#288 Why Great Companies Lose Their Way After Going Public with Eric Ries, Author, The Lean Startup

Episode notes

.entry-img img{ display:none !important; } .single .hentry .entry-img{ display:none !important; } Going public is often seen as the ultimate milestone for a successful business, yet for many great companies it marks the beginning of decline rather than a new chapter of sustainable growth. In this episode of The Grow CFO Show, host Kevin Appleby sits down with Eric Ries , author of The Lean Startup , to explore why so many mission-driven, high-performing companies lose their way after an IPO - and what CFOs and boards can do differently to prevent this fate. The conversation frames governance not as a legal box-ticking exercise, but as a strategic discipline that protects long‑term value, mission, and trust. Through vivid case studies - from Saul Price and the origins of Costco, to Novo Nordisk and its foundation structure, to Johnson & Johnson’s Credo - Eric shows how governance choices can either entrench short‑term shareholder primacy or build what he calls a “governance fortress” that shields companies from destructive external pressures.