The Rise And Fall of the Dutch East India Company

7.9 trillion dollars. That was the historically adjusted market capitalization of the Dutch East India Trading Company. It was a for profit company larger and more powerful than most of history’s greatest empires. [1] If it was around today the world’s first multinational corporation would be worth more than Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and still have more than enough money left over to purchase McDonald’s, Walmart and Samsung. Most companies are lucky to last ten years. [2] But The Dutch East India trading company lasted over 200 years, from 1602 until 1799, with an impact that still continues today thanks to its radical business innovations…and ahem ‘questionable behaviour’. But its biggest contribution to the world – besides all the killing and invading and enslaving – are shareholders. Besides pioneering corporate governance, the creation of shareholders paved the way for modern business to become more accessible to the average person. This helped popularize employee welfare like health care and pensions, and introduced insurance bonds and joint-stock ownership. So, who were the people that owned the most valuable company of all time? How did the concept of a corporation even start? A how did the board of investors influence the direction of world history?