but surely that’s not everyone in stocks. What about people who like money but like being part of a good cause more?
@@cameronschyuder9034 It is actually the vast majority (a sad reality of our society) however the last few decades some very slow change has occurred) you can support SRI (socially responsible investing) nowadays and its become a sub-genre of investing but its still relatively small and unfortunately too much of that style is still ‘green washing’ and ‘window dressing’ but there is some progress. Also many invest via their employer ls retirement plan and its very atypical that companies include SRI options in the retirement choices.
YES! Like, yes, I want to be able to pay off my school debt, maintain my car, and some day retire NOT in a Medicaid-funded nursing home, but like...is a 300% markup that only gives you a $10 profit really necessary?? That's more than I would be making _off_ the stocks; I think y'all can move money around a little better
It doesn't have to be, though. Hear me out. Lower the price of the strips. Make them 150% markup instead of 300%. This makes them cost a LOT less, making them more affordable in more places. More people buy them. Your profit AMOUNT goes up. You get both saving people and making profits.
@@justforplaylists Okay, so people seem to have a hard time comprehending this. Let's say I make a widget for $1. I sell it for $2. I make $1/widget. I sell 10 widgets, I make $10 in profit. If I sell them for $1.50, I make less PER widget. but, if I sell 20 of them, I make $10 in profit still. If lowering the price to allow 21 people to buy it, when only 10 used to, then I've made more profit total.
Indeed, but then people need to assert their value and influence again. Like we did when we created unions,taxed the rich, got worker safety regulations, environmental protection and even revolutions against the entrenched psychopaths who amassed financial power. But as long as the average voter is dumber than a sack of wet paper shreds, profits will rule over people.
So if a hospital in a poorer country has a $5k budget for testing, they can currently buy about 300 tests at $15/each, but if it comes down to $5, they can buy 1000 tests and Danaher still makes $5k? But if demand for tests goes up, they probably get some economies of scale on the production, so their costs don't go up at the same rate of their increased volume. I don't see how this isn't good for them too. Also, do they make any of the treatments for the things they are testing? More tests equals more treatments equals more profit in other business lines.
The $5 figure is the production cost of the test. So the idea is if they lower the price to $5 then Danaher is selling them at cost and make no profit.
Signing petitions is not pointless. In the Navy 100,000 people signed a petition to keep our rates, which are traditional job titles such as Boatswains Mate (BM, which has been around since the formation of the Navy) and that petition changed the Navy's decision to switch to job codes. We kept our rates. This petition will work, we just need to support it and sign it.
The Green Brothers are truly exceptional human beings. John literally putting his money where his mouth is. Now he has a share and an amplified voice. Sensational. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I pointed out to my health care insurance provider and my bank that we are not the customer, we are the product. And my Doctor actually agreed with me. Because we have poor people here in the US, and I'm one of them.
Because you mentioned financial services, I recommend looking into a credit union in your area that you could join! Credit unions are not-for-profit, cooperative banking organizations that offer all the benefits of a regular bank, but they have no stockholders and so are beholden only to their members. I work for a credit union and I'm passionate about the credit union model as an ethical alternative to traditional banking. If you're interested, do some research!
Big heart. Big wallet. Those two things don't usually come together so beautifully as with you guys, John and Hank. The world is better with you guys. Thank you. Please never stop.
Hi from Sydney Australia. I just signed the petition. It’s vital for those in poor countries to get access to medical aid and to help them on the road to conquering the infections and viruses that we have in our affluent countries. Because until people in those poorer countries enjoy the health that we do in our better off countries, we won’t enjoy health. All it takes is one mutation to happen. And all it takes is lack of facilities and testing in one part of the world for a disease to take root again. To come back to bite us all in the butt. So even if it’s purely for the ulterior reason of keeping yourself well, Sign This Petition….. ⚛️☮️🌏
I set up background checks for a staffing company in the US for other US companies and we do some medical and have to make sure people are immune/vaccinated for certain things. The tests for various titers are around $20-30 for things like Hep B, Varicella, and MMR. The TB test is around $250. My threshold for needing someone in accounting to sign off on expenses is a background check that is over $300. We had to make a different threshold if the person needs a TB titer because of how expensive that test is.
