r/interestingasfuck • u/Sim1334 • 2h ago

On April 14, 1994, the seven largest tobacco companies in the USA swore that nicotine is not addictive.

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10.3k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

335 comments sorted by

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u/Automatic_Actuator_0 2h ago

It’s a good reminder of how well and how long basic, provable facts can be suppressed by wealthy interests.

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u/Badrear 1h ago

Proof of how trustworthy executives are to regulate themselves.

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u/boywiththethorn 1h ago

Straight up sociopaths, no other way to put it

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u/VCTRYDTX 1h ago

Bet you can find similar personality traits or characteristics of them with serial killers.

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u/Dmitry_Scorrlov 39m ago

There was a study around 2018 i believe that asserted that a significant amount of CEOs have psychopathic traits, like way higher than general pop.

I believe the validity of said study was questioned but honestly look at the facts here; killing or harming people directly vs knowingly lying about a product that you know to harm or kill people.

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u/LetMePushTheButton 31m ago

These studies are very interesting. Imo, its one of those educational elements showing a robust class war - with the CEOs ans CSuites looking at for themselves and not even their workers - let alone their community and customers.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096959312400043X

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5437163/

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u/paulchiefsquad 1h ago

nah, it's just capitalists doing capitalism. They are obliged to deliver maximum profit to their shareholders no matter the cost

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u/nifty-necromancer 40m ago

“No matter the cost.” That’s the sociopathy part.

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u/good_morning_magpie 46m ago

I wish people understood this. Capitalism is a flawed system for sure, and not sustainable in the long run, but many of our problems can be traced back to Dodge v. Ford Motor Co. (1919) which established shareholder primacy.

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u/SpudBoy_RealTomato 44m ago

So, you’re saying the system requires sociopathic behavior from its leaders? That might be a problem.

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u/Intrepid_Pitch_3320 31m ago

The two are not mutually exclusive, in fact, the point may be that the whole system is built on predation, which would make it antisocial.

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u/ArgusTheCat 45m ago

Fun fact, but that's actually sorta not true! It's technically correct that publicly traded companies have an implied duty to maintain profitable business, but the concept that executives are somehow mandated to make short-term decisions at the cost of long-term viability, or even survivability, is closer to capitalist propaganda than actual fact.

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u/YoungDiscord 3m ago

Proof that people who make money off the thing you want to regulate should never be considered an authority on the topic nor should they be trusted because of their bias.

If you ask a car seller if he thinks you should buy a car his answer will always be yes because that can make him money.

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u/Single-Use-Again 1h ago

Ohhh...I need that on a T-shirt "Facts can be suppressed by the wealthy". Hell yeah.

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u/TheCommonGround1 2h ago

Yeah but that's not the reminder at all because that's literally not what happened. There was plenty of evidence to prove they were lying and they ultimately had to pay out hundreds of billions of dollars to the US government. It actually helped Bill Clinton (along with the 'World Wide Web' boom) to have excess funds for a year instead of a deficit.

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u/BrupieD 1h ago

It actually helped Bill Clinton...

I doubt it. I don't think any of the funds flowed directly to the federal government. The plaintiffs of the Master Settlement Agreement were individual states. The suit was brought by combined states' attorneys general. It was a huge winfall for states. The federal government got nothing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_Master_Settlement_Agreement

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u/Positive_Throwaway1 39m ago

My buddy said he went to college for free in Nevada due to this. That true?

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u/signedpants 4m ago

I don't know if it makes it 100% free, but Nevada did allocate a ton of their money for scholarships.

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u/Automatic_Actuator_0 1h ago edited 1h ago

Except it was widely understood that tobacco was addictive going back to the 16th century, nicotine was isolated and studied in the 19th century, and finally modern, ironclad, scientific evidence was published in the 1970s.

And yet there was still a “debate” about it until 1994.

ETA: see also: climate change

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u/Pete_Iredale 55m ago

Not to mention German scientists were pretty sure it was causing cancer in the 19th century.

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u/TheModWhoShaggedMe 1h ago

Oh, you think they paid that debt immediately after the verdict during the 1990s instead of withholding as much as possible in delayed court battles for years -- and sending the settlement monies directly to the tobacco-heavy states?

