Corporation

The Corporations (Megacorporations or MegaCorps) are giant, transnational companies which dominate the Cyberpunk world. They can range from simple media corporations to worldwide security firms, the only thing you have to remember is that they will kill anyone that stands in their way. The corps in this world are often seen as sovereign nations of themselves, and use their power to change the world around them.

Overview
In the world of Cyberpunk, corporations are one of the most prominent entities in everyday life. Much like the real world corporations of the 21st century, they are worldwide conglomerates, that operate 24/7, buying, selling or providing services to many around the world. Corporations, and those within them, aim to get ahead by any means necessary. "Cutthroat" business culture is no longer a metaphor, as blackmail, extortion, bribery, kidnapping, espionage, and assassination have all become commonplace in the white-collar world. Small corporations typically act above the law, whereas really successful corporations are the Law.

In the dark and dangerous world of Cyberpunk, the Corporations operate more like small nations than they do companies. CEOs are more like monarchs, holding onto power for as long as they can, and using the company to do their bidding. Scandals are brushed aside and power grabs are swiftly dealt with a bullet. Junior members have to watch their backs constantly, with lower-level employees just itching at a chance for their job, and higher-level employees willing to hold onto theirs with lethal force.

Structure
The corporation power structure is typically set up so that the CEO or president is at the top of the food chain. Underneath them is a sea of mid to high-level executives, all vying for a chance to progress up the ladder. Junior execs are what you would call a yuppie with more money than sense, they typically run smaller projects such as extorting a smaller rival or corporate espionage. Above them are managers, who oversee a whole department. The major infighting in corporations begins here, with dirty tricks, nepotism, and dishonesty being the primary factor in promotions to the next level. At this level, you see VPs, whose role mostly comprises of the day-to-day running of the company. Above them, you have the senior management, your various C designation officers, CEO, COO, CFO, etc. Founders, owners, major stakeholders sometimes comprise this level of the company but they are more likely to be seen on the board of directors. These are the ones with the true power and they always travel with a heavy armed presence.

History
After the World Market Collapse of 1993, many corporations faced bankruptcy and folded. Many large corporations that survived became even larger. In the case of the Arasaka Corporation, they didn't just survive the collapse, but they greatly benefited from it, and was able to pick up the pieces of much smaller corps. The post collapse United States became free reign for the corporations. The federal government was not in a position to stop them, as such the burden of chaos fell onto regional and municipal governments as they encountered a new wave of capitalist violence and extortion. This took the form of corporate bribes, corruption of government officials, and corporate militias warring in the streets. Along with drastic spikes in organized crime and gang membership, widespread impoverishment and unemployment, and in the case of the USA and UK, massive loss of revenue due to most citizens becoming nomads or just not declaring a SIN. As such, many cities and metropolises were turned into de facto "special economic zones" where corporations were exempt from taxes, regulations, and sometimes even the law itself, with the corpos gradually began co-opting local governments.

Puppet mayors and governors were voted into office and local laws were put in place to benefit the corps. Cities such as San Diego, Philadelphia, Belfast, Singapore, Hiroshima, and Yokohama are policed by the Arasaka Corporation, they do not accept money for their fee, but rather influence and power in those cities. Night City was entirely funded by the corporations, in order for them to have a piece of land they could call their own, and act in with impunity. Subsequent mass privatization of what was once public enterprise within these cities began, and most were powerless to stop it. A place like Night City is largely under control of Arasaka, as they used it to their own advantage. The corporations thirst for power, resources, and capital did not stop at simple special ops tactics carried out by covert operatives. The corporations would would fund a full scale wars against each other in order to achieve their goals and ambitious.

The development of new technologies and world events during the 90s also made the post-Crash period a key time for new companies to develop. Venture capital was scarce in the wake of economic upheaval, but there were still enough investors around who had survived the collapse, and even played it to their advantage, to pump funds into a few promising, infant industries such as cybertechnology, biotech, independent military contracting and technology, artificial intelligence, net-tech, and so on. The general economic confusion of the years from 1994 to 2016 was increased as these new companies attempted to establish footholds to stake their claims in the new order.

Media
"MediaCorps" are giant conglomerates that control the airwaves across the world. Made up of thousands of news broadcasters, entertainment studios, and publishers, they ensure that only the right news makes it on air. Many analysts suspect that some of the larger "MediaCorps" have deep ties to governments around the world, and if they don't know, its only a matter of time before they do.

