The most sensible answer seems to have come from Ray Franz: The GB are “Captives of a Concept.” However, I wonder if he had limits to what he knew…after all, he only worked in the Writing Department. Or I wonder if things have drastically changed since his departure 34 years ago, perhaps several times over.
I’ve heard rumors, some which seem credible, that seem to say that there’s more to it than “Captives”, that the Governing Body are not in charge, or they or the real showrunners know exactly what they are doing. In this view, the Watchtower conglomerate is very money driven, and may be able to wield hundreds of millions in profits via investments each year, not to mention money from donations. This might give them more power and influence than we even know.
Personally, I don’t know. Some days I want to go with the sensible answer presented by Ray Franz, but when looking at how ruthless the Watchtower can be, especially when it comes to its money, I have to wonder.