The world is ruled by total of 147 large corporations

[ShadowOfHarbringer]

I will just leave this here...

"Researchers at the Swiss Federal Technology Institute in Zurich have identified a 'Capitalist Network' [PDF] of well-connected companies that control most of the global economy. They further identified the 147 'super-connected' companies that control forty percent or more of the global financial network. If one believes the mega-corporations have most governments of the west in their pockets, does this mean we have a global oligarchy?"

Abstract
The structure of the control network of transnational corporations affects global market com-
petition and financial stability. So far, only small national samples were studied and there was
no appropriate methodology to assess control globally. We present the first investigation of the
architecture of the international ownership network, along with the computation of the control
held by each global player. We find that transnational corporations form a giant bow-tie struc-
ture and that a large portion of control flows to a small tightly-knit core of financial institutions.
This core can be seen as an economic “super-entity” that raises new important issues both for
researchers and policy makers.

Introduction
A common intuition among scholars and in the media sees the global economy as being domi-
nated by a handful of powerful transnational corporations (TNCs) (...)

http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/10/24/1542240/the-147-corporations-controlling-most-of-the-global-economy
http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/1107/1107.5728v2.pdf

[I.Goldstein]

Those are only public companies. They aren't accounting for a lot. This study hardly reaches a definite conclusion and certainly not one as ridiculous as the thought of these companies being at the top of the pyramid.

[foggyb]

Those are only public companies. They aren't accounting for a lot. This study hardly reaches a definite conclusion and certainly not one as ridiculous as the thought of these companies being at the top of the pyramid.

Only as ridiculous as the notion that if some evil individuals could successfully collaborate and conspire to control the world, they absolutely would do it.

Come on, is this really so hard to believe? Individuals attempting to conquer and rule the world is the most common theme throughout history. Its much easier to do today, and not a single shot has to be fired.

[I.Goldstein]

Those are only public companies. They aren't accounting for a lot. This study hardly reaches a definite conclusion and certainly not one as ridiculous as the thought of these companies being at the top of the pyramid.

Only as ridiculous as the notion that if some evil individuals could successfully collaborate and conspire to control the world, they absolutely would do it.

Come on, is this really so hard to believe? Individuals attempting to conquer and rule the world is the most common theme throughout history. Its much easier to do today, and not a single shot has to be fired.

Google The Bilderberg Group when you get the chance. The real men of power in that group are not some CEOs but the central bankers. The power is in monetary policy.

[foggyb]

I know about the Bilderberg group. Because you dismissed the corporate world domination theme, I assumed you doubted all world domination conspiracies.