You are helping us change the world for the better. I grew up being told I could do anything I wanted, with a huge heart, but 40 years of life has beaten me into the ground. Being a part of this has renewed that little voice inside me that encouraged me to do the right thing. You mentioned that signing petitions feels like screaming into the void but seeing these changes has helped me to stand up straight again. Thank you for reminding us to stand up for what we believe in. Thank you for making the world a better place. Thank you for restoring hope to my forlorn spirit. I love this community.
"Because when I hear that a company's primary obligation is not to its employees or its customers or the social order, but instead to its shareholders, what I hear is that the only way to get [the Company] to do the right thing is to cost them more in reputational harm than they do from overcharging the poor." - John Green I need a massive poster with this to share any time someone shrugs and ignores a problem due to "Capitalism". We can do better. This is how. "And if we haven't made it expensive enough, rest assured that we will continue until we do" ✊
The Vlogbrothers and their community genuinely give me hope for humanity and help me through my depression even from the outside looking in. Thank you.
Hi John, thanks for using your influence for such good. I’m a big fan of politely and passionately applying pressure to get the tests cheaper. It’s an excellent strategy and we know it works. We are with you. We are in this fight and you are not alone. Sending you good thoughts as you handle being the public face of this for our community.
Signed!! Also I have sent the link to this video to multiple people and posted it in a few places. I hope it helps! Now I'm off to go watch your Crash Course TB video. Thank you!
When I began watching Vlogbrothers as a college kid in 2007, I would not have guessed that someday the fandom would be taking on Big Pharma, but I am so glad it is. Proud of all of us for getting older without giving up.
You are a genius John. This is such a tactical & creative plan to make a real impact! I can’t wait to sign the petition, & I can’t wait to for all of your hard work to result in less tuberculosis deaths worldwide! You are truly fucking inspiring! ❤
My friend's mom actually won the Order of Canada (highest civilian award) for her contribution in the 1980s to have church group actually CHANGE the companies they had invested in, rather than simply divest themselves of those stocks. The idea being that they had the best capabilities of doing good by forcing the companies to do better since they would have been significant shareholders. Basically change from the inside. Of course, the companies fought hard. But ultimately it was very effective. Probably the most important thing one can do for change is by influencing investors directly.
I love the work that you and Hank do. This is such an incredible thing that you are using your platform for. There will be real change and they’ll be talking about you for centuries. Way to go. I can only dream of doing something so great one day.
I dunno if i fully agree with you on this one, John. When I hear them say "we are obligated to prioritize our shareholders before the well being of humanity" i dont think "i should buy stock so my voice counts or make them feel guilty" i think "I should pass laws that make it illegal to price gouge developing countries for profit"
Thats basically why I was in Washington D.C. last week, but until we get such reform to our systems, I believe in reacting the emergencies like emergencies and using the systems we currently have as well as we can. Absolutely agree with you that this is no long-term solution, and that the reformation of our systems to include more people and prioritize the poor is the only lasting solution. -John
I continue to remain hopeful that our voices will bring about change ❤ thank you for guiding us with your passion and integrity. I'm off to sign the petition now.
JOHN, YOU ARE A MODERN DAY HERO! YOU ARE FIGHTING THE SHSTEM FROM WITHIN AND THAT TAKES COURAGE AND FINANCIAL COMMITMENT AND THIS IS THE MOST INSPIRING I HAVE FELT IN YEARS ♥️♥️♥️♥️
According to their disclosures, Danaher's corporate governance is bound by the "long-term interests of shareholders", which is not the same as maximizing profits. Public companies are not federally mandated to maximize profits, as Lynn Stout discusses in her book "The Shareholder Value Myth". We can fight the myth and convince boards to manage their companies according to a more comprehensive value function which includes societal good as well.
Signed! Glad to be able to do something to make a difference. I appreciate how You (John) and Hank are always bringing these things to our attention and sharing a simple way to try and make a positive impact on the world.
In a world where there are so many things that need fixing, and me being so small and lacking time an energy to do much for the greater world good. Thank you for giving me an easy opportunity to chip in!
Activist investoring is one of my absolute favorite concepts among publicly traded companies. It is why I am a major advocate for stock options because not only does it compensate the workers who help the company function, but also allows them to have a voice in the management of the firm without needing to function as a worker co-op. The downside is many companies are structured in a way that C level executives are often compensated with stock options which allow them to appoint a board that benefits them, but not necessarily the whole company. I encourage anyone who has individual shares of their company to vote and if talking with an advisor or portfolio members to have them prioritize companies with high ESG scores. A concept that is newer to finance but is a direct result of people like us putting pressure on the actions taken by conpanies outside of profitability
You know it's serious when Fantano puts on the yellow flannel! I've never heard of the band Danaher but I'm guessing this Price Gouging album gets a Not Good.😂 Thanks for the update, John. I'm glad there is someone there to talk some sense into these people.
