The JSW Centre for the Future of Law at NLSIU is organising a workshop titled ‘The Long Arm of the State in the Tech Sector and its Impact on Corporate Purpose’ with Victoria Baumfield, Assistant Professor, Bond Law School, and Akshaya Kamalnath, Associate Professor, ANU Law School.

• Day & Date: Friday, 14 August 2026
• Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
• Mode: Online

The workshop is open to the public. Kindly register here.

Abstract

Corporate purpose debates, much of it theoretical, have captured academic and industry attention in the recent past. This paper will examine the specific case of government investment in companies within the tech sector with a view to understanding the aims of such investment, and further, the implications of this on the idea of corporate purpose. The tech sector is particularly relevant because, at every stage in history, the cutting-edge technology of the time has been a matter of interest for the government. This paper uses case studies from U.S. and Australia, but we envisage future research using case studies from emerging economies to further advance knowledge on the issues of corporate purpose and the entanglement of states and private enterprises. Based on the analysis of case studies in this paper, we argue that governments are pursuing strategic aims through their investments in the tech sector – something we call strategic socialism. To be clear, we are critical of such strategic socialism and caution against the long arm of the State. The paper not only contributes to our understanding of corporate purpose based on practical insights but also contributes to our broader understanding of intertwining of business and government.