“I took it for granted that we were trying to make the world a better place. But I think in retrospect that was naïve. What kind of change? For whom? We kind of forgot to specify what the purpose of all this disruption was.” — Eric Ries
In 2011, Eric Ries published The Lean Startup, a book that reflected the optimistic zeitgeist about disruptive Silicon Valley companies. Fifteen years later, in Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies Stay Great, Ries reflects today’s totally different zeitgeist about the value of companies inside and outside Silicon Valley.
Back in 2011, everybody loved tech. Ries, creator of the Lean Startup method and founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange, admits he was naïve in his positive view of disruptive corporations. In Incorruptible, Ries argues that corporate corruption is structural, rather than a problem of bad actors. As organisations grow (ie: become more disruptive), the systems that govern them — ownership, incentives, charters, accountability — quietly reshape behaviour. Success itself becomes a form of financial gravity, diverting companies away from their original purpose.
Ries proposes that we design organisations to be incorruptible from the beginning. It’s the Patagonia model. When the outdoor clothing company almost went bankrupt in the 1990s, their bank agreed to restructure their loans if they would suspend their charitable donations for a couple of years. No deal, the CEO said. The bank blinked and Patagonia remained Patagonia. Now, Ries argues, every corporation should try to emulate Patagonia and become the incorruptible corporation. We must all join Eric Ries in getting beyond the lean startup.
Five Takeaways
• Corporate Corruption Is Structural. Not bad actors — structure. As organisations grow, ownership, incentives, and charters quietly reshape behaviour. Success becomes financial gravity, bending companies away from their purpose. The solution: design organisations to be incorruptible from the start.
• The Patagonia Model. Their bank said: suspend charitable donations during restructuring. Patagonia said no. The bank blinked. Ries’ reading: not moral righteousness — organisational strength. The ability to resist external pressure and stay true to a principle. That is what makes a company great.
• The Wrong Distinction. For-profit vs non-profit is a tax code distinction masquerading as a moral one. If profit means the maximisation of human flourishing: the Smithsonian is very for-profit. Philip Morris is very non-profit. Reframe what organisations are for.
• Civic Infrastructure. The principles of incorruptible design apply not just to companies but to governance institutions. The darkness of the current political moment is partly a failure of organisational design. Rebuilding civic infrastructure is the work of the next generation.
• The Anakin/Padamé Problem. Ries assumed the purpose of The Lean Startup was obvious: make the world better. He now thinks that was naïve. You have to specify the purpose. What kind of change? For whom? That is the question Incorruptible is trying to answer.
About the Guest
Eric Ries is the creator of the Lean Startup method and the author of Incorruptible (Authors Equity, May 26, 2026), The Lean Startup, and The Startup Way. He is also the founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange.
References
Incorruptible by Eric Ries (Authors Equity, May 26, 2026): simonandschuster.com
Bonus materials: incorruptible.co
About Keen On America
Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen.
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Chapters:
00:00:31 From The Lean Startup to Incorruptible
00:01:48 The Anakin/Padamé meme
00:03:03 Good vs great companies
00:05:00 Corruption as structural
00:10:00 Financial gravity
00:30:00 Patagonia and Black Wednesday
00:35:00 Patagonia says no to the bank
00:48:00 For-profit vs non-profit: the wrong distinction
00:50:00 Civic infrastructure
00:52:15 The darkest time — but our grandparents had it worse