ROBOCOP 2: Is it plausible for a company to overturn a government IRL?

[nickyskc]

In the near future, the city of Detroit is on the verge of bankruptcy after failing to pay off its debts to conglomerate Omni Consumer Products (OCP). In a scheme completely under their control, the company's Chairman intends to have the city default on its debt, then foreclose on all public property, effectively taking over its government. (from wikipedia)

1) Is the above actually plausible and possible in real life even in the future?

2) What if it was the Chinese government being taken over by a Russian mega-corporation (trading within China)? Let's say there was a national crisis and massive economic collapse and the Russian corp bailed the the government out by loaning the government money to rebuild.

3) Does it make a difference if the Russian corporation is private or public?

I ask cos I'm trying to write a screenplay. Is the above similar to Umbrella Corp in Resident Evil.

[aiman04]

It's fiction, I don't see any problem to it as long as it's realistic to its world.

[AaronJ]

Without getting too political or anything since it's frowned upon here, that sort of thing has already happened many times around the world. It typically happens in nations where the economy depends on a single product to a very high degree, be it oil, gold, diamonds, etc.

It would be quite unlikely to happen in a place with a well-diversified economy like the US, Japan, Canada, etc. But yeah, a smaller country depending on a single product? Sure. I can -- and does -- happen all the time.

EDIT: Oh, and no, I don't ever see that happening to China. Their economy is so diverse. OTOH, I'm not an economist. So you may want to take it up with someone who is.

[LegacyCosts]

Its totally feasible. Money and power go hand in hand don't they. America is ran by corporations/banks so they essentially ARE the government.

[shinobipopcorn]

Yeah, just imagine hyper lobbyists. Or to use a more positive and less dystopian example, companies like Disney have already changed the government in their favor in the form of copyright extensions. Why do you think you're seeing Mickey literally EVERYWHERE this year? Guess what next year would have been?

[DR Herbert West]

[Ruemorgue10]

https://youtu.be/Y-2WPo0yE9w

[Noremac Mij]

Weyland-Yutani has done it. So did Tyrell. Elon will do it next.

[badfingerboogie]

Originally Posted by DR Herbert West

Is this from RoboCop 3? I don't recognise it.

[Robojaws]

Originally Posted by badfingerboogie

Is this from RoboCop 3? I don't recognise it.

Robocop 3? Don´t recall a movie that deserves that name
This is Robocop 2. The last Robocop installment I have knowledge of...

[DR Herbert West]

Originally Posted by Robojaws

This is Robocop 2. The last Robocop installment I have knowledge of...

^ This.

[nickyskc]

Originally Posted by Noremac Mij

Weyland-Yutani has done it. So did Tyrell. Elon will do it next.

Yes, Weyland Yutani owned the USCM at least so maybe. But Tyrell Corp, they didn't own the LAPD did they?

[car2nst]

Walmart has tried certain things in the past that were subtle and questionable in regards to overriding government things, but they no longer have the power, profit or clout they once did.. They will go the way of K-Mart in a decade or so.

[cheez avenger]

Amazon.

[Arawn]

Originally Posted by car2nst

Walmart has tried certain things in the past that were subtle and questionable in regards to overriding government things, but they no longer have the power, profit or clout they once did.. They will go the way of K-Mart in a decade or so.

But they still have to buy out Weyland-Yutani!

[leburn98]

The three big tech companies that could do this if they were so inclined would be Microsoft, Amazon and Google. Think about how much the US (and the world really) relies on tech from these companies. Many rely on servers from these three, with Amazon leading the way. Google is like the default search engine for most. Google also makes up the majority in mobile OS (Android). Windows is the majority OS in the world. If all three joined forces, they could easily cripple the US.

Even just subtle influence to help their cause is possible. Google for example can rig their search results to push anything to the top results. If you search "Best mobile in 2018", Google results could skew the results so that all pro-android/Google Pixel phones would be at the top, while Apple and Microsoft products would rank lower in the results.

Also, given that both Google and Microsoft own majority market share in OS in their respective fields, they would have so much information at their fingertips if they so choose.

[BluRayHiDef]

Are you kidding me? A majority of government officials in the U.S. receive payouts from private companies / corporations in exchange for the passing of laws and the enactment of policies that are favorable to them. And guess what? It's unfortunately completely legal.

[Robojaws]

And all this as mentioned above makes Robocop 2 a timeless classic or maybe a movie that turned into a classic because it is more real or is or was more predictive than so many other movies. To me it is even more of a satire than the 1st one. And that (besides all the other great things like Stopmotion, practical effects, Peter Weller and the rest, great dialogue, black humor and its "gore" effects, etc.) makes this sequel one of the best sequels ever made imo.

[Head bugs]

Is it plausible for a company to overturn a government IRL? It may have already happened.

Federal Reserve Board: As the nation’s central bank, the Federal Reserve derives its authority from the U.S. Congress. It is considered an independent central bank because its decisions do not have to be ratified by the President or anyone else in the executive or legislative branch of government, it does not receive funding appropriated by Congress, and the terms of the members of the Board of Governors span multiple presidential and congressional terms. However, the Federal Reserve is subject to oversight by Congress, which periodically reviews its activities and can alter its responsibilities by statute. Also, the Federal Reserve must work within the framework of the overall objectives of economic and financial policy established by the government. Therefore, the Federal Reserve can be more accurately described as “independent within the government.”

The twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks, which were established by Congress as the operating arms of the nation’s central banking system, are organized much like private corporations–possibly leading to some confusion about “ownership.” For example, the Reserve Banks issue shares of stock to member banks. However, owning Reserve Bank stock is quite different from owning stock in a private company. The Reserve Banks are not operated for profit, and ownership of a certain amount of stock is, by law, a condition of membership in the System. The stock may not be sold, traded, or pledged as security for a loan; dividends are, by law, 6 percent per year.

[AaronJ]

I have zero idea what the Fed has to do with this discussion.

The entire idea goes back to Alexander Hamilton and the beginnings of the United States. The original question was about a *private* corporation taking over a public government. The Fed IS the government.