What if business wasn't primarily designed to maximize value for shareholders, but to help people, communities, and the planet flourish? Wild idea, right? But maybe it’s possible?

In this conversation, Abraham Chen, Executive Director of B Local San Diego, makes the case for rethinking the role of business in our society, and for questioning the economic assumptions we've come to treat as inevitable.

Abraham explains how the B Corp movement challenges shareholder capitalism by instead prioritizing how businesses treat workers, communities, customers, governance, and the planet. But he is also clear about B Corp's limitations. Certification isn't a silver bullet, and even mission-driven companies can eventually be pulled toward the pressures of the existing financial system. That leads to a deeper question: who owns a company, who controls its governance, and how can a business protect its purpose for generations?

Abraham describes B Corp as “the doula for the next economy”—a transitional movement helping people experiment with structures that could eventually produce a more regenerative and equitable economic system. We explore examples including Patagonia, Tony's Chocolonely, Mondragón's worker-owned cooperative system in northern Spain, and the emerging world of AI governance.

The conversation ultimately becomes aspirational too. We all have a limited amount of time on this planet. How do we want to spend it?

Abraham Chen is the Executive Director of B Local San Diego, a 501(c)(3) focused on economic systems change through the B Corp movement. His work centers on redefining business as a force for good and helping companies move toward models that benefit workers, communities, and the planet alongside financial stakeholders.

Connect with Abraham

Website: www.blocalsandiego.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abraham-chen/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blocalsandiego/

Company LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/b-local-san-diego

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/blocalsandiego