I love how John's old Warner Chilcott approach to extortionate pharmaceutical practices is not only something he still does, but something that we can support and something that can have a real and positive impact for those who need it.
@@geeksdo1tbetter Warner Chilcott increased the price of a medication (needed by Hank to manage his ulcerative colitis) overnight by 1,200%. John's response was to buy shares in Warner Chilcott so he could use that small ownership share to lean on the company to be more reasonable about the medication prices. I don't think it was very well targeted or successful then, but the concept clearly still holds in John's mind, and this time is being used for really positive and necessary ends.
Hi. Four things. 1. Sign the petition calling on Danaher and Cepheid to lower test prices in impoverished communities: timefor5.msfaccess.org/?recruiter_id=127
2. My article in the Washington Post: www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/03/21/tuberculosis-deadliest-curable-disease-tests-john-green/
3. The new 50-minute Crash Course on human responses to tuberculosis: ua-cam.com/video/7D-gxaie6UI/v-deo.htmlsi=GDPIBsRu_wNI4GHr
4. Join the community fighting for equitable access to tuberculosis testing and treatment: tbfighters.org, and tell Danaher that this is not okay. They're @danahercorporation on youtube and on most social media platforms.
Thanks for being here with us. -John
Just signed- let’s do this!
I have followd you for years. Will you please speak out before a million people starve to death!!!!!
I cannot sign the petition if I select my own country (netherlands) is this something I did wrong or is it intended?
Signed.
@@Speederzzz Did you give your name? It only works if you check the "yes" box...
Oh, man. You know things are dire when a primary benefit to JOHN GREEN is GOING TO MEETINGS. Godspeed, John!
you're SO right
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😂😂
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Real
*Next Danaher shareholder meeting:*
"We've been receiving continued calls to decrease our test prices in low and middle income countries, and we fear it could begin to effect our interests financially."
....
"Well where are these calls coming from?"
...
"The call is coming from...inside."
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*Takes glasses off* "My god."
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Are ... they in the room with us right now?
😂😂😂 Yes!
John Green buying a share of a company as both a promise and a threat that he will tank his own portfolio until we are heard is both an incredible strat and also the funniest and most on brand thing I've ever heard.
It’s not even the first time! A decade ago (or so) he bought shares in the company that made Hank’s medicine and which has increased the price ~1000%
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@@avakiningtime to Warner Chilcott Danaher
That's the most John Green thing ever! Also, a bit gangster.
It's called "shareholder activism" and there's a long history of it, including at major investor scales (organizations buying not 10 shares but 10% or more of all shares).
John, as a shareholder, you can vote in the company's annual meeting too! I love voting "no" on approving executive compensation for other billion dollar companies I own 3 shares of.
I hope he realises this!
Doing the lord's work
@@danielhodges7282 Uhh just making sure: that doesn't do anything, right?
this sounds like the most fun thing to do with an investment portfolio why is no one ever talking about this
In addition to compensation votes, shareholders can propose binding changes to the way a company does business. I for one would be completely onboard with joining a Nerdfighteria activist investor team. For example, a successful proposal limiting a company this big from pursuing profit margins in excess of 100%, (for a rough example), on any business unit would go a long way toward creating a responsible company, and possibly an industry-wide shift. There would still be a need to push that public narrative, but the more committed votes, the stronger the push.
John woke up and decided to fight Danaher with the only weapon Danaher understands. John's brief stint of a CEO has instilled new powers in him.
Yes! I love it and I'm so here for it.
Can you IMAGINE being a big shareholder that likes making money, and then THIS NERD drops into your conference call and talks your ear off about how you're actively making healthcare harder to access around the world? Love you, John.
Can you imagine the horror knowing this nerd might just cost you millions of your many millions of dollars?
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so much respect to him for that move
That isn't how meetings work. People don't get to just drop in and talk over the top of everyone else.
To see these brothers wielding the polite but persistent hammer that is Nerdfighteria brings me immense joy.
Here's to polite but impassioned hammering! 🔨🔨🔨
Hammer and sickle needs to adapt, for the profit system that benefits from itself and its margins also moves and adapts to hammers that were shown to be effective
i love being apart of this polite but persistent hammer
Polite and persistent is a great way to describe nerdfighteria
i LOVE this description!
