Press & media
Coverage in the trade press, magazines, TV, and syndicated video. 112 total
- Sep 3, 2026 Dennis Yao Yu
Dennis Yao Yu (ex-Shopify, Art.com/Walmart) interviews Eric on AI governance — 'Either way, the AI creates only the simulacrum of responsibility'
“We can already see this happening in vibe coding, you have a situation where the person who 'wrote' the software has never actually seen the software and does not know what it does. When they have the impulse to check, they ask the harness, 'Does this reflect…”
- Aug 21, 2026 Tom Gilb
Tom Gilb (Planguage inventor) ships an 'Incorruptible AI Agent' that scores plans against Eric's principles
“Tom demonstrated a new SIM agent that evaluates plans against Eric Ries' Incorruptible principles, generates an incorruptibility score, proposes targeted improvements, and records every accepted or rejected recommendation as part of a permanent decision trail.”
- Aug 19, 2026 Dott Chen
'公司越成功，就越容易变成资本提取价值的对象' — Chinese-language founder on Incorruptible
“这时候应该翻出 Eric Ries 的新书《Incorruptible》来看一看，有多少公司的创始人在公司做大之后失去了控制权，被激励机制、资本市场和糟糕的治理结构给毁掉，不得不做一些违背自己的最初价值观和使命的事情。不思考使命、文化和价值观的创始人几乎必定会遇到这个问题，而即便思考清楚了，实际执行如果没有硬性治理结构约束，也会遇到这个问题。公司越成功，就越容易变成资本提取价值的对象，也越容易屈服于短期利润、季度业绩、管理层激励、投资人压力、上市和并购预期这些力量。”
- Aug 14, 2026 Erin Meryl McGurk
Y Combinator adds Incorruptible to its S26 batch reading list — surfaced by founder Erin McGurk
“Y Combinator gave us a few books to read One of them was Incorruptible by Eric Ries. This is one of my favourite quotes from that book, that I think is very well generalisable beyond simply the startup (Though good lessons for Egoist Machines, Inc. (YC S26)…”
- Aug 11, 2026 Rodger Dean Duncan
Forbes (Rodger Dean Duncan) — 'Why Eric Ries Thinks The Biggest Threat To Your Company Is Inside The Building'
“His premise is both provocative and unsettling: many organizations don't lose because competitors out-innovate them.”
- Aug 8, 2026 Brian Albert
Brian Albert (Google Managing Director) — 'corruption is making money without creating value'
“He defined corruption as "making money without creating value" which deeply resonated with me. It feels like everywhere you look short-term pressures are forcing good companies to abandon their values.”
- Aug 8, 2026 Miraj Collective
Miraj Collective recap — Muslim founders retreat cites Incorruptible on 'Fortifying the Founder'
“In his recent book Incorruptible, Eric Ries highlights the importance of being a fortified, principle driven founder.”
- Aug 7, 2026 Tyler Chou
Tyler Chou (creators' attorney) applies Incorruptible to creators — 'Success is what attracts predators'
“Eric Ries has a new book out called Incorruptible. One idea stuck with me. The guardrails have to exist before the money arrives. Success is what attracts predators.”
- Aug 6, 2026 Gabriela Gutierrez
Gabriela Gutierrez — 'That's the entire compliance problem in two sentences'
“If you create a massive vault full of the most valuable assets in the world, people are going to try to steal it from you. Obviously. But we built these companies with no locks on the vault. What are we doing?”
- Aug 5, 2026 Financial Times
Financial Times names Incorruptible to Best Summer Books of 2026 (Business) — Oxford Saïd Bodleian display
“Including wide-ranging examples such as Cadbury, John Lewis Partnership, Vanguard and Anthropic, Incorruptible uncovers the urgent need for purpose-driven leadership. It gives every builder, founder, executive, investor or citizen the tools to create…”
- Aug 4, 2026 Charlotte van Leeuwen
Charlotte van Leeuwen — 'Discovering gravity didn't mean we could never fly. Understanding it helped us escape it.'
“🪿 Niet omdat er ergens één foute investeerder zit, of één ondernemer die het verpest. Er is iets veel groters aan het werk: een soort zwaartekrachtsveld waar we allemaal naartoe worden getrokken. Zonder dat iemand dat zo bedoelt.”
