Eric Ries Apologizes for The Lean Startup, Presents Incorruptible at Aspen Business & Society Summit
During the 2026 Aspen Business & Society Summit, Eric Ries engaged in a conversation about his latest book, Incorruptible, with host Ellen McGirt. He referred to it as both a sequel and a corrective follow-up to his acclaimed 2011 book, The Lean Startup, which has sold over one million copies. Ries admitted that his previous work, while beneficial, inadvertently contributed to corporate corruption. Incorruptible examines how organizational frameworks can lead founders to forsake their values for immediate profits and offers a strategy for maintaining integrity. He introduced the term "financial gravity" and criticized the practices of private equity nursing homes. Ries pointed to companies like Costco and Novo Nordisk as exemplary and promoted the idea of mission-driven organizations. The session concluded with a Q&A and a book signing.
Key facts
- Eric Ries published The Lean Startup in 2011; it sold over one million copies.
- His new book, Incorruptible, was released a few months before the 2026 Aspen Business & Society Summit.
- Ries admitted The Lean Startup's final sentence encouraged changing the world but omitted 'for the better'.
- Incorruptible argues that organizational systems push founders to abandon values and prioritize short-term thinking.
- Ries introduced the concept of 'financial gravity' as a psychological force transmitting values from resource holders to seekers.
- Costco received 98% shareholder support against an anti-DEI campaign.
- Companies with industrial foundation structures, like Novo Nordisk, are five or six times more likely to survive to year fifty.
- The Aspen Business & Society Summit was in its fifth year in 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Eric Ries
- Ellen McGirt
- Linda Hill
- Judy
Institutions
- Aspen Institute
- Aspen Business & Society Summit
- DesignObserver
- The Lean Startup
- Incorruptible
- Long-Term Stock Exchange
- Costco
- Devoted Health
- Novo Nordisk
- Zeiss
- Carl Zeiss Foundation
- Hershey Chocolate
- Vanguard
- Patagonia
- John Lewis Partnership
- Mondragon
- REI
- IKEA
- Kepler's Books
- Whole Foods
- B Corps
- ESG
Locations
- Aspen
- United States
- Silicon Valley
- California
- Menlo Park
- Louisiana
- Cancer Alley
- Spain
- Germany