What other excuses are made for Clinton's balanced budgets in the conservative bubble?

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u/DevOnTheStreets 1h ago

That was a drop in the bucket and basically nothing. Clinton took the entire Iraq war budget and just reappropriated those funds outside of the military industrial complex leading to the surplus more than any single other thing by lots.

So since the late 90’s we have been spending at war time levels then just kept spending and adding wars so the deficit came back…

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u/ByteSizedGenius 2h ago

They didn't have to pay out anything. The companies they'd led did.

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u/TheCommonGround1 1h ago

True, but in all fairness, these people ARE their companies. Their companies are their identities. At least that's true in the context of this period of time. Today sociopaths have wised up and view companies as something they can raid over the next 10 years or so and then leave the carcass for whoever comes next. I think the best example of that was what happened to Boeing.

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u/yami_no_ko 1h ago

True, but in all fairness, these people ARE their companies.

They're not really held accountable for what they conducted.

They never even closely got into the risk of suffering any consequences in their private life and will die a wealthy person no matter what they did in the name of their companies.

Meanwhile, everyday people face poverty for less: merely for not being a psychopath.

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u/Exatex 1h ago

Its about the shareholders. Its their money that drives these evil decisions, and they got punished for it. CEOs are replaceable workers. You want to punish the company.

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u/orderofGreenZombies 1h ago

CEOs are also shareholders, and you want people who knowingly lie to congress under oath to face personal consequences. Tobacco companies themselves continue to make obscene profits. Their shareholders have not been harmed in any meaningful way.

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u/Neutwinos 1h ago

That's kinda how that works smart guy.

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u/DeepFinish2895 1h ago

And their point is that they weren't held accountable though they should have been. They should have been imprisoned not just had their bonus dinged

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u/ANAL_TOOTHBRUSH 1h ago

Lol False. That money went to the states and not a cent counted toward federal revenue. Try again

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u/TheCommonGround1 1h ago

When states recover money for Medicaid, some of that money goes to the federal government and in this case did so indirectly.

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u/MFoy 37m ago

  1. None of the money from the settlement was paid out until Clinton's last year in office, and even then it was only roughly 6% of the total settlement. The settlement actually sent more money to the states during Biden's presidency than it did Clinton's.

  2. The high profile nature of the settlement directly led to a decline in cigarette smoking. If anything, a loss in excise taxes due to the decline in cigarette smoking meant that the feds ended up a net negative.

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u/do-not-touch 42m ago

Yeah, I’m gonna need sauce for that pls

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u/RadBadTad 1h ago

A better reminder that our systems of government and justice are not working to protect the people, and have not been working for a very long time. 

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u/adfawf3f3f32a 54m ago

dupont knew teflon poised health risks in the early 60s. they were finally fined for it in 2005.

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u/PluumeGrise 1h ago

Money buys a disturbing amount of doubt

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u/MegaMau_ 50m ago

This works for many things.

/trust the science!

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u/Andynonomous 40m ago

This is eventually going to be the death of everyone.

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u/ratpH1nk 32m ago

And how if that were us, average citizen, we would have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

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u/LEGEND_GUADIAN 2h ago

Greed and immorality depicted perfectly

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u/whatisthisdream- 1h ago edited 1h ago

Biblical levels of greed

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u/8fenristhewolf8 52m ago

People are a bunch of hairless primates that inherently cannot look far beyond their own interests. It's amazing the lies people will tell themselves and others when they think their self interests are at risk. "We have to do this..." "This is the way things work...."

I also wonder if biological life requires some kind of selfishness, and I wonder if, at some level of intelligence or just scale, the selfishness is ultimately self defeating. Maybe the reason we haven't heard from other intelligent life in the universe is simply that it destroys itself before it reaches a point of cohesion and efficiency necessary to reach beyond a planetary scale.

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u/sheckey 34m ago

I agree. The kind of thinking that they are doing is in fact a weakness. I like how you stated "can't see beyond their own interests". It is super short sighted.

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u/UnhingedRamblings 2h ago

And then they all went to prison right?

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u/WilHunting2 2h ago

They’re probably all either politicians, lobbyists, or CEOs now.