The "video info below"?????? NOT the dooblydoo????? Holy crap this guy means business😳
Right? That's how I knew how serious John is about this. I mean, that and the rest of the video.
he said dooblydoo the first time
Shareholder activism is, I think, an underrated tactic. Yelling in the public square is important in a lot of ways, but getting in a room and quietly talking lands different and, often, with more impact. Plus, the opportunity to vote for various choices and roles within the organization can make change happen fast, too.
Yep, I own some shares of VOTE so Engine no1 can do some yelling on my behalf
In the words of a smart man, "Protest only works if it makes them want to give you a reason to stop."
This comment is giving me In the Room Where It Happens from Hamilton vibes. And I love it.
if every nerdfighter who could afford to bought a share in danaher and made john our proxy, his voice in those meetings would be hugely amplified. i wish people were organizing things like this, but i think that shame around wealth amongst progressives is a real barrier to using that wealth to effect change.
@sirleebutler there are roughly 700 million shares outstanding.
Signed. I remember when John started mass posting about TB and thought "this is a strangely niche interest of his". Now I want nothing more to storm the gates of TB and destroy it
I feel like this is a long, slow build up for a "we ride at dawn" type thing, and I'm friggin' here. for. it!
He really embraces the "if not me, then who," mindset. It's nice to see. Be the change indeed!
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John, showing up at the next shareholders' meeting in a DFTBA habit and ringing a bell: Shame! Shame! Shame!
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He should stand on the meeting room table and do the giant squid of anger
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@@adamaris1760 fellow Ace Nerdfighter? :D
John, there was a recent study that suggested invoking one’s legacy can encourage the rich to act more charitably. That might be a strategy to add to your persuasive repertoire when speaking with other shareholders, if you haven’t tried it already. Thanks as always for your efforts on TB
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Now we're both shareholders. Thanks for the idea. I too want to lower our prices.
Sure would be a shame Nerdfighters started buying up the stock..... A real shame...
@@Rayne_Storms woopsy, we accidentally took over a massive corporation, silly us. *Now decrease the costs*
Hmm. Buying stock to get access to information makes sense. Buying stock to vote probably doesn't. Danaher's market cap is 183 billion-with-a-B.
At the next shareholder meeting, sign your proxy vote over to John Green.
@@justforplaylists Not unless a whole lot of people buy stock and all assign their proxy to John Green.
This may single-handedly be the best and most productive hyper fixation there ever was
Danaher, I bearly know her
ROFL!!!!!
You Danaher, you brought her.
Damn. Good comment
Danaher, never met 'er before
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For those interested, Danaher is currently trading at $248.60 and dropped a little (50c) at the exact time this video was published,
I want to like this comment a hundred times.
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Economists everywhere- "Ah. The John Green Effect"
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The thrill I got when John said he gets to attend meetings and tell other shareholders how they are profiting off of sick people in impoverished circumstances!! There is a rush in getting to be the person who can hold the mirror up for people to face their own greed and systemic violence.
There is a classic movie about an elderly woman basically taking over a shareholder meeting for whatever her (valid) agenda is, and the pompous rich guys can't stop her bc she owns 1 share and is allowed to be there and speak. I can't remember the title and google is not helping. But they should remake it with John as the one annoying ethical person in the room.
ETA: I'm convinced there is one with an elderly widow and her 1 share from her late husband, but I'm going to watch this and see what someone can do with 10 shares. ua-cam.com/video/yNJeXhAfJUs/v-deo.html Apparently $175k in 1956 money is ~$2 million now, not counting bonuses, stock, and other perks of course.
Didn't Futurama riff off that idea?@@LibraryAce
“The only way to get Danaher to do the right thing is to cost them more in reputational harm than they make from overcharging the poor.”
Solid general principle of activism tbh.
Hey John, thanks for sharing my meme! I’m glad you enjoyed it :)
Thank you for making it and being here with us!
Which one was yours?
@@PunkRockNerd the price gouging for dummies one!
great work!
@@abdullahenani9670 Excellent work!!!
John has become a menace and im here for it! He is defying the system. Making it his life mission.
I'd say beating them at their own game. "Buy stock, get rich!" OK, I will maliciously comply with your society's weird way of functioning. Soon I will be richer by about $10 AND the knowledge of thousands of lives saved!
