Originally Posted by
Revolutionary_Jack
In terms of plot logic, the fact that Peter didn't take a salary as CEO and all such shenanigans (which in real life are total stunts, only the already rich and connected can afford this) meant that Peter could still be poor at the end of Parker Industries. Most of the money went into severance packages for workers who were laid off abruptly and Peter didn't keep things for himself and all that. So on that base level, it didn't change anything. But on a character level, and a setting level, it's a huge change. A lot of people pointed out that in Spencer's issues in the Bar with No Name, people bring up Peter as the guy who did that book of photographs in Michelinie's run with married Spider-Man but nobody mentioned Peter being a former CEO and owner of a MNC. I mean in the Graveyard Shift story, Peter even tried to offer work to ex-criminals and so on. So they would plausibly know that side of him, instead Spencer plays that down.
Sure, Parker Industries probably used sweat-shops and so on. As a big-tech company, it would play a part in using automation and phasing out the manufacturing sector, and so on. There's stuff there worth mining in terms of "being a good person would not make you a good CEO, or a successful one". But we didn't really get that. It basically became an excuse for big stupid props. And I point out China because it's a blatant example in terms of "elephant in the room". The editor in the time should have told Slott to change it to like Madripoor or you know Wakanda or some other fictional country simply to avoid the baggage.