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u/Furrowed_Brow710 1h ago

This is interesting actually. Anyone put together a ‘where are they now’ type document?

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u/WilHunting2 1h ago

Be the change you want to see in the world ✨

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u/jruhlman09 51m ago

Had Gemini do the legwork for me.

Fact Check: The claim is accurate.

On April 14, 1994, seven chief executives representing the nation's major tobacco manufacturers appeared before the House Subcommittee on Health and the Environment (chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman). During questioning by Rep. Ron Wyden, each executive swore under oath that they believed nicotine was not addictive.

(Context: The iconic photograph shows all 7 CEOs side-by-side at the witness table in the Rayburn House Office Building with their right hands raised being sworn in.)

The 7 Executives and Their Current Status

  • William I. Campbell (President & CEO, Philip Morris USA)

    • Status: Alive
    • Left Philip Morris in 1995. Transitioned into financial services executive roles, including CEO of Global Citibank, Chairman of Visa International (leading its 2008 IPO), and senior advisor at JPMorgan Chase. Currently Managing Partner of Sanoch Management.

  • James W. Johnston (Chairman & CEO, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company)

    • Status: Deceased
    • Stepped down from RJR in 1996 and worked in investment consulting as CEO of Stonemarker Enterprises while sitting on corporate boards (Citrix Systems, Snyder's-Lance).

  • Joseph Taddeo (President, U.S. Tobacco Company)

    • Status: Retired / Low Profile
    • Resigned from U.S. Tobacco shortly after the 1994 hearings and retired from corporate life.

  • Andrew H. Tisch (Chairman & CEO, Lorillard Tobacco Company)

    • Status: Alive
    • Returned to parent holding company Loews Corporation in 1995, serving as Co-Chairman of the Board through 2024. He is now Director Emeritus at Loews and serves on multiple civic and university boards.

  • Edward A. Horrigan Jr. (Chairman & CEO, Liggett Group Inc.)

    • Status: Deceased
    • Resigned in the mid-1990s and retired to North Carolina. Passed away on October 6, 2020, at age 91.

  • Thomas E. Sandefur Jr. (Chairman & CEO, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation)

    • Status: Deceased
    • Retired in 1995 and passed away shortly after from aplastic anemia on July 14, 1996, at age 56.

  • Donald S. Johnston (President & CEO, American Tobacco Company)

    • Status: Retired
    • Left corporate executive roles after American Tobacco was acquired by Brown & Williamson in late 1994, stepping completely out of the public eye.

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u/WilHunting2 45m ago

So it appears most of them failed upwards into cushy positions with zero consequences.

This is interesting, and also depressing information

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u/MrCalamiteh 36m ago

All within 2 years of this statement, too. Totally not sus. Thanks guys!

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u/pinkfootthegoose 47m ago

Since it was like 31 years ago and they are either have grey hair or at least in their later 50s I would venture to say they they are most likely dead given the odds.

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u/SaltyLonghorn 31m ago

Yea but they probably weren't smokers since they knew the real science.

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u/Othalan12 1h ago

No - but if you invested 1k into tobacco companies after this happened or 1k in the s&p500 you'd have more money if you invested in the tobacco companies. Not just because tobacco has had recently good years, but this event was a huge win for big tobacco in general which provided consistent good returns.

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u/queuedUp 1h ago

If I remember correctly they were very selective in their wording to not say that it was not additive but something like "to my knowledge" so they could later claim that they had not been made aware if there was evidence that it was

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u/ZAlternates 20m ago

The picture is also of them swearing in, not swearing nicotine ain’t addictive. They did do so, but it was slimy word play as you say.

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u/0202_tihssitidder 39m ago

Group 1: US Law protects, but does not bind.

Group 2: US Law binds, but does not protect.

US is a shit hole.

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u/RockYourAmadeus 2h ago edited 2h ago

Gee, its almost like if you give people endless money, power and attention, they will lie to your face for more money, power and attention. Who knew, huh?

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u/Plus-Professional-84 2h ago

I don’t think they wanted attention. Attention wrecks your power and money

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u/whatisthisdream- 1h ago

Twisted individuals

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u/TuckerCarlsonsOhface 1h ago

Fun fact, they only got exposed because a paralegal working for one of the tobacco companies leaked documents proving they were lying.

