That’s the plan

we could always take corporations over, make them cooperatives and overhaul their purpose and production mechanisms altogether.

There are 8 billion humans on Earth and automation and advances in AI are providing an almost limitless supply of labor, who cares if people want to sit on their ass and watch TV all day? As long as they aren’t harming anyone, they should have the freedom to survive and find what makes them happy.

Capitalism will not abide people not working just because they don’t want to. Even in rich countries like the US where imperialism and the undocumented immigrant labor underclass could provide everything truly needed to survive, capitalism requires that the population be exploited to realize even greater profits.

I mention imperialism and the immigrant labor underclass because work is still necessary for production and momentary examples to the contrary (e.g. COVID lockdowns) are an illusion built on the backs of the hyperexploited. However, if we were able to depose capitalism, we could focus our efforts on eliminating the need for work rather than building everything around profit maximization.

you’re right, that’s why nobody worked until capitalism came along