Eric Ries: Lean Startup author on why every founder needs to be Incorruptible

About this episode

Eric Ries, author of the bestselling The Lean Startup which sold over 2 million copies, joins Sir Richard Harpin to discuss his new book Incorruptible. Fifteen years after redefining entrepreneurship with concepts like the MVP and the pivot, Ries turns his attention to a different threat: what he calls "financial gravity" - the corporate governance norms and regulatory standards that can erode a founder's integrity and long-term vision even after early success. They discuss why pivoting is a change in strategy without a change in vision, how founders like Costco's Jim Sinegal built "governance fortresses" to protect long-term thinking, and why Ries founded the Long-Term Stock Exchange to reward companies that resist short-term pressure. Ries shares advice on when startups should take investment, the benefits of employee ownership and explains how trust is the most valuable asset that an organization can have. Also, his tips on how to harness AI in a better way that allows the human and the AI to be much closer to collaborators than to delegators. Subscribe to the Business Leader Podcast for weekly entrepreneur stories from founders and CEOs who’ve built and scaled great businesse