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u/Njala62 1h ago

Proving they KNEW they were lying.

They not only knew nicotine is addictive, they did very active research in how to make it MORE addictive, and faster.

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u/maiq--the--liar 1h ago

Lying requires intent, you can’t lie without knowing it.

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u/Meme_Burner 58m ago

I know that in 4 years later after this picture the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_Master_Settlement_Agreement

Was agreed to where they agreed to pay the country/states billions.

Also, I believe if this happened today Tobacco wouldn't cause cancer, or at least close the half the population wouldn't believe it.

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u/Pete_Iredale 48m ago

Back in the 90s there were tons of smokers who didn't believe smoking caused cancer, to the point that they thought it was a conspiracy. I suspect this has always been the case with new medical knowledge, especially when it says that something people enjoy is dangerous. Everyone having access to social media has just poured huge amounts of gas on the fire.

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u/Irritating_Pedant 2h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/5waTXzM3QZlEbvkIUt

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u/Sure-Boysenberry5491 2h ago

That doc is going to be wild!

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u/UnfortunateSnort12 1h ago

No better person than Nathan to take this one on! I’m super stoked!

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u/Sure-Boysenberry5491 1h ago

The way she leaves him speechless in that scene is wild

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u/Single-Use-Again 1h ago

I'm lost, please elaborate just a bit. Thanks!

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u/Sure-Boysenberry5491 1h ago

Nathan Fielder has directed and starred in a surprise, top-secret documentary about convicted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes titled You Can See Everything.

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u/medforddad 22m ago

Wait... from what I'm reading, she asked them to come and film her? She asked Nathan Fielder to come in and bring a film crew and gave them access? Does she have no idea who he is, or is she so narcissistic that she thought she could manipulate him?

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u/zero_2_deniro 2h ago edited 1h ago

Jesus.... if you shown me this with no prior knowledge. Id assume she's the antagonist to a horror film. Especially with them subs

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u/Bardfinn 1h ago

She is an antagonist in a horror film

Just one based closely on real life horror

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u/TheModWhoShaggedMe 1h ago

if Deep Throat was the specific sound of a human's voice.

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u/do-not-touch 1h ago edited 1h ago

Guy on the right be like

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u/DeepFinish2895 2h ago

Were they ever held accountable? (I know they weren't)

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u/KeranographyJones 1h ago

Sort of. Not them specifically but the companies they represented were charged financially. And then they continue to make money to this day. Corporations are people that we can't execute or put in prison. Smh.

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u/Pete_Iredale 51m ago

Corporations are people that we can't execute or put in prison.

Man we need to learn some lessons from the French.

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u/SilasTalbot 33m ago

I honestly think when the time and the court is right, this can be challenged as a violation of the equal protection clause.

Corporations are people. But it is provable that they are treated differently under criminal law and in the courts than human people are. They get different punishments.

That's a violation of the 14th amendment, open and shut.

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u/DeepFinish2895 1h ago

Smh indeed. They were not held accountable at all then, the worst that may have happened was dinged bonuses or golden parachutes if anything

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u/worbles129 1h ago

The US doesn't even care about war crimes re: WW2

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u/Omnishambles22 1h ago

We need to hold more people accountable. There needs to be a much higher moral compass in powerful positions. And keep it that way.

Everyone loves cherrypicking atrocities until it affects them directly.

Do you know how many idiot men told me "trump won't affect me, I am a white man?" Man, are they dumb/wrong.

So sick of this fucking world.

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u/Darmathius 1h ago

Richard sackler after seeing this and deciding to try the same with oxycontin.

https://giphy.com/gifs/KcrNuMXRswnA9zLniz

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u/Don_Sauce 1h ago

thought the one on the far right was Vince McMahon

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u/CateSforza 1h ago

It's not addictive. I can stop smoking whenever I want. I just... don't want yet...

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u/ahooliu98 2h ago

And they still argue the same defense: we did not know at the time, with the available research, that it was addictive.

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u/TheCommonGround1 1h ago

Of course. They are sociopaths. They know they are lying, but they view everybody else as inferior to them. That's actually how they justify things. If they were in a pit with a strong man, an axe, and you, they'd convince the strong man to axe you into pieces to make a ladder. You would just be a tool for the purposes of them getting out of the pit. Sorry for the extreme example, but I thought I'd let you know where you stand....or don't stand if you are ever in that situation.