Agricorps
Many "AgriCorps" started as smaller family farms that may have owned a few acres of farmland, an unimpressive amount of livestock and machinery on the verge of collapse. After the world market collapse and the collapse of the United States many "AgriCorps" set up shop, huge swaths of land became drought-stricken and barren and the family farm was all but over. All this happened at a time when bulk grown crops were needed more than ever. Some of the larger farms survived the Collapse and managed to buy up a lot of fertile lands. By 2020 65% of farmland in the US was owned by the corporations, many of which producing CHOOH2, the Biofuel of the future.

Manufacturing
"ManuCorps" were least affected by the collapse. As long as capitalism exists, the manufacturing industry will be fine. ManuCorp products can range from vehicles, weapons & armaments, to children's toys, computers, VR & AR, cybernetics, robots and many more. The security giant, Arasaka, started out in heavy manufacturing in the late 1800s, even in 2020, they have retained their manufacturing operations, and secretly own many other small companies.

Computing
"CyberCorps" are necessary for modern life in the world of cyberpunk, as almost everything revolves around a computer of some sort. With the availability of more advanced technology as well as the emergence of the Net, tech corporations have cemented their place in modern society. The famed hacker Rache Bartmoss published two catalogs of software and hardware for use in the Cyberpunk world.

Augmentations
Much like the world of computing, augmentation be they mechanical or biological is at the forefront of the Cyberpunk world, and the corporations which help develop this field are known as "BioCorps", producing and developing everything from Bioware, Cyberware, Nanotech and biosculpting technologies, to GMO crops, biofuels, cultured cells, and test-tube organs & tissues.

Armed Forces
"ArmaCorps" thrive in the extremely dangerous world of Cyberpunk. Crime is rampant, modern law enforcement are ineffective and security companies are as lethal and well organized as a nation's army. Gone are the days of the rent-a-cop, who patrols a mall on the prowl for some underage punks, now a security team is a cohesive unit, deploying a small arsenal and willing to shoot first and ask questions later. Mercenary outfits have become far more widespread, with many well=funded and headed by respected war veterans.

Services
In the world of Cyberpunk, there are many corporations that will work for you, the customer, rather than manufacturing or developing new products, these corporations are in business to serve.

Banking
Money means everything in the world of Cyberpunk. Banks have in increased in a large variety, promising to protect the money of their clients. Often times these banks will have private armies or hire on security services from other corporations.

Corporate Wars
In the world of Cyberpunk, corporations act with near impunity. Espionage and trade secrets are still a threat to the corporations. However criminal behavior is more likely to be used to carry it out. Anything from blackmail, extortion, to kidnapping is used. In more recent years it has resulted in large scale armed conflict.

There have been many wars between the corporations, typically on a small scale and dealt with swiftly. However, there have been four major conflicts, known as the corporate wars, that have shaken the entire world.

First Corporate War
The first corporate war was fought over failing corporation Transworld Air, who in late 2004 refused a buyout by EBM to accept an offer by Orbital Air. Outraged, EBM retaliated with a failed kidnapping, which resulted in the deaths of the Orbital/Transworld negotiation team. The two corporations battled it out with sporadic, small scale skirmishes. The resulting conflict lasted until early 2006 when the EBMs CEO surrendered after an assault on his compound.

Second Corporate War
The Second corporate war was fought between the two resource giants, Petrochem and SovOil. In 2008 the two corporations fought over oil fields in the south china sea, with Petrochem accusing SovOil of destroying one of their offshore oil rigs. Within weeks, 75% of all offshore platforms on both sides of the conflict were destroyed, and offshore fires raged for weeks on end. The conflict moved from precision strikes on oil rigs to fierce short-range warfare on the many various islands in the south china sea. After two years of fighting, Petrochem retreated and abandoned the region.

Third Corporate War
Beginning in February, 2016 and ending on April 17th, this conflict pitted the Rothstein Fund (a subsidiary of the bank of New York City) against Merrill, Asukaga, & Finch and Lazarus. It was fought primarily on the the Net.

Fourth Corporate War
The Fourth Corporate war's main combatants were Arasaka and Militech. The conflict was the feature of the two Firestorm Source/Adventure books. A third book was planned. However, it was incorporated into Cyberpunk V3.0. Some events of the Fourth Corporate war are unclear, as creator Mike Pondsmith has stated that certain events have been retired and disregarded.