What It Is: A 2026 book by Eric Ries, founder of the Lean Startup movement and the Long-Term Stock Exchange, arguing that companies drift from their mission not through bad actors but through poorly designed governance systems — ownership structures, incentives, and decision-making rules that that lack the structural integrity to defend against internal and external pressures.
Why It Matters: Ries reframes governance as a design problem rather than a compliance exercise, arguing that Accountability to the mission has to be built into a company's structure — charters, voting rights, incentive design — rather than added on after mission drift has already happened.
How to Use It: Use it to prompt discussions with boards and founders about potential mission drift, and timely redesign of governance structures.