Big Technology Podcast · Friday, August 14, 2026
Yuval Hari argues that food companies are not intentionally making people obese, but rather their fiduciary responsibility to maximize profits leads them to create foods that encourage overconsumption. He believes it is society's role, through democracy and regulation, to prevent harm from these companies.
“If you're the head of a KFC, Kraft, any of the food companies, you have a fiduciary responsibility to your shareholders to maximize profits. So, how do you maximize profit as a food company? You sell as much food as possible, right?”
“But actually, it's the job of the rest of the society to regulate those companies, right? Those companies are doing what those companies are meant to do. The democracy needs to do what it's meant to do and regulate them to prevent them from harming us and screwing up our bodies and harming our health.”