Editorial Board
Shareholders' Meetings Should Keep It Real
The internet should expand access, not stifle it -- and online-only meetings have a way of backfiring.
Let the investors be heard.
Photographer: Christof Stache/AFP/Getty ImagesU.S. public companies are moving away from the traditional shareholders' meeting, opting instead to interact with investors online. Sensible as this might seem in the internet age, it's important to ensure that it becomes a way to improve -- rather than stifle -- communication.
The annual general meeting is among the most hallowed institutions of American capitalism: an opportunity, once a year, for owners to ask their company's executives and directors any question. Online participation can expand access and reduce travel costs, which helps explain why more than 150 companies -- including HP Inc., Comcast Corp. and PayPal Holdings Inc. -- have gone completely virtual over the past few decades.