Mega-corporation

Megacorporation, mega-corporation, or megacorp, a term originally coined by Alfred Eichner in his book ''The Megacorp and Oligopoly: Micro Foundations of Macro Dynamics'' but popularized by William Gibson,
derives from the combination of the prefix ''mega-'' with the word ''corporation''. It has become widespread in cyberpunk literature. It is synonymous with syndicate, globalist- or transnational capital. It refers to a corporation (normally fictional) that is a massive conglomerate (usually private), holding monopolistic or near-monopolistic control over multiple markets (thus exhibiting both a horizontal and a vertical monopoly). Megacorps are so powerful that they are above the government laws, possess their own heavily armed (often military-sized) private armies, are operators of privatized police forces, hold "sovereign" territory, and even act as outright governments. They often exercise a large degree of control over their employees, taking the idea of "corporate culture" to an extreme.

Examples in literature

Such organizations as a staple of science fiction long predate cyberpunk, appearing in the works of writers such as Philip K. Dick (''Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'', 1968), Thea von Harbou (''Metropolis'', 1927), Robert A. Heinlein (''Citizen of the Galaxy'', 1957), Robert Asprin (''The Cold Cash War'', 1977), and Andre Norton ( the ''Solar Queen'' novels). The explicit use of the term in the '' Traveller'' science fiction roleplaying game from 1977 predates Gibson's use of it. The transnationals, and later metanationals in Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy are an example of mega corporations that exceed most countries in political influence.

Examples in film

In the Alien film franchise characters are repeatedly manipulated and endangered by the unscrupulous megacorporation Weyland-Yutani, which seeks to profit from the aliens’ acidic blood.

Set in the late-21st century, the 1981 science-fiction film Outland features the powerful Con-Am (Conglomerated Amalgamates) company, which controls mining operations across the solar system.

In the 2016 film of Assassin's Creed, the character Cal Lynch of descended 15th century Spanish Assassin Aguilar de Nerha was captured by the modern-day Templar organization of Abstergo Foundation in Madrid to locate the Apple of Eden.

In the animated Pixar film ''WALL-E'', the megacorporation Buy n' Large has completely supplanted every planetary government.

In the ''Avatar'' series of films, the Resources Development Administration (RDA) is a megacorporation that outmatches most governments in wealth, influence, and military power. The RDA has monopolized ownership of all extraterrestrial colonies and assets, granted in perpetuity by an international committee.

Examples in games

In the sci-fi strategy game '' Stellaris,'' players can choose to control a megacorporation that has consumed all aspects of their alien government, with variable policies such as indentured servitude, media conglomerates, or even employee resurrection.

In the video game ''The Outer Worlds,'' many megacorps purchase the rights to solar systems from Earth governments. Corporate colonies, being lightyears away from government influence, are effectively governed by their parent companies, with employment acting as citizenship.

In the Assassin's Creed franchise, a modern day Templar conglomerate of Abstergo kidnaps people who have their descendant of the Assassins Brotherhood which was put in the Animus for their information and to locate the pieces of eden.

In the ''Doom'' video game franchise, the Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC)—a multi-planetary conglomerate—is often referred to as a megacorporation.

In the ''Ratchet & Clank'' franchise, each of the featured galaxies is dominated by an arms manufacturer with a near-total monopoly on commercial activity, the largest of which is simply called "Megacorp".

In Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Shinra Electric Power Company is referred as a megacorporation because of its dominance of Mako energy and electricity and actively competes with the nation of Wutai by having its own military which helps with their dominance amongst the populace.

In Shadows of Doubt, the Starch Kola megacorporation is elected as the leader of the fictional nation of United Atlantic States where all the cities in the games are located. They have a privatized police force known as Starch Kola Enforcers which is based out of every City Halls in the United Atlantic States.

In ''Cyberpunk 2077'', several megacorps (most notably Arasaka and Militech) are multinational entities that dominate nearly every aspect of society, from politics to the economy. These corporations are so powerful that they function almost like states unto themselves, exerting control over vast territories and influencing the daily lives of the populace. They often operate outside or above the reach of traditional governments, often exhibit cutthroat, morally bankrupt practices, driven by a relentless pursuit of profit and power. Ethics are secondary, and corporate warfare—both economic and physical—can result in the deaths of thousands, if not millions. These corporations will often engage in sabotage, espionage, or even orchestrate political coups to secure their interests. They also manipulate public opinion through media and control over information, ensuring their image remains pristine while their unethical activities remain hidden.

In the Titanfall franchise, which contains ''Apex Legends'', a megacorporation named Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation MCdominates the entire mining and manufacturing industry across the ''Frontier'' (galaxy) based on Earth, well as maintaining private military contractors to suppress dissidents.

Real-life examples

Although the term itself arose out of science fiction, certain real-life corporations, such as colonial-era chartered companies and zaibatsu, have achieved or approached megacorporation status in various ways. The private Dutch East India Company, for example, operated 40 warships and had 10,000 private soldiers to monitor its farflung spice empire, while the British East India Company controlled a large colonial empire and maintained a 300,000 strong standing army in the mid-19th century before the company was dissolved and its territories absorbed into the British Empire. In the French colonial empire, the Hudson's Bay Company was once the world's largest landowner, exercising legal control and a trading monopoly on its territory known as Rupert's Land which consisted of 15% of the North American land mass. Microsoft was founded on 4 April 1975 in Albuquerque, New Mexico by Paul Allen and Bill Gates which became the world's largest multinational corporate conglomerate with subsidiaries active producing multimedia consumer market goods.

Today many countries have competition laws (also known as antitrust laws) to prevent real-life corporations from having mega-corporation characteristics. On the other hand, some countries protect a certain industry deemed important by mandating that only a single company, usually state-owned, can operate in it. An example of the latter is Saudi Arabia, which gains the majority of its government revenues through its mega-corporation Saudi Aramco. Microsoft is one of the largest and most prominent corporations in the world.

In the book ''The Wal-Mart Effect'', Charles Fishman describes Walmart as " na whole class of megacorporations of which Wal-Mart is just the most extreme, vivid example".

See also

* Company town
* Corporate warfare
* Corporatocracy
* Chaebol
* Evil corporation
* Keiretsu
* Zaibatsu
* List of largest corporations
* Oligarchy
* Plutocracy
* Superpower (a government at the apex of international power comparable to how megacorporations are portrayed at the apex of corporate power)

References

{{William Gibson

William Gibson
Fictional companies
Cyberpunk themes
Chartered companies