private company / platform

Valve

A private game studio and Steam platform operator with unusual internal autonomy, strong product culture, and meaningful account, license, and marketplace lock-in. Valve remains weak because of person-dependent governance, youth capture, and identity capture, even where the product or service has practical value.

Why this matters: Valve illustrates the rubric tension between worker autonomy inside the firm and customer lock-in on the platform.

Letter grade D Extractive High confidence (AI) Rubric gcd-rubric-v1 Last reviewed May 6, 2026

Final Score 13* D - Extractive

DEXTRACTIVE13 pts

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

Base Material31

Bonus+0

Cap41Ownership <= 4 and Governance <= 4

After Cap31

Penalties-18

Private Government badge

Valve 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 $970K on public policy issues.

Evidence: [17]

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Evaluation Overview

D - Extractive

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

Strengths

Extraction5/10
Labor Sovereignty5/7
Loss-Bearing Fidelity4/7

Penalties

Reversibility-5
Policy Capture-5
Youth Capture-4
Identity Capture-2

Evidence state

ConfidenceHigh confidence (AI)
ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)
Linked claims17
Direct axis claims16
Coverage15/15

Scoring Axes

Axis	Score	Why this score
Ownership ? Control rights: shareholder-dominated at 0, worker cooperative control at 10.	3 / 10	Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. That keeps Valve 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: 100 scored entries below, 9 tied, 117 above on Ownership. Linked evidence context Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. [1] context The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and that users have no title or ownership in those subscriptions. [2] context Valve describes itself as a collaborative Bellevue company with startup-like ethos, but does not publish worker-democratic ownership or binding stakeholder governance. [3] Valve describes itself as a privately held company making games, Steam, and hardware, and the reviewed official record does not show worker, user, or public ownership of Steam platform power. [4]
Governance ? Binding decision authority: centralized control at 0, democratic stakeholder control at 10.	2 / 10	The linked record identifies Valve as a collaborative Bellevue company with startup-like ethos, but does not publish worker-democratic ownership or binding stakeholder governance. The linked record identifies Valve as a collaborative Bellevue company with startup-like ethos, but does not publish worker-democratic ownership or binding stakeholder governance. That keeps Valve low on Governance: ordinary users, workers, customers, or affected communities cannot change the rules that govern them. 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: 71 scored entries below, 22 tied, 133 above on Governance. Linked evidence context Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. [1] context The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and that users have no title or ownership in those subscriptions. [2] Valve describes itself as a collaborative Bellevue company with startup-like ethos, but does not publish worker-democratic ownership or binding stakeholder governance. [3] Valve describes itself as making games, Steam, and hardware collaboratively in Bellevue; the reviewed official source does not establish democratic stakeholder control over binding company decisions. [5]
Extraction ? Surplus allocation, wage share, CEO pay ratio, margins, and structured extraction judgment.	5 / 10	Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. That places Valve in the middle of Extraction: the institution creates real value but still leaves room for rent extraction, unequal bargaining, or surplus capture. 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: 95 scored entries below, 19 tied, 112 above on Extraction. Linked evidence context Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. [1] context The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and that users have no title or ownership in those subscriptions. [2] context Valve describes itself as a collaborative Bellevue company with startup-like ethos, but does not publish worker-democratic ownership or binding stakeholder governance. [3] The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and governs subscriptions, wallet funds, and account termination, making platform control central to value capture. [6]
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.	5 / 7	Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. That places Valve in the middle of Labor Sovereignty: workers or participants have some protection or agency, but not enough binding power to control the relationship. 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: 152 scored entries below, 40 tied, 34 above on Labor Sovereignty. Linked evidence Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. [1] context The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and that users have no title or ownership in those subscriptions. [2] context Valve describes itself as a collaborative Bellevue company with startup-like ethos, but does not publish worker-democratic ownership or binding stakeholder governance. [3]
Solidarity with the Unemployed ? Treatment of exits and nonworkers, including severance, redeployment, and non-competes.	3 / 7	Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. That places Valve in the middle of Solidarity with the Unemployed: some access, severance, retraining, openness, or mutual-aid value is present, but it is not central or durable. 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: 81 scored entries below, 45 tied, 100 above on Solidarity with the Unemployed. Linked evidence context Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. [1] context The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and that users have no title or ownership in those subscriptions. [2] context Valve describes itself as a collaborative Bellevue company with startup-like ethos, but does not publish worker-democratic ownership or binding stakeholder governance. [3] Valve's employee handbook describes a self-directed internal work model, but the reviewed record does not show protections for people outside the company who depend on Steam access or game-market visibility. [7]
Loss-Bearing Fidelity ? Willingness to absorb costs to preserve values, workers, users, and public obligations.	4 / 7	Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. That places Valve in the middle of Loss-Bearing Fidelity: there is some willingness to preserve obligations, but the record still leaves meaningful risk-shifting concerns. 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: 88 scored entries below, 30 tied, 108 above on Loss-Bearing Fidelity. Linked evidence context Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. [1] context The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and that users have no title or ownership in those subscriptions. [2] context Valve describes itself as a collaborative Bellevue company with startup-like ethos, but does not publish worker-democratic ownership or binding stakeholder governance. [3] Steam licensing and account terms place meaningful access and continuity risk on users because purchased content is governed as subscriptions and services rather than ordinary owned property. [8]
Market Conduct ? Pricing fairness, switching costs, lock-in, and rent extraction.	2 / 5	The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and that users have no title or ownership in those subscriptions. The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and that users have no title or ownership in those subscriptions. That places Valve in the middle of Market Conduct: the product has real value but still uses meaningful lock-in, gatekeeping, market power, or dependency. 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, 22 tied, 173 above on Market Conduct. Linked evidence context Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. [1] The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and that users have no title or ownership in those subscriptions. [2] context Valve describes itself as a collaborative Bellevue company with startup-like ethos, but does not publish worker-democratic ownership or binding stakeholder governance. [3]
Product Integrity ? Preservation of quality rather than degradation for monetization.	4 / 5	Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. That places Valve high on Product Integrity: the core offering is genuinely useful and comparatively less dependent on traps, degradation, or harmful dependencies. A still-higher or maximum value requires stronger proof that this structure is durable, broad, and not merely discretionary. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 61 scored entries below, 72 tied, 93 above on Product Integrity. Linked evidence context Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. [1] context The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and that users have no title or ownership in those subscriptions. [2] context Valve describes itself as a collaborative Bellevue company with startup-like ethos, but does not publish worker-democratic ownership or binding stakeholder governance. [3] Steam provides real distribution, community, and game-library utility, while licensing terms and account dependency limit product integrity compared with user-owned or open distribution. [9]
Scale Integrity ? Whether growth improves or degrades fairness and accountability.	3 / 5	Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. That places Valve 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: 50 scored entries below, 58 tied, 118 above on Scale Integrity. Linked evidence context Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. [1] context The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and that users have no title or ownership in those subscriptions. [2] context Valve describes itself as a collaborative Bellevue company with startup-like ethos, but does not publish worker-democratic ownership or binding stakeholder governance. [3] Valve's Steam platform operates at large game-market scale, and that scale remains governed by a private company rather than open or democratically accountable infrastructure. [10]

