*YES*. You got it. "As low as it can".
yes IBM and the Yankees are forced by capitalism to provide the best paying jobs possible and best products possible or go bankrupt.
No. IBM and the Yankees are forced by capitalism to provide the best products possible at the lowest possible cost, thereby maximizing shareholder value. I don't go to the movies much, but wasn't there a Brad Pitt movie about exactly this topic, lately?
Do you agree that "maximizing shareholder value" is the fundamental driver of American Capitalism?