public financial institution

Goldman Sachs

A public investment bank and financial institution with extraction, market conduct, financing impacts, and prior major enforcement history. Goldman Sachs scores low because of documented human harm, person-dependent governance, and material opacity, with weak stakeholder ownership and centralized governance reinforcing the negative evaluation.

Why this matters: Financial power affects markets and public systems beyond ordinary consumer products.

Letter grade F Malignant Medium confidence (AI) Rubric gcd-rubric-v1 Last reviewed May 6, 2026

Final Score -13* F - Malignant

FMALIGNANT-13 pts

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

Base Material14

Bonus+0

Cap35Ownership <= 2 and Governance <= 2

After Cap14

Penalties-27

Private Government badge

Goldman Sachs receives the Private Government badge because it combines large-scale private rule-setting over customers, workers, users, members, or counterparties with OpenLobby-documented lobbying of about $26M on public policy issues.

Evidence: [8]

Policy Capture: L for Lobbying

The L badge appears when the Policy Capture penalty is severe. Here, L stands for Lobbying: the policy-capture value is -11, meaning the evidence indicates major private-interest lobbying or policy pressure against workers, customers, citizens, affected communities, democratic accountability, or ecological life.

Evidence: [7]

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Evaluation Overview

F - Malignant

The score turns mainly on Extraction, with the largest penalty coming from Policy Capture.

Strengths

Extraction2/10
Labor Sovereignty2/7
Solidarity with the Unemployed2/7

Penalties

Policy Capture-11
Human Harm-8
Reversibility-5
Accountability Opacity-2

Evidence state

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)
ThoroughnessPartial (AI)
Linked claims8
Direct axis claims7
Coverage7/14

Scoring Axes

Axis	Score	Why this score
Ownership ? Control rights: shareholder-dominated at 0, worker cooperative control at 10.	0 / 10	Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. That keeps Goldman Sachs low on Ownership: decisive control remains with shareholders, private owners, executives, or state insiders rather than affected people. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 0 scored entries below, 11 tied, 215 above on Ownership. Linked evidence Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. [1]
Governance ? Binding decision authority: centralized control at 0, democratic stakeholder control at 10.	1 / 10	Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 2 scored entries below, 68 tied, 156 above on Governance. Linked evidence context Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. [1]
Extraction ? Surplus allocation, wage share, CEO pay ratio, margins, and structured extraction judgment.	2 / 10	Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. That keeps Goldman Sachs low on Extraction: the business model makes extraction from workers, users, suppliers, customers, or the public central rather than incidental. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 20 scored entries below, 18 tied, 188 above on Extraction. Linked evidence context Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. [1]
Labor Sovereignty ? Worker power: coercive conditions at 0, co-determination or ownership at 7. Employee dissatisfaction matters only when source-backed evidence shows concrete limits on worker agency, such as coercive scheduling, retaliation, wage theft, harassment, unsafe conditions, suppression of worker voice, or extreme turnover.	2 / 7	Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. That keeps Goldman Sachs low on Labor Sovereignty: labor remains managerially controlled, replaceable, or exposed to coercive employment and contracting conditions. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 8 scored entries below, 36 tied, 182 above on Labor Sovereignty. Linked evidence context Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. [1]
