Unmasking the Co-Op Model: A Critical Look at Altruism in Business
As I continue reflecting on the future of economics and its many components, one idea that frequently comes up is the co-op model. I’m quite familiar with the cooperative model, particularly as it relates to real estate. However, I’ve also examined it closely as a business model across various industries.
Here’s my issue with cooperatives: they are often presented as an altruistic alternative to traditional capitalist approaches, as though they are inherently superior. However, I see through much of this facade, much like their housing counterparts. These models are still governed by boards, which ultimately manage and run the business in favor of the business owners—the people who buy into the model, often through a membership fee that grants them discounts, perks, or other benefits.
My real issue with these models—and with anything closely tied to socialism in general—is this: they often disguise their flaws under the guise of shared values. Joe Rogan once put it well in one of his early podcasts (or perhaps it was on the radio or internet at the time before he became the infamous Joe Rogan). He said something to the effect of, “Just because you have a group of people holding hands in a circle and singing kumbaya doesn’t mean it’s all love or agreement.” That resonates with me. Ask anyone who’s been part of a cooperative and was forced to leave or voted out for whatever reason—they’ll likely have stories about how they were treated by the ruling group, or as I see it, the “ruling class.”
In many ways, cooperatives are no different from capitalist structures. In fact, I often find them worse because their motives are hidden, masked, or dangerously cloaked behind claims of altruistic “shared values.”
Needless to say, I’m still thinking about the future of economics.
🎁 Join Robinhood using my link, and we'll both score our own gift stock. Win-win, right? https://join.robinhood.com/jameelg28
Copyright © 2025 Jameel Gordon - All Rights Reserved.