- Aug 4, 2026 Max Mealing
Max Mealing — Airtable's Bending Spoons acquisition as financial gravity in action
“That is what Ries keeps banging on about: a company loses itself slowly, through reasonable decisions that each trade a bit of what it was for what it needs to become. He calls the force behind it "financial gravity". Without the right governance designed in…”
- Aug 4, 2026 Victor Kung
Victor Kung — 'A governance structure that isn't load-bearing isn't governance. It's a suggestion.'
“OpenAI's board had the formal, legal authority to remove Sam Altman. What it didn't have was real power. Nothing bound employees or investors to honor the decision, so when both pushed back, the board reversed itself within days. A governance structure that…”
- Aug 3, 2026 Christian Soschner
Christian Soschner — 'Indifference is not neutrality. It is a preference for whoever does the incentivizing.'
“Remove someone's financial stake and you have not removed their incentives. You have handed them to somebody else. For most independent directors that somebody is the financial system that decides who gets the next board seat.”
- Aug 2, 2026 Michelle Hirons
Michelle Hirons launches a 'where our business dollars go' series citing Incorruptible on Costco, Patagonia, and H-E-B
“Eric Ries makes a version of this case in his new book, Incorruptible. He looks at companies that have held their mission for decades, Costco, Patagonia, H-E-B, and shows they endure because they are built to make decisions in their customers' long-term…”
- Jul 31, 2026 Melissa S.
Melissa S. (government leader) — reads Incorruptible while refreshing her department's strategic plan after hearing Eric at a government-focused event
“Mission drift happens gradually through hundreds of small decisions that "optimize" for convenience, politics, metrics, or short-term pressures. It's rarely one bad decision that knocks us of course.”
- Jul 31, 2026 Michelle McDaid
Michelle McDaid (The Leading Place) — 'Your optimism is a fuel that has to be burned to keep the engine running'
“Your optimism - your belief in the possibility of a better future - is a fuel that has to be burned to keep the engine running.”
- Jul 30, 2026 Carly Newhouse
Carly Newhouse — 'The fix isn't willpower; it's structure' (metrics that fight each other, from Southwest's four KPIs)
“When you (believe) your butt is on the line, it's enticing, nay near irresistible to choose vanity metrics you can hit over the ones that would actually tell the truth. Looking successful and CYA'ing is most people's default setting. That's why the fix isn't…”
- Jul 29, 2026 Matt Lacey
Matt Lacey — Fifa's $20B commercial vehicle as 'a fascinating example of financial gravity at play'
“I recently read 'Incorruptable' by Eric Ries. (highly recommended) Who'd have thought Fifa could provide such a fascinating example of 'financial gravity' at play.”
- Jul 28, 2026 Kevin Pedregosa
Kevin Pedregosa (Extern top-6 student) presents Stripe strategy to Eric using Incorruptible's four lenses
“For my final capstone project, I chose Stripe to explore how fintech companies stay true to their mission while navigating investor pressures. Applying Eric Ries' Incorruptible framework, I evaluated the company across four lenses: mission drive, governance…”
- Jul 26, 2026 Dianne Penn
Dianne Penn (Anthropic's first technical PM, Head of Product for AI Research and Labs) recommends Incorruptible on Lenny's Podcast
“Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad... and How Great Companies Stay Great”
- Jul 26, 2026 NeoFeed
NeoFeed (Brazil) — Incorruptible profiled as 'the dilemma of the goose that lays the golden eggs'
“A tese central é que criar algo valioso não basta: é preciso desenvolver estruturas institucionais que impeçam sua degradação.”
- Jul 26, 2026 Tom Fox
Sunday Book Review (Tom Fox) — Incorruptible on the compliance-leader summer reading list
“What can four summer reads on environment, science, and technology teach compliance leaders about integrity, resilience, risk, and the future of business? In this #SundayBookReview, I consider Control Science by Henry Snow, Incorruptible by Eric Ries, Adrift…”
- Jul 25, 2026 David Gelles, The New York Times
The New York Times (David Gelles) — Eric on 'the Patagonia of Boats' and the third way for founders
“For decades we have taught founders they have only two options: Sell out, or let investors slowly take the wheel. These transactions show a third way is possible: an enduring company built around a long-term mission.”
- Jul 19, 2026 Áine Kerr
Reignite (RTÉ Radio One) — Eric opens Season 7 of Áine Kerr's book-club show
“On the first show we have Eric Ries of The Lean Startup fame who is back with "Incorruptible" and Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness who has just published "How to Try Again".”