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	Valve'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. Valve'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 Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. [1] context The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and that users have no title or ownership in those subscriptions. [2] context Valve describes itself as a collaborative Bellevue company with startup-like ethos, but does not publish worker-democratic ownership or binding stakeholder governance. [3] Valve'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. [11]
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.	-5	OpenLobby records VALVE CORPORATION lobbying on consumer protection, labor, tax, trade, government issues with about $970K in spending across 20 filings; the reviewed filings document… OpenLobby records VALVE CORPORATION lobbying on consumer protection, labor, tax, trade, government issues with about $970K in spending across 20 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role. That warrants a limited Policy Capture penalty because private institutional pressure is being applied to public rules while affected people cannot democratically govern that agenda. The value is limited because the linked record shows a real problem but not one that dominates the profile on this axis. Linked evidence OpenLobby records VALVE CORPORATION lobbying on consumer protection, labor, tax, trade, government issues with about $970K in spending across 20 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role. [15]
Youth Capture ? Manipulative youth-directed marketing, youth-data or attention monetization, collectible/add-on traps, parasocial or identity capture, surprise mechanics, or treating young people as lower-disclosure consumers. Making useful toys or welcoming children is not itself penalized. Range: -5 to 0.	-4	New York’s Attorney General sued Valve alleging that loot boxes in games including Counter-Strike 2, Team Fortress 2, and Dota 2 enable gambling and pose serious harms especially for young people. New York’s Attorney General sued Valve alleging that loot boxes in games including Counter-Strike 2, Team Fortress 2, and Dota 2 enable gambling and pose serious harms especially for young people. That warrants a severe Youth Capture penalty because young people are treated as manipulable consumers, data sources, attention targets, or culture markets. 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: 3 scored entries below, 3 tied, 220 above on Youth Capture. Linked evidence New York’s Attorney General sued Valve alleging that loot boxes in games including Counter-Strike 2, Team Fortress 2, and Dota 2 enable gambling and pose serious harms especially for young people. [13]
Unilateral Terms ? Non-negotiable clickthrough or adhesion terms that turn ordinary customer, user, subscriber, patient, tenant, or public-facing access into a one-sided contract, especially forced arbitration, class-action or mass-action waivers, unilateral modification, venue restrictions, broad indemnity, account termination discretion, or essential-service access conditioned on unreadable terms. Range: -5 to 0.	-1	Steam still uses a broad subscriber agreement for a large digital game library, but the currently reviewed agreement is milder than forced-arbitration and class-waiver examples. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Unilateral Terms rollout; full column calibration should be revisited as terms-of-service evidence is added. Linked evidence The Steam Subscriber Agreement frames Steam access as a subscription/license relationship governed by a legal agreement covering account access, licenses, payment, conduct, user content, amendments, termination, and venue. [16]
Identity Capture ? Customer pressure, employee pressure, and pervasive identity saturation. Range: -3 to 0.	-2	The Steam Subscriber Agreement governs user access to accounts, subscriptions, content, wallet funds, and termination terms. The Steam Subscriber Agreement governs user access to accounts, subscriptions, content, wallet funds, and termination terms. That warrants a substantial Identity Capture penalty because users, workers, customers, or publics are pressured into identity attachment that protects institutional power. 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: 13 scored entries below, 10 tied, 203 above on Identity Capture. Linked evidence context Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment. [1] context The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and that users have no title or ownership in those subscriptions. [2] context Valve describes itself as a collaborative Bellevue company with startup-like ethos, but does not publish worker-democratic ownership or binding stakeholder governance. [3] The Steam Subscriber Agreement governs user access to accounts, subscriptions, content, wallet funds, and termination terms. [12]
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	Valve's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because Valve shows bounded neutrality theater: some contested choices are softened through expertise, public-interest,… Valve's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because Valve 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 Valve's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because Valve 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. [14]