What a wild notification to receive
This is a masterclass in polite savagery. Kudos John.
Somehow it never occurred to me before that the way to counter the societal pathology of pursuing shareholder value was to become a shareholder
There's a book called the Ship Who Searched where a character does exactly that, with the intention of pushing a company to make a certain product that will benefit everyone who has the same disability she has.
Probably because it's out of reach for most interested parties to become a shareholder in any significant way.
John is leveraging several positions of privilege here to accomplish this, and it's great; it's just not a tactic widely available to most of us.
@JosephDavies Maybe not, but can you imagine if everyone who _did_ have access to this tactic acted in such a way?
Danaher's understanding of their responsibility to its shareholders is accurate. Congress needs to pass a law that allows companies to factor in more than just dollars into what is "good" for shareholders, like social or ecological impact.
Or avoiding the shareholders suffering guilt associated with being responsible for lakhs of unnecessary deaths and millions of chronic illnesses.
This is a misunderstanding. It goes back to a 1970 Milton Friedman article in the New York Times Magazine, called "A Friedman Doctrine: The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profits." This is where the whole idea of "A company's only obligation is to return shareholder value" came from, and it took on a life of its own in popular business culture. While this can sound good and proper in a certain context, the idea that a company cannot legally consider anything else is completely nonsense. Certainnly a company that harms shareholders due to negligence or malice is neither acting in its own best interest, or that of the shareholders, and shareholders can sue in civil court when that happens. But there are lots of reasons for companies to do the right thing, even if it returns less value to shareholders, and this is entirely legal.
This comes from human pressure. Most humans do NOT care.
Dodge v. Ford is why companies have to prioritize shareholders over customers, employees, and the social good.
There are factors of long term business growth and stability that are also in shareholder's interest, not just short term profits. That's why the threat of reputational damage can effect business change that would lower profits.
There is a "benefit corporation" designation that enshrines broader responsibilities on a company's mandate, but the actual legal impact is sometimes limited (and AFAIK, it's still a limited number of states that have such a designation). There's a nonprofit that operates a "B-Corp" certification (some states require business incorporated as a benefit corporation to maintain a similar certification, but any company can pursue the certification), and while it has its limitations it does provide a public baseline of what a company does to serve it's employees, local community, and the planet. Maintaining the certification, and the positive reputational impact that it provides, can be justified as a reason for a company to take actions that reduce short term profits.
Just watched the crash course on TB and it’s an exceptionally well made video! Thanks to all the netdfighters for not just donating but also spreading awareness
The real flaw is business schools teaching people that "shareholder interest" means "higher profits" only, and that shareholders have no interests other than profit.
That is because that IS what most shareholders do want. We can’t lie to ourselves and pretend otherwise or we make no progress.
@@lijohnyoutube101is it really what most shareholders want, or is it the stereotype that is grossly overestimated? I know there’s a lot of money greedy people who are shareholders, but surely that’s not everyone in stocks. What about people who like money but like being part of a good cause more?
There it is!!!!
@@cameronschyuder9034 It
is actually the vast majority (a sad reality of our society) however the last few decades some very slow change has occurred) you can support SRI (socially responsible investing) nowadays and its become a sub-genre of investing but its still relatively small and unfortunately too much of that style is still ‘green washing’ and ‘window dressing’ but there is some progress. Also many invest via their employer ls retirement plan and its very atypical that companies include SRI options in the retirement choices.
YES! Like, yes, I want to be able to pay off my school debt, maintain my car, and some day retire NOT in a Medicaid-funded nursing home, but like...is a 300% markup that only gives you a $10 profit really necessary?? That's more than I would be making _off_ the stocks; I think y'all can move money around a little better
PEOPLE OVER PROFITS
It doesn't have to be, though. Hear me out.
Lower the price of the strips. Make them 150% markup instead of 300%. This makes them cost a LOT less, making them more affordable in more places. More people buy them. Your profit AMOUNT goes up.
You get both saving people and making profits.
@@Dillon-117 I assume they already set the prices to maximize profit.
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@@justforplaylists Okay, so people seem to have a hard time comprehending this.
Let's say I make a widget for $1. I sell it for $2.
I make $1/widget.
I sell 10 widgets, I make $10 in profit.
If I sell them for $1.50, I make less PER widget.
but, if I sell 20 of them, I make $10 in profit still.