- Jul 16, 2026 Michael McKinney
LeadershipNow's Leading Thoughts (Michael McKinney) features Eric on the incoherent organization
“An incoherent organization is one where what gets rewarded contradicts what gets proclaimed. Where the values on the wall are betrayed by daily reality. Some such companies claim they value innovation but ostracize those whose experiments fail. Others promise…”
- Jul 10, 2026 Diane Brady
Diane Brady (Fortune Executive Editorial Director) picks Incorruptible for Fortune CEO Daily summer beach reads
“What do Josh Tyrangiel, Eric Ries and Simon Paré-Poupart have in common? They're ready to join you at the beach… In Fortune CEO Daily, I come in praise of the worthy business book.”
- Jul 9, 2026 Gapingvoid Culture Design Group
Gapingvoid Culture Design Group — 'Culture Bank: Insufficient Funds' opens by anchoring on Ries's coherence
“Every culture has a bank account, @ericries reminds in his new book. Nobody bankrupts a culture all at once. Every decision is either a deposit or a withdrawal. So, are you building equity or spending it?”
- Jul 6, 2026 Greg McKeown
Greg McKeown (Essentialism) — 74-minute conversation with Eric on why 76% of founders regret selling
“Most of the best practices we teach people about how things are to be made are bad. Not just not as good as they could be, but downright value destroying.”
- Jul 6, 2026 Leah Solivan
Leah Solivan recaps her Unprecedented Lunch with Eric Ries
“I recently had the privilege of hosting an Unprecedented Lunch with Eric Ries to discuss the ideas behind his new book, Incorruptible. We explored what it takes to build organizations that stay true to their mission as they scale, and why trust, governance…”
- Jul 1, 2026 Half Baked
Half Baked — '10 lessons from the most important founder book since The Lean Startup'
“The most important thing you'll ever build isn't your product. It isn't your distribution either. It's the structure underneath both, the part most founders never read, let alone design.”
- Jul 1, 2026 Kyle Westaway
Kyle Westaway (Harvard Law / Cornell Law startup lawyer) — 'my favorite book of the year already'
“Who is the market, and why is it in this meeting?”
- Jun 30, 2026 Benoy Thanjan
Solar Maverick Podcast #289 (Benoy Thanjan) — 'Mission alone is not enough'
“Eric's message is that mission alone is not enough. Companies need governance, aligned investors, and legal structures that protect their purpose when pressure inevitably arrives.”
- Jun 30, 2026 Tiffani Bova
Tiffani Bova LinkedIn Live with Eric Ries — 'Why Good Companies Become Corrupt (Without Anyone Breaking the Rules)'
“We explore why organizations often drift from their original purpose—not because of bad people, but because of incentives, systems, and metrics that unintentionally reward the wrong behaviors. We also discuss how leaders can build organizations that remain…”
- Jun 27, 2026 The InnoGuide Podcast
The InnoGuide Podcast — Episode 100 Part Two book review of Incorruptible
“#100 Incorruptible by Eric Ries (Part Two)”
- Jun 22, 2026 Braden Kelley
Braden Kelley — 'Is it Possible to be Incorruptible?' Exclusive Interview with Eric Ries
“I believe that the era of shareholder primacy is actually already over, for two reasons. One is, this is an idea that has proved to be self-defeating. It was originally enacted — not in ancient times, but in the 1980s, at least in Delaware — to be beneficial…”
- Jun 22, 2026 Masters of Scale
Masters of Scale picks Incorruptible for its 2026 Summer Reading List
“When mission-driven companies lose their way, it's rarely bad actors — it's bad structure. Eric Ries makes the case for designing governance that protects a company's purpose from the gravitational pull of success, drawing on decades advising founders.”