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.

High 80/100

16 verified linked claims 16 direct axis claims 0 disputed claims 15/15 components covered

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

Claim confidence 16/20

16 verified linked claims

Source quality 12/18

Best source per verified claim, weighted by institutional reliability

Direct axis-specific claims 14/18

16 direct claims across 15 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 10/10

15/15 evidence-bearing components have direct support

Evidence State

Profile stateAI draft / human-pending

VerificationUnverified

ConfidenceHigh confidence (AI)

ThoroughnessDeveloped (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.

1Valve publishes a new-employee handbook presenting a flat, self-directed work model rather than ordinary managerial assignment.

Labor Sovereignty Verified Medium confidence Human-reviewed May 5, 2026

Valve Handbook for New EmployeesGeneral web source · 58%

2The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and that users have no title or ownership in those subscriptions.

Market Conduct Verified High confidence Human-reviewed May 5, 2026

Steam Subscriber AgreementGeneral web source · 58%

3Valve describes itself as a collaborative Bellevue company with startup-like ethos, but does not publish worker-democratic ownership or binding stakeholder governance.

Governance Verified Medium confidence Human-reviewed May 5, 2026

Valve About UsOfficial self-description · 68%

4Valve describes itself as a privately held company making games, Steam, and hardware, and the reviewed official record does not show worker, user, or public ownership of Steam platform power.

Ownership Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 13, 2026

AI scaffold

Valve About UsOfficial self-description · 68%

5Valve describes itself as making games, Steam, and hardware collaboratively in Bellevue; the reviewed official source does not establish democratic stakeholder control over binding company decisions.

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

AI scaffold

About Us - Valve CorporationOfficial self-description · 68%

6The Steam Subscriber Agreement states that Steam content and services are licensed rather than sold and governs subscriptions, wallet funds, and account termination, making platform control central to value capture.