Solidarity with the Unemployed ? Treatment of exits and nonworkers, including severance, redeployment, and non-competes.	2 / 7	Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. That keeps Goldman Sachs low on Solidarity with the Unemployed: the model provides little protection for people who leave, are excluded, or cannot bargain from employment. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 31 scored entries below, 49 tied, 146 above on Solidarity with the Unemployed. Linked evidence context Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. [1]
Loss-Bearing Fidelity ? Willingness to absorb costs to preserve values, workers, users, and public obligations.	2 / 7	Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. That keeps Goldman Sachs low on Loss-Bearing Fidelity: losses, hazards, or adjustment costs are routinely pushed onto workers, customers, suppliers, communities, or the public. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 33 scored entries below, 14 tied, 179 above on Loss-Bearing Fidelity. Linked evidence context Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. [1]
Market Conduct ? Pricing fairness, switching costs, lock-in, and rent extraction.	1 / 5	Goldman Sachs operates in capital markets, investment banking, asset management, and trading businesses where market-power and rent-extraction risks are structurally material. Goldman Sachs operates in capital markets, investment banking, asset management, and trading businesses where market-power and rent-extraction risks are structurally material. That keeps Goldman Sachs low on Market Conduct: market power, lock-in, coercive pricing, or exclusionary conduct is a major part of the institution's position. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 15 scored entries below, 15 tied, 196 above on Market Conduct. Linked evidence Goldman Sachs operates in capital markets, investment banking, asset management, and trading businesses where market-power and rent-extraction risks are structurally material. [2]
Product Integrity ? Preservation of quality rather than degradation for monetization.	2 / 5	Goldman Sachs operates in capital markets, investment banking, asset management, and trading businesses where market-power and rent-extraction risks are structurally material. Goldman Sachs operates in capital markets, investment banking, asset management, and trading businesses where market-power and rent-extraction risks are structurally material. That places Goldman Sachs in the middle of Product Integrity: the product has real use value but is compromised by incentives, monetization, lock-in, quality degradation, or risk. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 23 scored entries below, 13 tied, 190 above on Product Integrity. Linked evidence context Goldman Sachs operates in capital markets, investment banking, asset management, and trading businesses where market-power and rent-extraction risks are structurally material. [2]
Scale Integrity ? Whether growth improves or degrades fairness and accountability.	2 / 5	Goldman Sachs operates in capital markets, investment banking, asset management, and trading businesses where market-power and rent-extraction risks are structurally material. Goldman Sachs operates in capital markets, investment banking, asset management, and trading businesses where market-power and rent-extraction risks are structurally material. That places Goldman Sachs in the middle of Scale Integrity: scale brings useful reach but also weakens accountability, transparency, or local constraint. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 31 scored entries below, 18 tied, 177 above on Scale Integrity. Linked evidence context Goldman Sachs operates in capital markets, investment banking, asset management, and trading businesses where market-power and rent-extraction risks are structurally material. [2]