- Jun 22, 2026 TBPN
TBPN clip — Eric on Sinegal refusing a 3-cent price hike: 'the business equivalent of taking heroin'
“.@ericries explains why former Costco CEO Jim Sinegal refused to raise the price of everything in the store by $.03, despite the fact that Costco knew it wouldn't decrease sales, and would increase their net income by 50%: "He says, 'It's like the business…”
- Jun 19, 2026 HR Magazine
HR Magazine picks Incorruptible for its Best of HR Books, June 2026
“How do we build companies that stay true to their mission once they succeed? That's the question entrepreneur and author Eric Ries asks in his new book, Incorruptible, in which he lays out the causes that lead organisations to drift from their values, and…”
- Jun 19, 2026 The InnoGuide Podcast
The InnoGuide Podcast — Episode 099 Part One book review of Incorruptible
“#099 Incorruptible by Eric Ries (Part One)”
- Jun 17, 2026 Leigh Burgess
The Bold Lounge (Leigh Burgess) — 54-minute Eric interview on 'Bold Systems that Keep Companies Incorruptible'
“Episode #199 Eric Ries: Bold Systems that Keep Companies Incorruptible”
- Jun 17, 2026 Reid Hoffman
Reid Hoffman picks Incorruptible for his Long Reids 2026 summer reading list
“A few books I'm reading and recommending this summer, each from a friend, colleague, or collaborator in my network. Think of them less as a ranking, and more as introductions to fascinating ideas, and even more interesting authors. They span business…”
- Jun 16, 2026 Kevin Appleby
The GrowCFO Show (Kevin Appleby) — Eric on why CFOs are uniquely placed to build the governance fortress
“Through vivid case studies — from Saul Price and the origins of Costco, to Novo Nordisk and its foundation structure, to Johnson & Johnson's Credo — Eric shows how governance choices can either entrench short-term shareholder primacy or build what he calls a…”
- Jun 16, 2026 The Startup Leap
The Startup Leap — 26-minute book-review podcast: 'Why culture alone isn't enough'
“From Costco's legendary $1.50 hot dog to Cloudflare's commitment to protecting the internet, Eric reveals why culture alone isn't enough — and why the future of capitalism may depend on something far less discussed: structure.”
- Jun 15, 2026 Financial Times
Financial Times names Incorruptible one of the best business books of summer 2026
“Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad . . . and How Great Companies Stay Great by Eric Ries (Penguin Business/Authors Equity) Ries, author of the Silicon Valley bible The Lean Startup, turns his attention to the corrosive and seemingly unstoppable forces…”
- Jun 15, 2026 Jessi Hempel
Hello Monday with Jessi Hempel — 'so many ways for people to make money without creating any value at all'
“We've built an economy now that's created so many ways for people to make money without creating any value at all. In fact, often by destroying value.”
- Jun 15, 2026 Daniel Kivatinos
JustPaid Podcast (Daniel Kivatinos) — 49-minute Eric interview on financial gravity, governance fortress, and mission protection
“In this episode of the JustPaid Podcast, Daniel and Dan sit down with Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup and Incorruptible, to discuss why mission-driven companies often lose their soul as they grow. Eric explains the hidden force he calls financial…”
- Jun 15, 2026 Roy Bahat
This Is Not Advice (Bloomberg Beta's Roy Bahat) — 'How to be an author, with Eric Ries'
“We learned that the writing comes last. Eric spent years trying out metaphors that fell flat, meetings that went nowhere, and typing out blog posts on a Palm Treo keyboard at a Starbucks on Sand Hill Road. This all happened before a single word of the…”
- Jun 12, 2026 Mark C. Crowley
Lead From The Heart (Mark C. Crowley) — Eric Ries on why most companies are built to fail
“Eric Ries, author of the bestselling The Lean Startup and in his new book, Incorruptible, has spent decades studying how organizations can thrive over the long term while genuinely improving the lives of employees, customers, and communities. In…”
- Jun 10, 2026 Hacker News
Hacker News AMA — Eric on 'the darkness in our industry that we often don't talk about'
“Hey gang, you may remember me from such books as The Lean Startup and The Startup Way. It's been fifteen years since I wrote The Lean Startup, and in that time I've seen some things. In both big companies and tiny startups, NGOs and governments, in almost…”
- Jun 8, 2026 Long-Term Stock Exchange
CNBC Squawk Box — Eric on AI productivity and the Anthropic governance work he started years before AI governance went mainstream
“Years before AI governance became a mainstream concern, Long-Term Stock Exchange Founder Eric Ries advised Anthropic on its long-term governance structure. Eric joined CNBC Squawk Box today to discuss why governance matters as much as technology in shaping…”
- Jun 5, 2026 Randy Mayeux
First Friday Book Synopsis (Dallas) Picks Incorruptible for June 5 Coverage
“Two really good, brand new books by David Epstein and Eric Ries. Join us at the June 5 First Friday Book Synopsis. -- Inside the Box by David Epstein and Incorruptible by Eric Ries”
- Jun 2, 2026 CA Magazine (ICAS)
CA Magazine (ICAS) — 'we were all one acquisition, one IPO, one board meeting away from watching something we love turn into something we hate'
“I realised we were all one acquisition, one IPO, one board meeting away from watching something we love turn into something we hate.”