If lowering the price to allow 21 people to buy it, when only 10 used to, then I've made more profit total.
Indeed, but then people need to assert their value and influence again. Like we did when we created unions,taxed the rich, got worker safety regulations, environmental protection and even revolutions against the entrenched psychopaths who amassed financial power.
But as long as the average voter is dumber than a sack of wet paper shreds, profits will rule over people.
So if a hospital in a poorer country has a $5k budget for testing, they can currently buy about 300 tests at $15/each, but if it comes down to $5, they can buy 1000 tests and Danaher still makes $5k? But if demand for tests goes up, they probably get some economies of scale on the production, so their costs don't go up at the same rate of their increased volume. I don't see how this isn't good for them too. Also, do they make any of the treatments for the things they are testing? More tests equals more treatments equals more profit in other business lines.
Well not necessarily because production costs are a thing
The $5 figure is the production cost of the test. So the idea is if they lower the price to $5 then Danaher is selling them at cost and make no profit.
Those people near the hospitals in poor countries can make their own tests. They are as talented and hardworking as Americans, don't they?
@@timbehrens9678I don’t know how this stuff works but I’d assume that they don’t have the materials to do so
@@MasterMagikarp They can buy them. For example, India is selling a lot of precursors for pharmaceutical companies around the world.
Signing petitions is not pointless. In the Navy 100,000 people signed a petition to keep our rates, which are traditional job titles such as Boatswains Mate (BM, which has been around since the formation of the Navy) and that petition changed the Navy's decision to switch to job codes.
We kept our rates. This petition will work, we just need to support it and sign it.
It's very sweet that ya'll won the option to keep your historic titles, and avoid being faceless numbers! I love this story!!
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John this is ICONIC BEHAVIOR 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
that’s what Internet fame and influence should be for. glad to be part of this community 🦑 thank you John
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Changing the system from the inside, I respect it
This community is so cool and im so proud to have been a part of it for over 10 years
Same. 16 year NerdFighter. Couldn't be more proud!
The Green Brothers are truly exceptional human beings. John literally putting his money where his mouth is. Now he has a share and an amplified voice. Sensational. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I pointed out to my health care insurance provider and my bank that we are not the customer, we are the product. And my Doctor actually agreed with me. Because we have poor people here in the US, and I'm one of them.
Because you mentioned financial services, I recommend looking into a credit union in your area that you could join! Credit unions are not-for-profit, cooperative banking organizations that offer all the benefits of a regular bank, but they have no stockholders and so are beholden only to their members. I work for a credit union and I'm passionate about the credit union model as an ethical alternative to traditional banking. If you're interested, do some research!
Big heart. Big wallet. Those two things don't usually come together so beautifully as with you guys, John and Hank. The world is better with you guys. Thank you. Please never stop.
thank you for providing the information to make signing a petition feel like a useful action instead of a shout into the void! signing it now!!
Collective action has always been the thing to turn the tide against those in power.
I wish you all well with this.
Hi from Sydney Australia. I just signed the petition. It’s vital for those in poor countries to get access to medical aid and to help them on the road to conquering the infections and viruses that we have in our affluent countries. Because until people in those poorer countries enjoy the health that we do in our better off countries, we won’t enjoy health. All it takes is one mutation to happen. And all it takes is lack of facilities and testing in one part of the world for a disease to take root again. To come back to bite us all in the butt. So even if it’s purely for the ulterior reason of keeping yourself well, Sign This Petition….. ⚛️☮️🌏
I set up background checks for a staffing company in the US for other US companies and we do some medical and have to make sure people are immune/vaccinated for certain things.
The tests for various titers are around $20-30 for things like Hep B, Varicella, and MMR. The TB test is around $250.
My threshold for needing someone in accounting to sign off on expenses is a background check that is over $300. We had to make a different threshold if the person needs a TB titer because of how expensive that test is.
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You are helping us change the world for the better. I grew up being told I could do anything I wanted, with a huge heart, but 40 years of life has beaten me into the ground. Being a part of this has renewed that little voice inside me that encouraged me to do the right thing. You mentioned that signing petitions feels like screaming into the void but seeing these changes has helped me to stand up straight again.
Thank you for reminding us to stand up for what we believe in. Thank you for making the world a better place. Thank you for restoring hope to my forlorn spirit. I love this community.
And my axe!
Signed - Perhaps i skould also buy Danaher shares and make my dissatisfaction known.
