Serving the public interest can be more complex, with fewer commercial incentives driving the creation of these roles. That's where our Moral Ambition Circles play a role: helping individuals figure out how to channel their talents toward meaningful change.

Meet Michiel Verkoulen, a healthcare consultant and active member of D66. While going through the Circle program, Michiel devised a plan to use his expertise and network to tackle a major challenge: the growing market power of tech giants and pharmaceutical companies.

“I have a busy job and kids,” says Michiel. “Without the Circle, I would have likely just had some conversations with people, but I probably wouldn’t have taken real action. The chances of me managing to gather people quickly around a clear goal would have been much smaller.”

‍

Unchecked market power

Michiel explains how he quickly found his focus during the Circle program: “We did an exercise ranking major global problems to find the one I should commit to. It immediately became clear: this is it, this is what I find most interesting.”

‍‍The growing market power of large corporations is more relevant than ever. Take, for example, the consistently high profit margins that major pharmaceutical companies maintain — according to Michiel, a clear sign of a malfunctioning market. These companies contribute little to innovation, as they focus primarily on acquiring promising patents and start-ups. Despite this lack of innovation, they continue to drive up the prices of their medications. Michiel mentions his indirect involvement in a lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Abbvie, which has raked in an astounding €195 billion since 2002 by charging exorbitant prices for Humira, "the most lucrative drug ever."

Or consider how Big Tech companies influence markets and block new entrants. Because market share is critical for search engines and social media platforms, these companies do everything they can to maintain it — with significant consequences for the mental well-being of young people and the functioning of democracy.
‍

‍

A lack of imagination

‍Some are beginning to see the urgency. The U.S. regulator, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), led by Lina Khan, has launched numerous lawsuits against tech giants such as Amazon, Meta, and Google to curb their market power. In the EU, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) will impose more restrictions on how these digital "gatekeepers" influence the market.

"It’s a good start, but more is needed," Michiel states. "I think our institutions have largely failed in both Europe and America over the past twenty years. We've watched powerlessly as companies like Facebook, Google, and major pharmaceutical firms became too powerful, and now we’re just skimming the surface in addressing these issues."

Michiel believes that what’s missing is a modern vision of what we want from the market and where governments should set limits. "It’s a lack of imagination," he explains. "I think we simply don’t believe we can do something about it, nor do we have a clear idea of what we should be doing. That’s where I want to make a difference."
‍

Not meant to disappear in a drawer

‍Michiel has now gathered a group of talented, motivated individuals and developed a three-step plan.

‍‍Step one is a thorough problem analysis. “We’re not going to invent this ourselves,” Michiel explains. “We’ll conduct interviews with experts, organize roundtables, and read books and articles to summarize it all concisely.”

‍‍Step two involves writing a political vision that can form the basis for future debates and influence election programs. Michiel adds: “Essentially, it’s the response to the problem analysis: What do we think of these developments? How do we, as social liberals, view them? And how do we believe things should be?”

‍‍Finally, the group will focus on developing concrete policy tools. “This includes helping to draft legislative proposals,” he explains. “But also parliamentary questions, both for Members of the European Parliament and Dutch MPs.”

Additionally, it was crucial for Michiel that the work didn’t end up collecting dust, as he elaborates: “I want someone to actually use this at the end of the process. So I asked Joost Sneller (MP for D66) and Afke Groen (director of the Mr. Hans van Mierlo Stichting) to formally commission this work from me, and they agreed. Perhaps later, other political movements can join in or benefit from the input we gather. We are very open to that.”

Despite the cake server

According to Michiel, his path might not be typical for readers of Rutger's book. His Circle mainly consisted of people in their forties with substantial work experience, and most didn’t make a drastic career switch.

“The book essentially says that as a young and talented person — before you have a cake server and are set in your ways — you should choose not to work for a big law firm,” Michiel explains. “But for us, that scenario didn’t really apply: we were all (almost) in our forties. One of us did quit her job, but the rest made changes within their existing roles, and I started this project alongside my current job.”

For Michiel, the Circle was primarily a way to clarify what he wanted to achieve with his moral ambition amidst a busy life:

“For me, it was like a magnifying glass: focusing on one thing instead of ten. And it was also a catalyst. Maybe I would have gotten to this point without the Circle, but it could well have taken a few extra years.”

Michiel’s working group hopes to present their results by fall. In the meantime, they’re looking for one or two economists or lawyers (with experience in competition law or market regulation) to help them. Because as long as people with expertise only join the most powerful companies, society will continue to lose out.

Want to know more? Contact Michiel at michielverkoulen@zorgvuldigadvies.nl.

‍