- Jun 1, 2026 Eric Ries
Eric's LinkedIn Pulse — 'You Can't Inspect an AI. You Can Watch How Its Makers Treat People.'
“You do not have power over these companies. You cannot inspect their systems. All you can do is judge the people offering them.”
- Jun 1, 2026 Porchlight Book Company
Porchlight Books names Incorruptible a May 2026 business bestseller AND one of its Best New Business Books: May 2026
“Each month, we compile a list of books for businesses, nonprofits, educational institutions, and organizations of all types seeking to align their teams or enhance their performance.”
- May 30, 2026 Jennifer Pahlka
Jennifer Pahlka (Recoding America author, former US Deputy CTO) — 'This book will make you angry, but it will make you even more hopeful.'
“This book will make you angry, but it will make you even more hopeful. It left me imagining a world of businesses that create value and act responsibly even as they grow.”
- May 29, 2026 Matt Blumberg
Matt Blumberg — 'Book Short: Incorruptible, right and timely and inspiring and depressing all at the same time'
“But the world he paints — one in which companies can achieve superior long-term results for shareholders AND also for customers and employees — is not as hard as it might seem, and it's utterly compatible with hard-core capitalist principles.”
- May 29, 2026 Thought Economics
Thought Economics (Vikas Shah) — 'Success makes you a target. It makes you something worth capturing.'
“Success makes you a target. It makes you something worth capturing. If you don't reckon with that, you are almost guaranteed to lose control of your company.”
- May 28, 2026 Darren Gold
One of One (Darren Gold, Trium Group CEO) — 'The Art of Organizational Soulcraft' with Eric Ries
“Eric's central argument is that even the most mission driven companies will, over time, succumb to what he calls financial gravity and lose their soul. The solution, how to become incorruptible, is to design structural protections early.”
- May 28, 2026 Penguin Life UK
Penguin Life UK editor Matt James publishes the four blurbs on the UK launch day — Sutherland, Scott, Hoffman, Heath
“"MAGNIFICENT" - Rory Sutherland "INDISPENSIBLE" - Kim Scott "A MUST-READ" - Reid Hoffman "THE BEST AND MOST IMPORTANT BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR" - Dan Heath”
- May 27, 2026 CNBC Squawk Box
CNBC Squawk Box — Eric on building business in the AI age and his push to end quarterly earnings
“'Incorruptible' author Eric Ries on building business in the AI age, push to end quarterly earnings”
- May 27, 2026 Masters of Scale
Masters of Scale newsletter — 'When people find ways to make money without creating any value, they have committed a corrupt act.'
“When people find ways to make money without creating any value, they have committed a corrupt act.”
- May 27, 2026 TIME magazine
TIME magazine excerpt — 'We've come to accept that the gradual corruption of successful companies is as natural and inevitable as gravity'
“We've come to accept that the gradual corruption of successful companies is as natural and inevitable as gravity.”
- May 26, 2026 Porchlight Book Company
Porchlight features Incorruptible in its May 26 New Releases — 'a bold and urgently needed rethink'
“From Eric Ries, creator of The Lean Startup, comes a bold and urgently needed rethink of how organizations are built—and why success itself so often turns companies against the people and principles that made them worth building in the first place.”
- May 26, 2026 Porchlight Book Company
Porchlight Q&A on launch day — 'This failure is not primarily ethical. It is structural.'
“This failure is not primarily ethical. It is structural. Success itself becomes a form of financial gravity, bending companies away from their original purpose.”
- May 26, 2026 Seth Godin
Seth Godin's blog — 'Eric Ries has a new book, Incorruptible' (launch-day post)
“Eric Ries has a new book, Incorruptible. It’s based on the clear truth that our economic system is filled with incentives that cause well-meaning people (especially bosses) to make short-term, selfish and toxic decisions.”
- May 26, 2026 Eric Ries
Eric's launch-day TikTok — '$1.50 Costco Hot Dog & Soda. How is that still the price?'
“$1.50 Costco Hot Dog & Soda. How is that still the price? The full story is in my new book Incorruptible. On sale now.”
