American prosperity and American corporations exist on the basis of the rule of law.
It's not just a human issue - it's a fundamental stability issue. If the POTUS and his associates can point to someone and just disappear them without any due process or recourse, then why can't they do the same with a "Chinese collaborator" corporation's executives? Or, heck the CEO.
And then certain politicians can have those people reassign shares to them.
A lot of Americans will say that I'm grasping at straws, or being far fetched. And they would be wrong.
This is a thing that happens in authoritarian regimes that lack due process. Even when the people are one of the "elites."
When you look at Trump point a finger and disappear people, ask how is Jack Ma doing lately?
https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/china/china-alibaba-crack...
https://www.wired.com/story/jack-ma-isnt-back/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-65084344
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/01/nx-s1-5308604/alibaba-founder...
More germanely, he disagreed with the regime. Fairly harmless criticism,
The Financial Times reported that the disappearance may have been connected to a speech given at the annual People's Bank of China financial markets forum,[41] in which Ma criticized China's regulators and banks.[41] Ma described state banks as operating with a pawn shop mentality and criticized the Basel Accords as a "club for the elderly."
In response, the authoritarians in charge decided to show Ma who was boss and behold,
Ant Group made major changes to its ownership structure and corporate governance in January 2023.[42]: 261 That month, Ant Group announced a series of changes in shareholder voting rights, with Ma no longer the actual controller of Ant Group.[50] Ma's voting rights were reduced from 50% to 6%.[42]: 271 Following these changes, no single shareholder has a controlling stake in the company.[42]: 261 The company's board also added another independent director.[42]: 261 The Chinese government spoke positively of Ant Group's changes, including describing them as improvements in transparency and accountability
"improvements in transparency and accountability" —> they forced him to sell his voting shares and forcibly removed him from his company.
Do you want the US to follow in these footsteps?
This isn't a slippery slope. It's a Slip 'N Slide. Ma's not the first person they did this to. China is not the first country to do this either. And yes, none of them imagined it would happen to them until it happened to them.
The reason why the US is a bastion of technological progress, startups and capitalism is because the freedom to do business is underwritten by fundamental personal freedoms. If you lose that, then you will lose all of the wealth that system created.
Why would you want to be a founder in a world where you can show obedience to the party, rise up the ranks, and just... grab shares from the next big startup? Wet your beak a little. Get a cut.
It might not happen now. It might not happen in a year. Or three. But it will happen.
For the night is long and the knives are ever sharp.