[matrss]

> The government owns DB AG, it is not a private company. It is a public company.

It is a private company, as in it is a legal entity under private law. This is in contrast to a "öffentlich-rechtliches Unternehmen" (I don't know if this even has a proper translation or equivalent in other jurisdictions). There is more than two options here, it can be both privatized and public according to your definition.

[apexalpha]

Any private company is fully free to financially ruin themselves if this is what the shareholders want.

You are under no obligation to make a profit.