- May 21, 2026 Vikas Shah
Thought Economics: Eric on the spiritual holding company — 'Governance is not bureaucracy — it is the most important product a founder will ever design'
“Governance has become very convenient for a lot of people to hide behind by making it sound boring, complicated, and not really related to the things we get excited about — mission, product, culture. But my contention is that if you don't get the governance…”
- May 21, 2026 Dr. Vikas Shah MBE DL
Thought Economics (Dr. Vikas Shah MBE DL) — Eric: 'Governance is not bureaucracy — it is the most important product a founder will ever design'
“Governance is not bureaucracy — it is the most important product a founder will ever design.”
- May 18, 2026 Caden Damiano
The Way of Product: Caden Damiano on Eric's wake-vs-party opener
“You're not hearing me, man. This isn't a party. It's a wake. He doesn't work there anymore.”
- May 16, 2026 Sarah Kessler
New York Times DealBook: Eric on the financial system that pulls organizations toward extraction
“We built this financial system that has this gravitational pull down into mediocrity and to extraction and exploitation. You can imagine building a different financial system, but until we get there, my goal is simply to have people be able to build…”
- May 15, 2026 Todd Bishop
GeekWire (Todd Bishop) — 'Lean Startup' author reveals one regret about his bestselling book — and how his new one fixes it
“Ries uses the word corruption not to mean fraud or bribery, but structural decay — the gradual corrosion that pulls thriving companies away from their missions.”
- May 14, 2026 Andrew Hill
Financial Times' Andrew Hill: Eric on writing Incorruptible — 'a journey down the river'
“'If you know Heart of Darkness, I feel like I did a bit of the journey down the river and got to see how our modern financial system works, up close' - Eric Ries, of "Lean Startup" fame, talks to me about the horrors he discovered while writing his new book…”
- May 2, 2026 Garry Tan
Garry Tan Picks Incorruptible as the Flagship Demo for His New Book-Analysis Tool
“book-mirror is the flagship. Hand it a book, get a personalized two-column analysis. Left shows the author's idea. Right maps every idea to your actual life using your own words from the brain. Here's the example based on a yet-unreleased book by @ericries…”
- May 1, 2026
Eric Ries on TikTok: 'A McDonald's Big Mac costs $7 today. Costco still sells a hot dog and soda combo for $1.50.'
“A McDonald's Big Mac costs $7 today. Costco still sells a hot dog and soda combo for $1.50. Why? Because of what happened the day the COO said they had to raise the price. From INCORRUPTIBLE — out May 26”
- Apr 30, 2026 Clark Freifeld
Clark Freifeld: 'Discover how the best interests of the shareholders AREN'T the best interests of the shareholders'
“Friends: Get your grubby mitts on a preorder of Eric Ries's new book, Incorruptible. He's already changed your life once with his seminal 2011 book The Lean Startup. Prepare to be changed again. Discover how the best interests of the shareholders AREN'T the…”
- Apr 30, 2026 Eva Zemberi
Eva Zemberi Applies 'unusual failure' to Digital Health: 'their own success destroys them'
“Some companies don't fail because they're wrong. They fail because their own success destroys them. I heard Eric Ries describe this as "unusual failure" in a recent conversation about his upcoming book "Incorruptible". In digital health, I see a version of…”
- Apr 30, 2026 The Long Now Foundation
Long Now Releases the 'Incorruptible by Design' Talk: 'What if we redefined profit as maximizing human flourishing?'
“What if we redefined "profit" as maximizing human flourishing? Eric Ries has seen the corrosive effects of shareholder primacy at every company he's worked with. But some companies are outliers, demonstrating stronger profits, better talent, and deeper…”
- Apr 29, 2026 Darin Glass
Darin Glass on 'financial gravity': 'The leaders who resist it aren't choosing between mission and growth. They're holding both.'
“Eric Ries has been talking about this ahead of his new book Incorruptible. He calls it "financial gravity," the structural pull that drags companies away from their original purpose. The leaders who resist it aren't choosing between mission and growth.…”
- Apr 29, 2026 Rebecca Mark
Rebecca Mark Applies 'financial gravity' to Insurance-Claim AI Startups — Eric: 'nice to see the concept being used in the wild'
“Same problem. Same mission. Three completely different companies are emerging. Their error rates aren't what makes them different. Their structure is. We talk about capital as a fundraising problem. Tips, tricks, term sheets. But this is one layer deeper.…”
- Apr 29, 2026
Eric Ries on Patagonia 1991: 'It is coherent inside and out. It is structurally strong.'
