They say power corrupts. But when a single firm controls trillions, it doesn’t just corrupt – it fractures the moral imagination of everyone tied into its network. Cummins may have its own baggage, but Royal BlackRock? That’s a leviathan of institutional rot. And this time, I’ll show you exactly how far that rot spreads.
No pretences this time. Let’s follow the trail of influence – into courtrooms, scorched forests, housing markets, geopolitical fallout, and ethical voids. And yes, Cummins is entangled. Not innocently. Complicitly.
Collusion in Texas – ESG as a Cartel Weapon
A growing multi-state antitrust suit names BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street – accusing them of using ESG talking points to manipulate energy markets. The judge refused to toss it. Market manipulation isn’t theory – it’s central to the case, and Cummins as a shareholder should brace for the reflection of that influence.
Amazon Ashes – Agribusiness Fueled by Funds
There’s an OECD complaint, from Friends of the Earth and Brazilian Indigenous leaders, accusing BlackRock of knowingly funding agribusinesses that drive deforestation and Indigenous land grabs. This isn’t a vague accusation – it’s formal, submitted, and rests in an international complaints system.
Cummins, ask yourself: the engines you sell, could they be powered by money from companies burning forests and turning communities to ash?
European Greenwashing Probe – Rebrand, Not Reform
ClientEarth flagged BlackRock for glossing over fossil exposure in “sustainable” funds. Regulators in France and the EU are investigating. The result? Funds renamed, not rewritten. Same holdings. Just a different label. Layperson greenwashing with regulatory runway.
Russian Writedown – A £17 Billion Loss of Trust
When sanctions hit, BlackRock was left holding a huge share of Russian assets. They wiped out ~£17 billion in losses – not the result of oversight, but of reckless geopolitical indifference. For Cummins, a company with it’s own eyebrow-raising global ties, this should be a red flag that whispers “risk goes unchallenged here.”
BlackRock Buying Homes – Turning Communities into Rental Portfolios
They’re not just managing money – they’re owning whole neighbourhoods. BlackRock has spent heavily buying houses as institutional rentals, squeezing local residents out. It’s cold financial engineering. Homes are assets, and that flips the script on ethics for workers across Cummins’ communities.
Palestine Divestment Skirmish – Profits over Principles
Activists demanded BlackRock divest from companies tied to Israeli military hardware. Return? Half-hearted portfolio tweaks and PR spin, while maintaining influence and cash flow. Cummins, if your shareholder is happy to profit from war zones while claiming neutrality – that’s a calculation, not neutrality.
Cummins – Not a Spectator, a Partner in Silence
Cummins lists BlackRock as a top institutional shareholder – millions of shares, real power. That fund’s decisions ripple through boardrooms and investor decks. If BlackRock’s influencers bankroll deforestation, cartel markets, housing dispossession and war-fuel profitability – Cummins is not innocent. It’s complicit.
If your shareholder is that tainted, you owe the public answers. What executive policies hold BlackRock to account? Which funds are off-limits? Which investments do you disavow? Company reputation isn’t a veneer – it’s the consequence of your partner choices.
What Comes Next
This isn’t a PR campaign – it’s pressure dynamics. Boards shift when the smell is persistent and loud. If Cummins wants credibility, it must pivot on ethics. Publish real counterparty principles. Contractual audit rights. Executive accountability measures tied to shareholder action.
Right now, silence isn’t innocence – it’s consent.
Fuck coverups. Call it out. Sadly, Cummins may be too far gone.
Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project