Payment does not determine outcome
A company may pay for assessment or evidence review. It cannot buy a higher Alpha rating.
Governance · Independence
The opinion cannot be bought.
Alpha separates commercial activity, advisory work, evidence analysis, rating approval, and publication controls.
Independence principles
Context with enforcement.
Advisory work is not rating authority
Active advisory work requires isolation, disclosure, and the current independent review policy before a rating can be represented as approved.
Public and assessed evidence remain distinct
A public-information opinion cannot be presented as an assessed opinion. Evidence access, limitations, and confidence remain visible.
Human approval is required
No customer-visible rating may publish without documented human approval under the current governed workflow.
Source: Alpha Independence Architecture and Anti-Capture Principles, verified 21 July 2026.
Conflict treatment
Disclose, isolate, review.
If advisory work is active with a rated company, the rating determination must be isolated from the advisory team, the conflict disclosed, and the current independent review requirement satisfied.
Leadership categories do not establish Rating Committee membership or rating approval authority.
Publication limits
Opinion is not compliance.
An Alpha rating is an independent opinion of enterprise AI governance quality. It is not a legal determination of regulatory compliance, investment advice, or a guarantee of future performance.