Ries: Corporate values are lies without an enforceable operational apparatus
Eric Ries · How Anthropic, Costco, and Patagonia all build incorruptible companies | Eric Ries · May 10, 2026 · at 54:17
Eric Ries compares why public companies reliably meet quarterly reporting deadlines but fail ethical pledges like Google's 'Don't be evil'.
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“Google report its quarterly report on time because there is a massive, unbelievably expensive apparatus to make sure it happens every time. And don't be evil was just a slogan. So if someone tells you I'm serious about something, great. Now show me the apparatus. Show me the commitments you've made to make sure that happens every time. No exceptions. And if you don't have one, then they are lying to you. No matter how good their intentions are.”
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