Today’s world is run by massive corporations which are ever-present in the lives of everyone on the planet. Everything from computers, software, soft drinks, fast food, coffee and cell phones are branded, product managed, and mass-marketed to within an inch of their lives. Sometimes it seems like humans are just slaves to massive corporations. It is surprising, therefore, to discover that the size and reach of today’s corporations are but nothing when compared to the biggest corporation of all time. It’s a corporation that is not listed on the New York Stock Exchange, although it was the first company in the world to be publicly traded. It has an unfamiliar and seemingly unpronounceable name (except to native Dutch speakers): the