Penalties

Penalty	Applied	Why this penalty
Reversibility ? Applied when positive conduct depends on current living leaders, founders, family owners, or other person-contingent governance rather than durable structure. Range: -5 to 0.	-5	Goldman Sachs's favorable conduct depends partly on current leaders, founders, family owners, executive discretion, or other person-contingent control rather than a fully locked democratic stakeholder-control structure. Goldman Sachs's favorable conduct depends partly on current leaders, founders, family owners, executive discretion, or other person-contingent control rather than a fully locked democratic stakeholder-control structure. That warrants a severe Reversibility penalty because favorable conduct depends on current people or discretionary leadership rather than locked stakeholder structure. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 0 scored entries below, 95 tied, 131 above on Reversibility. Linked evidence context Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures. [1] Goldman Sachs's favorable conduct depends partly on current leaders, founders, family owners, executive discretion, or other person-contingent control rather than a fully locked democratic stakeholder-control structure. [3]
Human Harm ? Severity, scale, culpability, vulnerable targets, willful reoffense, reputation laundering, pattern escalation, and time decay. Range: -20 to 0.	-8	The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Goldman Sachs admitted wrongdoing and agreed to pay more than $2.9 billion in the 1MDB bribery scheme resolution. The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Goldman Sachs admitted wrongdoing and agreed to pay more than $2.9 billion in the 1MDB bribery scheme resolution. That warrants a substantial Human Harm penalty because ordinary operation, documented misconduct, or institutional power creates serious injury, deprivation, abuse, or foreseeable human damage. The value is substantial but not at the floor because the linked record shows serious conduct without the strongest aggravating factors on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 33 scored entries below, 4 tied, 189 above on Human Harm. Linked evidence The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Goldman Sachs admitted wrongdoing and agreed to pay more than $2.9 billion in the 1MDB bribery scheme resolution. [4]
Policy Capture ? Private-interest attempts to bend law, regulation, subsidies, taxes, enforcement, trade, labor, safety, competition, environmental, healthcare, housing, surveillance, civil-liberties, or consumer policy against workers, customers, citizens, affected communities, or ecological life. Public-interest advocacy is not penalized merely because it is lobbying. Range: -15 to 0.	-11	OpenLobby records GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC lobbying on trade, finance, banking, tax, economic development with about $26M in spending across 32 filings; the reviewed filings document private… OpenLobby records GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC lobbying on trade, finance, banking, tax, economic development with about $26M in spending across 32 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role. That warrants a severe Policy Capture penalty because private institutional pressure is being applied to public rules while affected people cannot democratically govern that agenda. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Linked evidence OpenLobby records GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC lobbying on trade, finance, banking, tax, economic development with about $26M in spending across 32 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role. [7]
Accountability Opacity ? Material opacity, reputation laundering, or hidden accountability structures that prevent public accountability. Range: -2 to 0.	-2	Goldman Sachs' 1MDB bribery resolution is relevant to the accountability-opacity penalty because the DOJ record involves admitted wrongdoing and institutional accountability failures. Goldman Sachs' 1MDB bribery resolution is relevant to the accountability-opacity penalty because the DOJ record involves admitted wrongdoing and institutional accountability failures. That warrants a severe Accountability Opacity penalty because material facts, risks, conflicts, ownership, or accountability information are obscured from the public. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 0 scored entries below, 52 tied, 174 above on Accountability Opacity. Linked evidence Goldman Sachs' 1MDB bribery resolution is relevant to the accountability-opacity penalty because the DOJ record involves admitted wrongdoing and institutional accountability failures. [5]
Ideological Disavowal ? Concealed ideology presented as neutrality, expertise, professional necessity, public-service administration, market inevitability, or non-ideological common sense while exercising power. Range: -3 to 0.	-1	Goldman Sachs's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because Goldman Sachs shows bounded neutrality theater: some contested choices are softened through expertise,… Goldman Sachs's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because Goldman Sachs shows bounded neutrality theater: some contested choices are softened through expertise, public-interest, professional, market, safety, or institutional language, but the record does not show dominant concealment of standpoint. That warrants a limited Ideological Disavowal penalty because the institution presents situated, contested choices as neutrality, expertise, inevitability, safety, or common sense. The value is limited because the linked record shows a real problem but not one that dominates the profile on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Ideological Disavowal 0 to -3 recalibration: 0 for explicit standpoint or no penalty-level neutrality theater; -1 for bounded softening of contested choices; -2 for strong neutrality theater by a powerful institution; -3 for major gatekeeping or coercive power presented as neutral, necessary, objective, or non-ideological. Uncertainty This recalibration uses public self-presentation and profile evidence; later review should add direct language-analysis evidence for high-impact institutions. Linked evidence Goldman Sachs's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because Goldman Sachs shows bounded neutrality theater: some contested choices are softened through expertise, public-interest, professional, market, safety, or institutional language, but the record does not show dominant concealment of standpoint. [6]

Bonus Credits

No bonus credits applied in this version.

Confidence Basis

Confidence is computed from the evidence trail and review state, not typed into the profile by hand.

Medium 73/100

7 verified linked claims 7 direct axis claims 0 disputed claims 7/14 components covered

This confidence label measures the source-backed evidence trail. AI-scaffolded scores remain tentative until human review.

Claim confidence 16/20

7 verified linked claims

Source quality 14/18

Best source per verified claim, weighted by institutional reliability

Direct axis-specific claims 9/18

7 direct claims across 14 active components

Dispute load 12/12

0 disputed claims on this entity

Recency 10/10

Newest accepted timestamp: May 13, 2026

Reviewer status 7/12

Human-reviewed components score higher than AI scaffolding

Component coverage 5/10

7/14 evidence-bearing components have direct support

Evidence State

Profile stateAI draft / human-pending

VerificationUnverified

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)

ThoroughnessPartial (AI)

Correction routeUse “Challenge this rating” for factual errors, missing counterevidence, source problems, or calculation mistakes.

