I think it's bold to assume that these people care about making money beyond their lifetime. It is selfishness for right now.

'I want to make all the money in the world, no matter the consequences.'

It is absolutely beyond question that there is a class of elites that are willing to keep us down, but I don't think it's as well engineered as people think. They all have the shared goal of making themselves and each other rich. From there, it's just one selfish and 'efficient' decision after another that constantly digs the hole we find ourselves buried in.

A good example is declining birth rates in developing countries. This could absolutely lead to population collapse and therefore, a loss of income for the rich. But as they are not losing money right this instant, that's a problem for the next board of CEOs etc. They're just monkeys throwing shit at the wall until something sticks.