“In 1991, Patagonia added this blunt language to their own catalog: "Everything we make pollutes. Buy fewer items and buy things that last." That level of honesty is almost unthinkable today. So many companies are too afraid of the backlash, the social media…”
- Apr 27, 2026
Eric Ries: 'I helped Anthropic set up a Long Term Benefit Trust for exactly this reason'
“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…”
- Apr 26, 2026
Eric Ries on TikTok: 'Costco's founder, when his COO suggested raising the hot dog price...'
“Costco's founder, when his COO suggested raising the hot dog price during the 2008 financial crisis…”
- Apr 26, 2026 High Tech Association at USC Marshall
USC Marshall Tech Fest: 'Winners received exclusive early copies of Incorruptible'
“We also had a special moment during the Venture Pitch Competition. Winners received exclusive early copies of Incorruptible by Eric Ries before its official release. Not something you see every day!”
- Apr 24, 2026 David Bland
David Bland on Incorruptible: 'the direct impact of these company governance structures'
“Observing things differently as I'm reading Incorruptible from Eric Ries and looking around on my flight. I love my Patagonia 😄 vest but I'm flying Southwest 😒 with horrible customer service on a Boeing 😒 wearing Allbirds 😒 that are falling apart and…”
- Apr 24, 2026
Eric Ries on TikTok: 'I've been campaiging to support indies with the Incorruptible book launch'
“April 25 is Independent Bookstores Day here in the US. I've been campaiging to support indies with the Incorruptible book launch and invite you to join in the celebrations happening tomorrow. What's your favorite bookstore? P.S. If you want to join the…”
- Apr 22, 2026 Deanna Andersen
Deanna Andersen: 'Compromise arrives dressed as momentum'
“Compromise arrives dressed as momentum. The first yes feels like progress. It usually isn't. Good values are not the same as a company that can keep its promises. Ethos without structure does not survive real pressure. The real balance sheet is goodwill.…”
- Apr 22, 2026 Michael Brown
Michael Brown: Eric Matched $18K to JuneteenthConf After a 16-Day MVP Launch
“Eric reached out to me through one of our volunteers and congratulated me on the successful conference. I don't think he knew at the time, but I informed him that the lessons he shared about the MVP were what made it a sixteen-day launch instead of 'maybe…”
- Apr 20, 2026 Cian McLoughlin
Cian McLoughlin: 'don't simply build to make a sale — build something worth protecting'
“AI start-up founders are facing these challenges at the very start of their journeys. They're getting pressured to cut ethical corners, compromise on safety, or chase hype-driven demos not because they're successful, but because the fundraising environment…”
- Apr 17, 2026 The Eric Ries Show
Eric Ries with Shaharose Charania (Unshackled): 'It's always too early until it's too late'
“The late great Clay Christensen had this wonderful line that it's harder to do the right thing 98% of the time than it is to do it 100% of the time. So a big part of this is having the operational discipline internally to have clear red lines that you've kind…”
- Apr 17, 2026
Eric Ries on TikTok: 'It wasn't a party. It was a wake.'
“A thousand employees honored their founder. It wasn't a party. It was a wake. He'd been ousted even though he made investors billions. But the investors wanted more.”
- Apr 13, 2026 Silicon Prairie News
Silicon Prairie News Covers Eric's IO2026 Fireside Chat
“Eric Ries, author and entrepreneur, speaking during 'Becoming Incorruptible: Virtual Fireside Chat with Eric Ries' at IO2026”
- Apr 12, 2026
Taylor Guitars: What Employee Ownership Actually Looks Like
“In January 2021, Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug transferred 100% of the company to their employees through an ESOP. Not 10%. Not a minority stake. All of it. Before doing it, they paid off every dollar of company debt. They included their factory workers in…”
- Apr 9, 2026 James Birchler
James Birchler Converts NICER to a PBC — Eric Ries Joins Advisory Board
“About a year ago someone asked me a hard question: what happens to your mission if someone buys you? I realized I was describing a promise — and promises aren't structures. We just formally converted NICER to a Public Benefit Corporation — and one of the…”
- Apr 9, 2026
Eric Ries: How a Founder Named the Book
“Naming a book is a tricky process. As a founder described their emotional journey with me last year, they gifted me with the title of my new book.”