Company responseCompany representatives can submit source-backed corrections; payment never changes scores or reviewer authority.

Claims and Sources

Claims are the evidence record. Each claim needs a source link, axis category, status, confidence level, and timestamp before it can support a score.

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

1Goldman Sachs is a publicly traded financial institution with shareholder-governed investor-relations structures.

Ownership Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 5, 2026

AI scaffold

Goldman Sachs investor relationsOfficial self-description · 68%

2Goldman Sachs operates in capital markets, investment banking, asset management, and trading businesses where market-power and rent-extraction risks are structurally material.

Market Conduct Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 5, 2026

AI scaffold

Goldman Sachs firm overviewGeneral web source · 58%

3Goldman Sachs's favorable conduct depends partly on current leaders, founders, family owners, executive discretion, or other person-contingent control rather than a fully locked democratic stakeholder-control structure.

Reversibility Verified Medium confidence Human-reviewed May 5, 2026

Goldman Sachs investor relationsOfficial self-description · 68%

4The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Goldman Sachs admitted wrongdoing and agreed to pay more than $2.9 billion in the 1MDB bribery scheme resolution.

Human Harm Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 5, 2026

AI scaffold

DOJ Goldman Sachs 1MDB resolutionPrimary public record · 100%

5Goldman Sachs' 1MDB bribery resolution is relevant to the accountability-opacity penalty because the DOJ record involves admitted wrongdoing and institutional accountability failures.

Accountability Opacity Verified Medium confidence Human-reviewed May 5, 2026

DOJ Goldman Sachs 1MDB resolutionPrimary public record · 100%

6Goldman Sachs's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because Goldman Sachs shows bounded neutrality theater: some contested choices are softened through expertise, public-interest, professional, market, safety, or institutional language, but the record does not show dominant concealment of standpoint.

Ideological Disavowal Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 9, 2026

AI scaffold

Goldman Sachs official siteGeneral web source · 58%
Goldman Sachs investor relationsOfficial self-description · 68%
DOJ Goldman Sachs 1MDB resolutionPrimary public record · 100%

7OpenLobby records GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC lobbying on trade, finance, banking, tax, economic development with about $26M in spending across 32 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role.

Policy Capture Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

OpenLobby — GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC lobbying profileGeneral web source · 58%

8Goldman Sachs receives the Private Government badge because it combines large-scale private rule-setting over customers, workers, users, members, or counterparties with OpenLobby-documented lobbying of about $26M on public policy issues.

Private Government Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

OpenLobby — GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC lobbying profileGeneral web source · 58%

Alternatives

Competitors

AGOOD55 HOPE Credit Union community development credit union · same market AGOOD55 Self-Help Credit Union community development credit union · same market AGOOD54 The Institute of Student Loan Advisors nonprofit free student-loan advice organization · same market AGOOD53 Clean Energy Credit Union federally chartered credit union · same market AGOOD53 National Foundation for Credit Counseling nonprofit credit-counseling network · same market AGOOD52 Seattle Credit Union community development credit union · same market AGOOD52 State Employees' Credit Union (NC) large state credit union · same market AGOOD50 Beneficial State Bank community development bank · same market

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Audit Log

Recent public changes for this company or group. The full audit log is part of the Transparency record.

May 6, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC ai-scaffolding toxic-products-assessment

Added tentative AI-generated Toxic Products penalty 0 and directory value for current toxic, addictive, pesticide, livestock, chemical, or consumer-safety product exposure.

May 5, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC ai-scaffolding ai-scaffolding-score

Added tentative AI-generated claim-backed score components for a previously listed under-review company or group.

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