How The Best Companies Defend Against Mediocrity And Rot
From Y Combinator Startup Podcast by Y Combinator
May 25, 2026 · 50 min
About this episode
Garry interviews Eric Ries about his new book and discusses how companies can defend against mediocrity and maintain their core mission.
In this episode of the Main Function Garry sits down with Eric Ries, author of "The Lean Startup", about his new book, "Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad And How Great Companies Stay Great". Ries breaks down why shareholder primacy often leads to company and product degradation, how founders can lose control of the companies they build, and what legal structures and governance models can protect a company's core mission from outside threats.
People in this episode
Host: Garry
Guest: Eric Ries
Topics covered
- company governance
- shareholder primacy
- founder control
- business degradation
- protecting company mission
Keywords
- company governance
- shareholder primacy
- business strategy
- founder control
- company mission
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Lean Startup, Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad And How Great Companies Stay Great
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