Anyone in the community who can, should!
and my crochet hook! Signed!
"Because when I hear that a company's primary obligation is not to its employees or its customers or the social order, but instead to its shareholders, what I hear is that the only way to get [the Company] to do the right thing is to cost them more in reputational harm than they do from overcharging the poor."
- John Green
I need a massive poster with this to share any time someone shrugs and ignores a problem due to "Capitalism". We can do better. This is how.
"And if we haven't made it expensive enough, rest assured that we will continue until we do"
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Thank you for doing the audio narration for the WaPo article. Hearing the op-ed read by you made it even more impactful for me. ❤
And thank you for mentioning that. I read the article with my eyeballs, so now I get to go back and have John read it to me.
Yo, thanks for letting me know!!
Excellent work!! We are going to make it happen!!
Signed the petition and shared it on my Tumblr. Keep up the good work everyone!
Greetings from Utah. We signed the petition and shared it with friends, family, and the Internet. Thank you for sharing.
sign and shared! Thanks for including some hope, why they have incentive to change. It gets exhausting fighting against brick walls.
The Vlogbrothers and their community genuinely give me hope for humanity and help me through my depression even from the outside looking in. Thank you.
Hi John, thanks for using your influence for such good. I’m a big fan of politely and passionately applying pressure to get the tests cheaper. It’s an excellent strategy and we know it works. We are with you. We are in this fight and you are not alone. Sending you good thoughts as you handle being the public face of this for our community.
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Signed!! Also I have sent the link to this video to multiple people and posted it in a few places.
I hope it helps!
Now I'm off to go watch your Crash Course TB video. Thank you!
I work in corporate strategy and investor relations and this video is *chef’s kiss*
Thank you John, for what you are doing in TB but also for showing us that these kind of things can be done. Really, thank you for giving us hope.
When I began watching Vlogbrothers as a college kid in 2007, I would not have guessed that someday the fandom would be taking on Big Pharma, but I am so glad it is. Proud of all of us for getting older without giving up.
I love you John, you're doing amazing work. thank you for raising awareness
Good job, as always, John. Petition signed! Thanks for bringing us together for this!
You are a genius John. This is such a tactical & creative plan to make a real impact! I can’t wait to sign the petition, & I can’t wait to for all of your hard work to result in less tuberculosis deaths worldwide! You are truly fucking inspiring! ❤
The beauty of malicious compliance.
My gosh, I admire your tenacity on this, John. Thanks for giving us a way to help.
Signed. You're 100% correct. Fiduciary responsibility is the only actual lever of power here.
Thanks for all you do john
My friend's mom actually won the Order of Canada (highest civilian award) for her contribution in the 1980s to have church group actually CHANGE the companies they had invested in, rather than simply divest themselves of those stocks. The idea being that they had the best capabilities of doing good by forcing the companies to do better since they would have been significant shareholders. Basically change from the inside. Of course, the companies fought hard. But ultimately it was very effective. Probably the most important thing one can do for change is by influencing investors directly.
I love you, John Green.
Thank you for everything you do
Becoming a shareholder is brilliant! Remind them from every possible direction to keep testing affordable.
I cannot believe Im lucky enough to be on earth at the same time as John. That effort is amazing and truly world-changing ❤
I love the work that you and Hank do. This is such an incredible thing that you are using your platform for. There will be real change and they’ll be talking about you for centuries. Way to go. I can only dream of doing something so great one day.
CEO pt 2: Electric Boogaloo
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I am so very glad that there are people like you in this world. Keep fighting the good fight. I'm now going to fight it with you.
I dunno if i fully agree with you on this one, John. When I hear them say "we are obligated to prioritize our shareholders before the well being of humanity" i dont think "i should buy stock so my voice counts or make them feel guilty" i think "I should pass laws that make it illegal to price gouge developing countries for profit"
Thats basically why I was in Washington D.C. last week, but until we get such reform to our systems, I believe in reacting the emergencies like emergencies and using the systems we currently have as well as we can. Absolutely agree with you that this is no long-term solution, and that the reformation of our systems to include more people and prioritize the poor is the only lasting solution. -John
A fair point! Thanks for clarifying your stance
john you are so driven, i aspire to be like you one day
Oh my god. Vlogbrothers out here single-handedly changing every issue they put their minds to.