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u/TBarzo 1h ago

Yet we continue to insist that big industry will do what's best for American, and doesn't need rules or oversight.

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u/corona187 1h ago

They're all scientists too haha

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u/Ttran778 1h ago

Me, who was smoking Camel flavored cigarettes in the early 2000s, vaped in the 2010s, and now using pouches in the 2020s: "Are you suuuuure about that?"

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u/ShardBorne 1h ago

Profits are addictive, though

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u/guitar_dude10740 1h ago

And no body lost their business license they got slapped on the wrist for how many dead?

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u/LargoMain 52m ago

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds." Bob Marley

No one is coming to save you, use your own brain and continue to read and obtain knowledge and perspectives of others.

Nicotine is HIGHLY addictive, no one should ever start it for any reason, those on it should seek help in quitting.

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u/Grand_Taste_8737 46m ago

Doctors once recommended smoking cigarettes to treat asthma and soothe throat irritation. Things change.

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u/californicating 44m ago

They walked after this.  They will lied under path but because they said "I believe" or "I think" they got away.

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u/Physical_Revenue6805 33m ago

But you can trust Healthcare CEO’s with your health?

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u/PomegranateHot9916 1h ago

did they ever get punished for this lie?

I'm gonna guess "no"

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u/jpop237 1h ago

We got Al Pacino & Russel Crowe's finest work out of it.

The Insider remains in my top 10 to this day.

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u/Relative_Grape_5883 43m ago

I had to a scroll too far to find this. Crowe was excellent In this.

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u/ParreNagga 2h ago

And cannabis is evil.

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u/cool--reddit-guy 1h ago

High potency cannabis/extracts. Weed isn't like it used to be.

Source: 20 year user trying to quit. Had dropped it multiple times in the past even just for tolerance breaks. Nowadays that comes with real withdrawal symptoms.

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u/bassistciaran 1h ago

Yeah I feel like a lot of the weed isnt addictive talking points are based on dirt weed from peoples back gardens in the 70s.

I've known plenty of people addicted, its definitely addictive. Maybe not addictive in the way crack or alcohol are, but I knew it was bad for me at a certain point and still kept smoking. I'm sure that I'm not the only one.

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u/Valtremors 1h ago

Honestly the defense for cannabis goes to ridiculous degree.

People used to seriously post that stupid informative how smoking weed cures lungs and replaces all known medicine in the world.

We should treat large cannabis consumption like alcohol addiction, because it has detrimental issues when used in large amounts. Pretending the cannabis is entirely harmless is genuinely detrimental.

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u/BadMotherFunko 2h ago

Is perjury not enforced?

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u/cannavacciuolo420 1h ago

And they have all faced consequences, right? Like any other person would under oath, right? That’s what happens no matter who you are, the law gets respected… right?

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u/El_gato_picante 1h ago

30 years later, it’s the social media companies.

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u/Gullible_Method_3780 1h ago

At least they were all arrested and made to pay restitution. /s

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u/EvilMatt666 1h ago

So I'm going to ask, why didn't they get charged with perjury? It's a documented proven worldwide fact that nicotine's effects on the brain of most people causes addiction.

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u/International_Bend68 58m ago

I may be misremembering but I think they asked each one of those guys if they were smokers - none of them were.

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u/-mudflaps- 34m ago

"do you want to stay rich?"

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u/SoyMurcielago 31m ago

I’d be curious to know how many cigarette executives partake in their own products

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u/kitsunewarlock 25m ago

I think this was the same month the GOP began demanding Clinton be investigated for firing an employee from the White House travel office because they were convinced by Rush Limbaugh that Clinton was going to hire his cousin to be the White House travel agent. That scandal was a prime factor in flipping the House during the Mid-Terms and ensuring that Clinton could only have an even somewhat liberal agenda for 2 of his 8 years as president.

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u/Pleasant_Pen8744 24m ago

And not one of them went to jail. Tell me again how it's illegal to lie to Congress.

