Was rewatching Future Stock today.

[on:]

Why does The Professor have no shares?

*edit* Fail. I just made the topic and decided to triple check, and he does have shares.

The new question is, why does he have the same amount as Hermes, Fry, Leela, Bender, and Amy? Shouldn't he have majority control at all times?

[Reply #1 on:]

Maybe it was just a continuity error.  And you're right, the Professor should've had some shares.   He should have majority control because he owns Planet Express. 

[Reply #2 on:]

It wasn't a continuity error because he was never shown to have more shares in any other episodes.

In fact, it wasn't an error at all. The fact that the Professor, the man that owns the company, has less shares than anyone else is supposed to be a joke.

[Reply #3 on:]

Yeah.  Remember the shares are essentially worthless anyway; Zoidberg was given a ton of shares because "he kept asking for toilet paper".

[Reply #4 on:]

 Why would Zoidberg need toilet paper?

[Reply #5 on:]

Why would Zoidberg need toilet paper?

From the "Television Transcript Database" transcript of "30% Iron Chef:"

Zoidberg: Aw, I'll never recombobulate this ship! When the Professor finds out, he'll tear me a new cloaca. [He cries then stops.] Wait! What would the robot do? [He thinks.] Frame someone!

You might do a web-search on 'cloaca' ... and, uh, make the 'inductive leap'...
I'll just... ooze... back out under the door now...

[Reply #6 on:]

Sounds messy

[Reply #7 on:]

Oh it is. VERRRRY MESSY.

[Reply #8 on:]

Perhaps the Professor was clever enough not to tie any of his actual physical assets to the business itself. While the minuscule bank account would have been corporate property, the ship, the building, the lab, the heaps of gold bullion in the septic tank -- all of those would remain his own personal possessions, keeping him financially secure in the event of a collapse.

In other words, the shares could have legally represented nothing more than ownership of 8+ dollars and the rights to the Planet Express trademark, meaning he would have no true need to keep them for himself. Better to boost the moral of his crew by letting them think they had some control. Or at least something of potential worth.