I've been waiting for this arc of John's TB Fighter saga and it's just as glorious as I imagined. 🤩❤️ #TimeFor5 #PeopleOverProfits
Petition signed! I just wish it showed you a total of how many people have signed it so far. That would be awesome!
it was this morning! we think it's maybe broken from how many people are signing
@@fossilfighters101 Now THAT would be an issue I can be excited about!
@@mistjade3442 Ah, the time honored nerdfighteria tradition of breaking websites. Love this for us. (But I'm sure they'll get it fixed soon!)
I continue to remain hopeful that our voices will bring about change ❤ thank you for guiding us with your passion and integrity. I'm off to sign the petition now.
JOHN, YOU ARE A MODERN DAY HERO! YOU ARE FIGHTING THE SHSTEM FROM WITHIN AND THAT TAKES COURAGE AND FINANCIAL COMMITMENT AND THIS IS THE MOST INSPIRING I HAVE FELT IN YEARS ♥️♥️♥️♥️
I’m so glad you’re doing good, just finished reading “The Shortest History of Our Universe,” the book you foreworded.
John infiltrating Danaher was not on my bucket list for 2024😂. Way to go John
“And three… I have tuberculosis” is what I was somehow expecting at the beginning of the video with that sigh
Oh that article is also shots fired! I think this’ll work. I’m weirdly optimistic.
Signed. This is a wonderful thing and a fantastic idea
As long as the acceptable primary goal of corporations is profit above all else, we all lose.
Done. Keep it coming, John. We're with you.
Our dedication to a mission when we put our minds to it never fails to inspire me, I love this community
i stopped keeping up with vlogbrothers years ago but i am always here for john talking endlessly about tuberculosis
According to their disclosures, Danaher's corporate governance is bound by the "long-term interests of shareholders", which is not the same as maximizing profits. Public companies are not federally mandated to maximize profits, as Lynn Stout discusses in her book "The Shareholder Value Myth". We can fight the myth and convince boards to manage their companies according to a more comprehensive value function which includes societal good as well.
YESSS
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Signed! Glad to be able to do something to make a difference. I appreciate how You (John) and Hank are always bringing these things to our attention and sharing a simple way to try and make a positive impact on the world.
In a world where there are so many things that need fixing, and me being so small and lacking time an energy to do much for the greater world good. Thank you for giving me an easy opportunity to chip in!
Oh man this guy! Makes me happy to see a good representation of humanity.
Becoming a shareholder so you can go to meetings to politely convince other shareholders that what they are doing is wrong is such a fkn boss move 🙌🙌🙌
I love signing petitions. I'll scream into the void all day. I've got a lot of opinions
signed and thanks lets make some noise!
Thank you John for being so awesome and showing us a way to be awesome with you.
Activist investoring is one of my absolute favorite concepts among publicly traded companies. It is why I am a major advocate for stock options because not only does it compensate the workers who help the company function, but also allows them to have a voice in the management of the firm without needing to function as a worker co-op.
The downside is many companies are structured in a way that C level executives are often compensated with stock options which allow them to appoint a board that benefits them, but not necessarily the whole company.
I encourage anyone who has individual shares of their company to vote and if talking with an advisor or portfolio members to have them prioritize companies with high ESG scores. A concept that is newer to finance but is a direct result of people like us putting pressure on the actions taken by conpanies outside of profitability
I signed the petition and sent it on to every one I can currently reach.
Thanks for being a voice for TB Fighters in rooms we can’t be in!!
You know it's serious when Fantano puts on the yellow flannel! I've never heard of the band Danaher but I'm guessing this Price Gouging album gets a Not Good.😂 Thanks for the update, John. I'm glad there is someone there to talk some sense into these people.
So proud to be a part of a community that's working so hard toward positive change. Go Green brothers! Keep fighting the good fight
It's good to have you here!
I was so convinced this was a reference to “when something says (Taylor’s Version) next to it that means I own it”
I love how John's old Warner Chilcott approach to extortionate pharmaceutical practices is not only something he still does, but something that we can support and something that can have a real and positive impact for those who need it.
Wait, those names ring a bell but I've forgotten the story. Please, tell!
@@geeksdo1tbetter Warner Chilcott increased the price of a medication (needed by Hank to manage his ulcerative colitis) overnight by 1,200%. John's response was to buy shares in Warner Chilcott so he could use that small ownership share to lean on the company to be more reasonable about the medication prices.
I don't think it was very well targeted or successful then, but the concept clearly still holds in John's mind, and this time is being used for really positive and necessary ends.