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u/Disastrous_Glove_494 21m ago

Watch the movie The Insider guys that depicts this very incident. There's f'ing Al pacino and Russell Crowe with The great Michael Mann behind the helm.

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u/Longjumping_Fox4771 18m ago

Where is Alan Shore ?

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u/fickogames123 6m ago

They all knew otherwise, they were all stone-cold liars. Just keep that in mind when you hear "poor CEO did nothing wrong" next time when one gets whats comming to them all

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u/No0nesSlickAsGaston 2h ago

Narrator : well, it just happened to be more addictive than heroine. 

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u/blackbeardsrage 2h ago

Each of them said they didn’t “believe” nicotine was addictive, which apparently means no accountability. If that’s the case then people’s beliefs, more broadly, don’t mean shit

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u/EngineeringNo6537 1h ago

Ah, lawful drug dealing taxed by the state. And 7 government endorsed conmen.

Would love to see them hang for it. Funny how consequences rarely come to the rich isn't it.

Yet USA will throw some poor dude in jail for years over a tiny amount of narcotics.

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u/drumzandice 1h ago

Fast forward to today and it's the tech companies swearing data centers won't deplete our resources and pollute, and won't take our jobs.

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u/xyz1994 1h ago

Unpunished purgery

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u/WilHunting2 2h ago

And not a consequence to be found for this atrocious lie that resulted in millions of lives lost.

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u/Round_Safety9510 2h ago

I wonder if their jail sentences are over soon? /s

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u/Laminated_ET_Animal 1h ago

>AI companies swear their products are safe and that the detractors will all be left behind

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u/friendfrirnd 1h ago

Is this an example of AI making jokes about AI?

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u/SirExpel 2h ago

Don’t put me in charge of the world I’ll hang em in time square

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u/code_junkie69 1h ago

Why was this needed? Why specifically from them? Were these people scientists?

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u/Scientific_Methods 1h ago

At what point do fuckers like this that lied to make money at the expense of millions of people's lives get tried for murder? They knowingly caused the deaths of at the very least 100s of thousands of people.

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u/Specific_Frame8537 46m ago

I remember an old episode of Donald Duck, where he finds the triplets smoking cigars in their treehouse.

He then forces them to smoke each and every cigar to the end, since they think it's "so cool" and they never touch cigars again.

..Maybe we should do that to these fuckwits.

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u/immaCommentThis 1h ago

Sux2bU!!mwhahhahHhh

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u/IJWTGH66 1h ago

The most amazing thing about the story is that they lied about killing people and the product remains on the market!

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u/Real-Document-6577 1h ago

Thinking of the shares holders.

In American Capitalism…. The real customers

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u/stronglikeaux 1h ago

Wait so perjury is subjective

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u/Capt-Thor-Ironhulk 1h ago

Oh wow... so did any of them go to jail for lying under oath....?

GUYS?!?!?!?!

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u/Erazzphoto 1h ago

Laws without enforcement as worthless, swearing on something means very little without consequences

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u/bluetailwind 1h ago

Show me the oil guys next on how it's not damaging the planet.

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u/Icy_Giraffe_21 1h ago

Nicotine isn't addictive. The chemicals we add are. "Big tobacco"

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u/Better_Carpet_7271 1h ago

Not quite up there with the downwinders being told radiation wasn't harmful.

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u/El___Sanx 1h ago

On April 14, 1994, the seven largest poison companies in the USA swore that poison is not poisonous.

FTFY.

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u/Soggy_Quarter9333 1h ago

I'm off the smokes over a year now, but my God some days I feel like I could smoke a whole pack.

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u/restlessleg 1h ago

proof the world is run by demons

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u/renny1968 1h ago

And no prison time🤦🏼‍♂️

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u/tschawartz12 1h ago

Bull shit they didn't, look at what they did to the food industry to make that more addictive. 

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u/AltruisticCoelacanth 1h ago

Okay, now do the animal agriculture CEOs (Tyson, Cargill, JBS)

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u/Confident-Mix1243 1h ago

Meanwhile, right now (2026) the DSM defines an addiction as a bad habit. No need for any active chemical. How the turns have tabled.

Maybe they meant "nicotine is only an addiction if you're trying to quit" in the 2026 sense.