Extraction Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 13, 2026

AI scaffold

Steam Subscriber AgreementGeneral web source · 58%

7Valve's employee handbook describes a self-directed internal work model, but the reviewed record does not show protections for people outside the company who depend on Steam access or game-market visibility.

Solidarity Unemployed Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 13, 2026

AI scaffold

Valve Handbook for New EmployeesGeneral web source · 58%
Steam Subscriber AgreementGeneral web source · 58%

8Steam licensing and account terms place meaningful access and continuity risk on users because purchased content is governed as subscriptions and services rather than ordinary owned property.

Loss Bearing Fidelity Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 13, 2026

AI scaffold

Steam Subscriber AgreementGeneral web source · 58%

9Steam provides real distribution, community, and game-library utility, while licensing terms and account dependency limit product integrity compared with user-owned or open distribution.

Product Integrity Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 13, 2026

AI scaffold

Steam Subscriber AgreementGeneral web source · 58%
Valve About UsOfficial self-description · 68%

10Valve's Steam platform operates at large game-market scale, and that scale remains governed by a private company rather than open or democratically accountable infrastructure.

Scale Integrity Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 13, 2026

AI scaffold

Valve About UsOfficial self-description · 68%
Steam Subscriber AgreementGeneral web source · 58%

11Valve'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

Valve Handbook for New EmployeesGeneral web source · 58%
Steam Subscriber AgreementGeneral web source · 58%
Valve About UsOfficial self-description · 68%

12The Steam Subscriber Agreement governs user access to accounts, subscriptions, content, wallet funds, and termination terms.

Identity Capture Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 5, 2026

AI scaffold

Steam Subscriber AgreementGeneral web source · 58%

13New York’s Attorney General sued Valve alleging that loot boxes in games including Counter-Strike 2, Team Fortress 2, and Dota 2 enable gambling and pose serious harms especially for young people.

Youth Capture Verified High confidence Human-reviewed May 7, 2026

New York Attorney General: Valve loot box lawsuitPrimary public record · 100%
New York v. Valve complaintPrimary public record · 100%

14Valve's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because Valve 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

Valve official siteGeneral web source · 58%
About Us - Valve CorporationOfficial self-description · 68%
Steam Subscriber AgreementGeneral web source · 58%

15OpenLobby records VALVE CORPORATION lobbying on consumer protection, labor, tax, trade, government issues with about $970K in spending across 20 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role.

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

AI scaffold

OpenLobby — VALVE CORPORATION lobbying profileGeneral web source · 58%

16The Steam Subscriber Agreement frames Steam access as a subscription/license relationship governed by a legal agreement covering account access, licenses, payment, conduct, user content, amendments, termination, and venue.

Unilateral Terms Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 13, 2026

AI scaffold

Steam Subscriber AgreementGeneral web source · 58%

17Valve 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 $970K on public policy issues.

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

AI scaffold

OpenLobby — VALVE CORPORATION lobbying profileGeneral web source · 58%

Alternatives

Competitors

AGOOD63 Future Club employee-owned cooperative game studio · same market AGOOD61 Means Interactive cooperative game publisher · same market AGOOD56 Stocksy United artist cooperative platform · same market AGOOD50 The Game Crafter independent tabletop game manufacturing marketplace · same market BQUALIFIED48 ConcernedApe independent game developer and publisher · same market BQUALIFIED48 Green Toys sustainable toy company · same market BQUALIFIED48 Resonate platform cooperative · same market BQUALIFIED48 Supergiant Games independent video-game studio · 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 7, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC ai-scaffolding youth-capture-assessment

Added source-backed Youth Capture penalty -4 based on evidence specific to youth data, child-directed marketing, loot-box/gambling-like monetization, or youth-culture manipulation.

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 6, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC ai-scaffolding confidence-calibration

Rechecked evidence coverage and source quality during the evaluation-quality pass; confidence now reflects direct source coverage, complexity, and remaining uncertainty rather than score direction.

May 5, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC ai_scaffolding score

Published tentative AI-generated scaffolding score 26 for initial human review under gcd-rubric-v1.

May 5, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC ai-scaffolding initial-evaluation-quality-pass

Added sourced claims and revised tentative AI score components during the initial evaluation completion pass.

View Full Audit Log