I 'unsubscribed' some years ago when I realized that Forbes was catering not to free-market capitalists but to the top .01%. They started doing 'car evaluations' on vehicles priced at about five or ten times what I usually pay for a car. They left my demographic way behind. Let alone their 'favorite vacation spots,' and such.

And the "Forbes Thought Of The Day" when I clicked the link was... Drumroll, please...

“ We are rich only through what we give: and poor only through what we refuse and keep. ”
— Anne Swetchine

And Forbes has no idea why they're losing money and readership? Good Grief! Morons!

As long as the people in the town have mobility, and the company is investing in the community of its own free will, I do not have a problem with what was described. I do wish, philosophically, that the reference to the company being somehow cosmically responsible for the community would have been replaced by saying that the company was wise to invest in the community.

Jan

The word "altruistic" appears twice in the article.

As far as I can tell from the article, the company has not attempted to initiate force, nor has it sought to obtain preferential tax treatment or other favors from local authorities. The company appears to be well-run and profitable, and its stock price has quadrupled since 2009. The "altruism" mentioned in the article appears to follow the conventional understanding of "generous", rather than Ayn Rand's definition of "self-sacrifice" - it is in part aimed at "attracting, retaining and cultivating scarce engineering talent," a clear benefit for the company.

Ayn Rand was not opposed to private charity, and this appears to be what the company is engaging in.

I understand the comments here about Corporate involvement in the city and towns and how it is not supposed to be. I have been a visitor to Seymour and Columbus many times, my son works for Cummins for about 5 years now.
I thank Cummins for what they have done for Seymour, a small town that would have been vacated years ago if Cummins did not invest in the community. In years past, most of the people I trained on the equipment I sell could not read or spell. Training and frequent trips were made to get the equipment running and being efficient. Since Cummins has invested, I have been rewarded with new employees that can read, spell and think for themselves. Most are new employees who would not have moved to Seymour until they saw the new line coming in and what has been done to the area by Cummins.
Sometimes companies HAVE to invest in the community to create a stable workforce, loyal employees and a comfortable area in which to work. There are many areas around the country that have "Company Towns" and have been greatly rewarded. This investment is not all bad and I commend Cummins and than them again.

Interesting. Five of my former Florida Tech students have gotten jobs at Cummins in Columbus, IN in the last eight years or so, mostly working on making catalysts for cleaning up diesel tailpipe emissions more sulfur-tolerant. They have enjoyed their time at Cummins and keep coming back to recruit more of our students. Some of them are somewhat altruistic; likely once they have made a truckload (pun intended) of money, they will donate it back to my department. I won't turn it down.

I kinda gagged on "what they’re doing is pragmatic, not just altruistic.", too.
Some of my extended family live in Seymour - I think it's email time!

What do you expect from a native Detroit writer? It worked so well for Detroit so keep the mouthpiece active!

100% difference from the 80/20 law.

As I see it, this works. It IS "selfish" to invest in what you value and Cummins is apparently very long-term in their thought process. Perhaps the rub is that Cummins has usurped the role of government, but that's a good thing.
The fact that the writer doesn't own THE AYN RAND LEXICON isn't grounds for canceling your subscription.

I just can't help remembering a headline that I read in some industrial magazine, years ago; "Onan Corporation acquired by Cummins Diesel". :-D