Eric Ries: 'I helped Anthropic set up a Long Term Benefit Trust for exactly this reason'

Responding to a NYT op-ed on moral AI companies, Eric makes the Incorruptible argument in long form — that ethics aren't a necessary victim of success, and that real governance structures (Anthropic's Long Term Benefit Trust, Patagonia's Perpetual Purpose Trust) can protect a company's mission against financial gravity.

“I do disagree with the idea that ethics are a necessary victim of success. Organizations aren't actually helpless when it comes to defending against these forces. They just don't know how to do it. Or worse, they aren't willing to. There are readily available governance structures that any kind of company can use to protect their mission no matter what comes at it. I helped Anthropic, named in this piece, set up a Long Term Benefit Trust for exactly this reason, which is part of why it can stand up and fight the government. But that structure is far from the only option (you may be more familiar with Patagonia's recent conversion to a Perpetual Purpose Trust to ensure the company's commitment to the environment can never be deterred, and there are plenty of non-trust options as well).” — Eric Ries on LinkedIn