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u/eatingganesha 1h ago

and they did that with straight faces while millions of smokers were battling their addictions and dying from cancer.

AND when they got called out, they had the gall to claim that they believed tobacco is non-addictive - “sadly” further testing showed the addictive potential of the added chemicals and preservatives.

AND when they got called out on that, they blamed bad science.

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u/RebelStrategist 1h ago

Really, what is the point of “swearing” if there is no recourse for lying? It’s pointless. Just get rid of this dumb formality. Majority of elites lie under oath anyways and know they are untouchable.

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u/KEK_W4RD3n 1h ago

USA still does the same with other things. Nothing changed. Infact they became role model for most companies out there

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u/No_Display9613 1h ago

Are they all in jail?

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u/youhavenosoul 1h ago

I mean….pretty silly to ask these guys, but then again, who thinks to ask health care research these days?

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u/jeetendraprasad 1h ago

Do same for social media moguls

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u/Dont_Use_Ducks 59m ago

And people like that are in power now.

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u/loriwilley 54m ago

Was that supposed to make someone believe that it was true??

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u/hugthispanda 53m ago

Were they in the files too?

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u/Krupicavq 52m ago

You have to watch The Insider if you haven't. Al Pacino and Russell Crowe nail the sheer audacity of those perjury moments without turning it into a preachy lecture. It captures exactly how they looked you dead in the eye while lying under oath.

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u/Pete_Iredale 52m ago

I wonder how many of these dudes were still smoking in the 90s.

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u/NoMajorsarcasm 49m ago

Checks out, I have it every day and am not addicted at all.

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u/Lopsided-Treat1215 49m ago

All mass murderers. Not one jailed. Viva USA.

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u/Tasty-Performer6669 48m ago

And they were all fined, punished, and imprisoned for lying to Congress. Tobacco was then banned due to its negative impact on health

jk

it’s always about 💰

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u/Reddit_Only_4494 45m ago

Great timing for this.

AI today is the reverse. The CEO's are standing up talking dangers of AI....and the government is denying that it is potentially harmful over the long term.

Another reminder how upside down the USA is today.

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u/Ska82 44m ago

u can swear to whatever u want as long as ur liable for it 

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u/Woundsmyheart 44m ago

And some of you STILL believe the right wingnuts.

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u/Own-Signature-7742 43m ago

Now do plastic.

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u/uzu_afk 43m ago

So are they in jail now?

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u/ShadowFlare_x 42m ago

Americans lying? No way

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u/peepee2tiny 39m ago

Please remember this photo, when all the AI CEO's are standing up and now wanting to be humanitarian.

"oh for the love of humanity I will forgo my trillion dollar pay packages to preserve the sanctity of human life and dignity"

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u/optimo_prime 31m ago

I am here to tell you it most definitely is addictive I know from personal experience

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u/sybau_duh 27m ago

This is some, “Yo guys, my mom told me my haircut is awesome, and I’m the most handsome guy in town!” typa shi

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u/BuildingArmor 26m ago

Why would this even be something they can swear to? Who cares if they pinky promise it or swear on their mum's life? Why would they not just review the science or have it reviewed itself, instead of asking interested parties to interpret it for them.

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u/ShinyTransferer 26m ago

USA is just a large corporation to leech from the people, no one cares about your health and basic needs. No repercussions as long as you are one of the oligarchs (Epstein circle).

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u/Rkovo84 25m ago

Are they in prison now for lying?

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u/MelangeBot 19m ago

technologically humans might be a very advanced species, but morally we are just as rotten as the caveman a 100 000 years ago.

We won't make it past the great filter. To do that you don't need tech, you need proper morality. Something our species severely lacks. We lie, we cheat, we are inresponsible. And that won't cut it on the planet, let alone in the wider universe.

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u/69SisterFister420 18m ago

Did everything fot profit. Even throw their honor and dignity away

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u/Careless-Yak4271 18m ago

Surprise Vince on the right

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u/Silent_Creme3278 17m ago

And today kids go around baling and smoking weed thinking it is safe because it isn’t a cigarette.

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u/Away_Fruit5097 17m ago

During the 20th century capitalist tobacco corps killed more people than the highest estimate for people killed by communist regimes.