As the COVID-19 pandemic raged, some business leaders saw it as their responsibility to help their workers in these unprecedented and trying times. Others welcomed the intervention of governments and the charity of philanthropists. The roles and responsibilities ascribed to business, government, and philanthropy in caring for individuals is a foundational debate within the U.S. and Western democracies. While the form of this debate has changed with the times, the underlying question remains the same: who is responsible?