No, because shareholders are the owners of the company. The legal requirement is more a fail safe than a mandate, because obviously the company wants to act in the best interest of the company. Without the legal mandate these companies would still almost universally act the same.
There are laws that a plumber can't come into your home and smash up your pipes. That law however is not the thing that prevents the plumber from doing that, the plumber naturally works in your common interest. It's the exact same with companies, shareholders elect a board who hires specialists to run the company. Notice the shareholders are at the top.
> The legal requirement is more a fail safe than a mandate, because obviously the company wants to act in the best interest of the company
"The company" is not a living thing. It cannot "want" something.
A company does what its management and board wish for it do to. Ergo its wants are the managements wants. Management is human, and most humans want money.
Paying management with company stock is theoretically meant to align those incentives.
There are laws that a plumber can't come into your home and smash up your pipes. That law however is not the thing that prevents the plumber from doing that, the plumber naturally works in your common interest. It's the exact same with companies, shareholders elect a board who hires specialists to run the company. Notice the shareholders are at the top.