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Some say capitalism is broken. Others say it’s working just as intended. Either way, the current system has led to profound inequity. Globally, the in the world have as much wealth as the poorest 3.8 billion and in California, the 5th largest economy in the world, a handful of those very 26 reside in the same state where many cannot afford to pay for .

Even before COVID's economy-decimating effects, homelessness was at high high and millennials were already predicted to become the first – not due to their stereotyped lack of diligence, but instead to the wealth gap and a wholesale lack of jobs that offer a living wage. In the midst of a global pandemic, when reimagining is perhaps at its most useful, where does business stand in all of this?

Half a century after economist Milton Friedman argued that a firm’s chief responsibility is to maximize shareholder returns, boardrooms across the US are rethinking the purpose of business. Corporate leaders across the world — including many in California — are considering a shift in focus to measure their stakeholder return: the value their companies deliver to customers, employees, communities, and the planet.

Join Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ CA on Tuesday, October 20th at 11:00 AM Pacific (2:00 PM EDT) for a live-streamed conversation, building on the in-person , on . Together we'll explore questions such as:

• Whose job is it to rebuild an inclusive and equitable economy that serves both wealth holders and those in economic precarity?
• What should be the role of government in supporting corporate transparency regarding impact on stakeholders?
• How has COVID-19 exacerbated the issue and/or opened a window of opportunity for systems change? Is a reimagined market system realistic?

Participants:

Jess Friesen,
Senior Director of Community, B Lab

Lenny Mendonca,
Former Chief Economic & Business Advisor to California Governor Gavin Newsom

Heerad Sabeti,
CEO, Fourth Sector Group

Moderator:

Autumn McDonald,
Senior Fellow & Head of Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ CA