Reflections on a movement | Eric Ries (creator of the Lean Startup methodology)

**Eric Ries** (0:00)
People act like having a startup fail is the worst thing that can happen to you. And like, man, that's not even in the top 10
Like, it's bad, I've done it, it's awful, okay? It's really bad, but far worse is to be in a company that won't die, a zombie, undead company that you hate, but you can't leave. Whew, have I met people like that? And like, we're having a mental health crisis among founders that's like not talked about enough. You know, people started talking about like the downside mental health risk, obviously the stress of being a founder is hard, but like, look what's happening to the people that are so-called successes.
Like, when you build a company and you sell it out and it becomes something that you find abhorrent, like, yeah, man, maybe you get rich, but it's not good. And so building a company you hate that becomes a malign force in the world, you know, that you have to go pretend you weren't involved with, or like you feel complicit in what, like that's way, way worse. And I wish more founders would take that more seriously early on.

**Lenny Rachitsky** (0:58)
Today my guest is Eric Ries. If you're not familiar with his work, I would be shocked. He is most famous for creating The Lean Startup methodology and movement, and also his incredibly influential book, The Lean Startup. He also coined more terms and concepts that are part of the tech culture than anyone I could think of. He currently spends his time advising founders and startups. He was a former founder and CTO, and currently is the founder and executive chairman of The Long-Term Stock Exchange.
This is now my favorite episode of the podcast, and I can't wait for you to hear it. In our conversation, we cover a lot of ground, including the current state of the Lean Startup movement, where he sees things heading, what Eric would redo if he could do it over again, misconceptions about the methodology that frustrate him most, how AI will likely impact product development and startups, how to think about MVPs correctly, when to pivot and when to stay the course, also how to build a business with values that are aligned with human flourishing. Also, tons of amazing stories and lessons, and there's just so much gold in this conversation. And so with that, I bring you Eric Ries after a short word from our sponsors.
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