- Apr 8, 2026 Enrique Rubio
Enrique Rubio: 'The Lean Startup changed how I think about building organizations'
“The Lean Startup changed how I think about building organizations and my own work as a startup leader. I have recommended it more times than I can count. And Eric Ries has shaped not only my life as an entrepreneur, but an entire generation of founders…”
- Apr 8, 2026
Eric Ries: 'If it's easier than ever to build, what's actually worth building?'
“When I wrote The Lean Startup, the goal was to reduce the cost of experimentation. AI is accelerating that shift. But it raises a harder question: If it's easier than ever to build, what's actually worth building? That's something I explore in my upcoming…”
- Apr 7, 2026 Lomit Patel
Lomit Patel: 'His mentorship shaped how we build products and companies'
“I've learned so much from Eric Ries over the years. His mentorship not only shaped how we build products and companies, but it also gave me the incredible opportunity to write Lean AI as part of The Lean Startup series. In his new book, Incorruptible, Eric…”
- Apr 7, 2026
Eric Ries on TikTok: 'organizations we build are literally alive'
“A lot of founders do not understand that the organizations we build are literally alive. They are super-organisms with their own moral compass.”
- Apr 3, 2026
Eric Ries on TikTok: 'Trust is the most underrated asset in business'
“Trust is the most underrated asset in business today. When companies are trusted, they gain loyalty from customers and employees and many other benefits. We don't widely teach how to create trustworthiness and integrity in organizations. In my new book, I…”
- Mar 28, 2026 Nina de Korte
Nina de Korte: Corruption as a Structural Failure
“Incorruptible argues that corporate corruption failure is structural rather than ethical — as organizations grow, the systems that govern them quietly reshape behavior.”
- Mar 26, 2026
Eric Ries on TikTok: 'Would you walk away from $200M for your principles?'
“Would you walk away from $200M for your principles and values? Principled companies walk away from money that conflict with their values. That's happening all the time. The recent Anthropic story prompts us to think hard about our own clear red lines.”
- Mar 24, 2026
Eric Ries on Shareholder Primacy
“The era of shareholder primacy is actually already over. It's an idea that has basically caused its own intellectual collapse.”
- Mar 20, 2026 Kendra Koch
Kendra Koch: 'the best work coming out of Silicon Valley'
“The best work coming out of Silicon Valley today is Eric Ries' new book, Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad.”
- Mar 17, 2026
Eric Ries on TikTok: Seth Goldman on Mission-Driven Founding
“Sage wisdom from Seth Goldman on being a mission-driven founder. Seth is co-founder of Honest Tea and now @justicea (founded after Coca-Cola discontinued Honest Tea). Love that "justice" is right there in the Just Ice Tea name.”
- Mar 15, 2026
Penguin UK Editor: 'a truly radical book'
“This is a truly radical book which uncovers the urgent need for purpose-driven business in a world lacking integrity.”
- Mar 8, 2026 Denise Hearn
Long Now's Denise Hearn: 'a tour de force'
“I was fortunate to be a pre-reader of Eric's new book, Incorruptible. It's a tour de force packed with stories — both the perilous and the pioneering — of founders building organizations that can withstand 'financial gravity' through the seemingly unsexy…”
- Feb 25, 2026
Eric Ries on TikTok: Choose Business Growth That Makes You Strong
“Choose business growth that makes you strong.”
- Feb 23, 2026
Unshackled: 'Eric Ries Gave Us the Language. A Texas Town Gave Us the Proof.'
“Early decisions about values, incentives, and structure are not soft inputs. They are architectural choices. Purpose and performance are designed as one system.”
- Feb 18, 2026 Reid Hoffman
Reid Hoffman: 'not just a super important business book — a work of business philosophy'
“Reading this book, I realized it has the gravitas of a super important business book — like Built to Last. How do you build companies that really endure and make a big difference for humanity, for society, not just for shareholders and employees? But it also…”
- Feb 12, 2026
Incorruptible.co Launches
“Building a website for a book about organizational integrity meant finding an aligned brand partner. They know how to translate what a company stands for into something people can actually see and resonate with.”
- Nov 20, 2025 Shaherose Charania
Shaherose Charania: 15 Years in the Making
“I am excited to share that Eric Ries is joining us at Unshackled Ventures as an 'Incorruptible' Partner. Companies anchored in mission, not just metrics, are six times more likely to survive and thrive over time. Purpose and performance are not in tension.…”