system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: why do extremely profitable companies still engage in shady practices?

For example, Boeing and Pfizer are two I can come up with in recent times. Boeing with its quality issues with the 787 and Pfizer with false marketing. And yet these companies still make billions of dollars every year. Why don't they just spend the extra time and money to ensure quality and not deceive their customers? It seems like it would be better in the long term for the company's reputation and the costs of fixing their mistakes and dealing with the government surely offset some of the profits they made by taking shortcuts. Are companies just inherently that greedy?
gpt
When doing something illegal and paying a fine is more profitable than doing something legal, it's just the cost of doing business. Businesses are rarely required to admit any wrongdoing, and there are no real repercussions.