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See [1] for an overview of corporate personhood. They don't get all of the protections and rights of a human being, but they do get a surprising number of them (like free speech) even though they never die, have children, or serve in the military. They also can't be jailed, and not all laws that apply to a natural person apply to a corporation. I'm sure that GP has some other examples of "none of the duty of a normal person" in mind, but that's what I know of off the top of my head.

Regarding their power, I think that corresponds to corporations' ability to amass wealth and influence (often) faster than an individual. Of course there is a spectrum -- national defense contractors with billions of dollars in the bank can have a surprising amount of say in the way things are run, but an incorporated small business might have a hard time getting a local zoning issue addressed.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_personhood




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