What Happened to Eric Ries?
Eric Ries is a prominent American entrepreneur, author, and thought leader best known for creating the Lean Startup methodology, which revolutionized how new products are built and launched. He is also the founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE), an initiative aimed at aligning corporate incentives with long-term value creation. His latest book, "Incorruptible," released in May 2026, delves into corporate governance and how companies can resist forces that lead to their decline, and he recently commented on AI valuations in June 2026.
Quick Answer
Eric Ries continues to be a leading voice in entrepreneurship and corporate governance. As of June 2026, he is the Executive Chair and Chairman of the Board of the Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE), which he founded to promote long-term thinking in public markets. His fourth book, "Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad... and How Great Companies Stay Great," was published on May 26, 2026, exploring how companies can maintain their mission and integrity. He also serves as a governance advisor to Anthropic and recently shared his skepticism regarding inflated AI valuations on June 8, 2026.
📊Key Facts
📅Complete Timeline13 events
Born
Eric Ries was born, who would later become a prominent entrepreneur and author.
Co-founded Catalyst Recruiting
While an undergraduate at Yale University, Ries co-founded Catalyst Recruiting, an online forum for university students to network with potential employers.
Co-founded IMVU
Ries co-founded IMVU Inc., a social network, where he began to apply and develop the principles that would become the Lean Startup methodology.
Began Documenting Lean Startup
After stepping down as CTO of IMVU, Eric Ries began to document the Lean Startup methodology on his blog, sharing his insights on continuous innovation.
Published 'The Lean Startup'
His groundbreaking book, 'The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses,' was published, becoming a New York Times bestseller.
Founded LTSE Services
Eric Ries founded LTSE Services, the entity that would develop the Long-Term Stock Exchange, aiming to create a new public market experience.
Released 'The Leader's Guide' and Began Organizing LTSE
Ries self-published 'The Leader's Guide' via Kickstarter and actively began organizing the Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE).
Published 'The Startup Way'
He released 'The Startup Way: How Modern Companies Use Entrepreneurial Management to Transform Culture and Drive Long-Term Growth,' a follow-up to his first book.
LTSE Approved by SEC
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the Long-Term Stock Exchange as a national securities exchange.
Became Governance Advisor to Anthropic
Eric Ries began serving as a governance advisor to the AI safety and research company, Anthropic.
Latest Angel Investment
His most recent recorded angel investment was in Harmony Intelligence during its Seed Round.
Published 'Incorruptible'
Ries's fourth book, 'Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad... and How Great Companies Stay Great,' was released worldwide, focusing on corporate governance and long-term mission.
Comments on AI Valuations
As a governance advisor to Anthropic, Eric Ries delivered a critique of the AI investment boom on CNBC's Squawk Box, expressing skepticism about corporate AI productivity claims and private AI valuations.
🔍Deep Dive Analysis
Eric Ries, born September 22, 1978, has profoundly influenced the startup world with his Lean Startup methodology. His early entrepreneurial endeavors included co-founding Catalyst Recruiting while at Yale and working at There, Inc., before co-founding IMVU in 2004. It was at IMVU, a 3D avatar-based social network, that Ries began to formalize his ideas, combining Steve Blank's customer development with lean software development to achieve rapid product iteration and customer feedback. This experience laid the groundwork for what would become the Lean Startup movement.
The Lean Startup methodology, which Ries began documenting on his blog in 2008, emphasizes continuous innovation, validated learning, and the build-measure-learn feedback loop to help startups succeed under conditions of extreme uncertainty. His seminal book, "The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses," published in 2011, became a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into over thirty languages, making his principles accessible globally. The book's success led to widespread adoption of its principles by individuals, startups, and even large corporations and governments seeking to foster entrepreneurial initiatives.
A significant turning point in Ries's career was his decision to address the systemic issues he observed in capital markets that often force companies to prioritize short-term gains over long-term vision. This led him to found the Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE) in 2012, an idea he first proposed in "The Lean Startup". The LTSE, which received SEC approval as a national securities exchange on May 10, 2019, aims to incentivize long-term governance and investment by requiring listed companies to adhere to specific policies that prioritize a broader group of stakeholders and long-term decision-making. As of May 2026, LTSE has raised $247 million in funding and continues to operate as an online platform for stock investments. Ries serves as the Executive Chair and Chairman of the Board for LTSE.
In recent years, Ries has continued to expand his influence. He published "The Startup Way" in 2017, applying entrepreneurial principles to larger corporate environments. His latest work, "Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad... and How Great Companies Stay Great," was released on May 26, 2026. This book explores how companies can build structures that resist "financial gravity" and maintain their mission over decades, redefining profit as the maximization of human flourishing. He has also co-founded Answer.AI, an AI R&D lab, and maintains an active role as an angel investor, with his most recent investment in Harmony Intelligence in March 2025. As a governance advisor to Anthropic since 2021, Ries publicly expressed skepticism about the current AI investment boom and inflated valuations on June 8, 2026, advocating for a focus on measurable results over AI narratives.
What If...?
Explore alternate histories. What if Eric Ries made different choices?