CU Boulder: Startups & Sandwiches

Eric joins the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at the Leeds School of Business in Boulder, Colorado for the final installment of the spring 2026 Startups & Sandwiches series. Students gathered in Koelbel 218 for a virtual visit covering the ideas behind Incorruptible. Ries challenged the audience to reconsider the foundations of modern business, arguing that shareholder primacy is 'an idea that has basically caused its own intellectual collapse' and that there is now good evidence for how to build organizations that stay true to human flourishing over the long term.

“Most of the ways that I was taught about how companies should be run and structured ultimately leads to them being corrupted. If you want to make change, the first step is to make sure that the actual decisions you make — no matter how immaterial they may seem — are in fact aligned with your values.” — CU Boulder Business School