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Megacorporation, mega-corporation, or megacorp, a term originally coined by Alfred Eichner in his book The Megacorp and Oligopoly: Micro Foundations of Macro Dynamics but popularized by William Gibson, derives from the combination of the prefix mega- with the word corporation. It has become widespread in cyberpunk literature. It is synonymous with syndicate, globalist- or transnational capital. It refers to a corporation (normally fictional) that is a massive conglomerate (usually Private sector), holding monopoly or near-monopolistic control over multiple markets (thus exhibiting both a horizontal and a vertical monopoly). Megacorps are so powerful that they are above the government , possess their own heavily armed (often military-sized) private armies, are operators of Company police, hold "Sovereignty" territory, and even act as outright governments. They often exercise a large degree of control over their employees, taking the idea of "corporate culture" to an extreme.
Set in the late-21st century, the 1981 science-fiction film Outland features the powerful Con-Am (Conglomerated Amalgamates) company, which controls mining operations across the solar system.
The Weyland-Yutani Corporation in the Alien franchise controls much of Earth and the solar system as well as abusing its employees and endangering the human race by repeatedly attempting to capture the Xenomorph.
In the 2016 film of Assassin's Creed, the character Cal Lynch of descended 15th century Spanish Assassin Aguilar de Nerha was captured by the modern-day Templar organization of Abstergo Foundation in Madrid to locate the Apple of Eden.
In the animated Pixar film WALL-E, the megacorporation Buy n' Large has completely supplanted every planetary government.
In the Avatar series of films, the Resources Development Administration (RDA) is a megacorporation that outmatches most governments in wealth, influence, and military power. The RDA has monopolized ownership of all extraterrestrial colonies and assets, granted in perpetuity by an international committee.
In the video game The Outer Worlds, many megacorps purchase the rights to solar systems from Earth governments. Corporate colonies, being lightyears away from government influence, are effectively governed by their parent companies, with employment acting as citizenship.
In the Assassin's Creed franchise, a modern day Knights Templar conglomerate of Abstergo kidnaps people who have their descendant of the Assassins Brotherhood which was put in the Animus for their information and to locate the pieces of eden.
In the Doom video game franchise, the Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC)—a multi-planetary conglomerate—is often referred to as a megacorporation.
In the Ratchet & Clank franchise, each of the featured galaxies is dominated by an arms manufacturer with a near-total monopoly on commercial activity, the largest of which is simply called "Megacorp".
In Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Shinra Electric Power Company is referred as a megacorporation because of its dominance of Mako energy and electricity and actively competes with the nation of Wutai by having its own military which helps with their dominance amongst the populace.
In Shadows of Doubt, the Starch Kola megacorporation is elected as the leader of the fictional nation of United Atlantic States where all the cities in the games are located. They have a privatized police force known as Starch Kola Enforcers which is based out of every City Halls in the United Atlantic States.
In Cyberpunk 2077, several megacorporations (most notably Arasaka and Militech) are multinational entities that dominate nearly every aspect of society, from politics to the economy. These corporations are so powerful that they function almost like states unto themselves, exerting control over vast territories and influencing the daily lives of the populace. They often operate outside or above the reach of traditional governments, often exhibit cutthroat, morally bankrupt practices, driven by a relentless pursuit of profit and power. Ethics are secondary, and corporate warfare—both economic and physical—can result in the deaths of thousands, if not millions. These corporations will often engage in sabotage, espionage, or even orchestrate political coups to secure their interests. They also manipulate public opinion through media and control over information, ensuring their image remains pristine while their unethical activities remain hidden.
In the Titanfall franchise, which contains Apex Legends, a megacorporation named Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation IMC dominates the entire mining and manufacturing industry across the Frontier (galaxy) based on Earth, well as maintaining private military contractors to suppress dissidents. According to the Protagonist Jack Cooper, as long as they find a profitable resource reserve in a planet, it forces their residents out of land, destroys their environment, and kills anyone who dares to resist, to maximize profits.
In the indie game Stardew Valley, Joja Corporation, the protagonist's previous employer, seem to have monopolized the entire markets of retail, logistics, mining, manufacturing, and emergency healthcare. Its main intention is to blatantly gain a monopoly over the local market of a small, remote farming town, where the setting goes in. It regards no value for human life, and recruits any young workers to work until death as described in the prologue.
Today many countries have (also known as antitrust laws) to prevent real-life corporations from having mega-corporation characteristics. On the other hand, some countries protect a certain industry deemed important by mandating that only a single company, usually state-owned, can operate in it. An example of the latter is Saudi Arabia, which gains the majority of its government revenues through its mega-corporation Saudi Aramco. Microsoft is one of the largest and most prominent corporations in the world.
In the book The Wal-Mart Effect, Charles Fishman describes Walmart as "in a whole class of megacorporations of which Wal-Mart is just the most extreme, vivid example".
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