Why Corporate Corruption Is so Common

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It’s easy for something we cherish to change for the worse – all it takes is a company being bought, going public, or a single decision from those in charge. Yet, we don’t have the right words to describe this loss. Terms like ‘mission drift’ or ‘bureaucracy’ sound harmless, but they don’t capture the painful feeling of seeing something valuable ruined.

So I call it by a simple, old-fashioned name: corruption.

You’ve probably experienced this feeling before, either at work or in your career. Maybe it was when a company stopped making a product you really liked, or when your own company cut back on new ideas to focus on short-term profits. Perhaps you saw a company fail after a new CEO replaced the original founder, or when a change in leadership meant the company lost sight of its purpose, becoming just empty promises.

Have you ever questioned why things are the way they are? Perhaps you’ve also thought there might be a different, better approach.

There is.

To understand this, we need to admit something most people already feel but don’t often express: not all ways of earning money are created equal.

For years, I’ve been trying to figure out who’s at fault for this mess. Managers say it’s the executives, executives blame the board, and the board points fingers at the investors. But when you talk to the investors – and I have – they also claim to be shocked by how focused everyone is on quick profits. They accuse executives of prioritizing personal gain through things like stock buybacks and lavish exit packages. Executives counter that investors demand both long-term growth and the ability to sell their investments immediately. It’s a frustrating cycle where everyone blames everyone else, like two people arguing over who started a fire while their house burns down.

Nobody seems to be in charge.

There’s a powerful, unseen force at work in our lives – one that no single person directs, yet influences almost everything we do. Like gravity, it’s everywhere and explains a surprising number of problems, from the rising costs of building public transportation in the US, to the decline of local news, the negative effects of social media, ongoing medical mistakes, and why it often feels easier for companies to keep you waiting than to actually help you.

I’ve been noticing something amazing lately. Even in huge industries, there are companies that still genuinely seem to care about something beyond just profit. Think of Vanguard in finance, or Patagonia with its outdoor gear, even Costco! Once you start looking for them, you realize they’re everywhere – consistently delivering on their values, year after year, and still managing to be incredibly successful. It’s really inspiring to see.

It’s common to think that even the most successful companies eventually decline – it seems like a natural part of things. But if some companies do manage to stay strong, that suggests the idea of inevitable decline isn’t entirely accurate.

So what can any individual actually do about it?

Every action you take online – every click, swipe, like, or purchase – helps these companies refine how they predict your behavior. Ultimately, they’re trying to figure out what you will do next, whether you’re a customer, follower, potential investor, or employee. It’s as if every decision you make sends out ripples, even when you don’t realize you’re being observed.

You have the power to stop this pattern. If you haven’t become reliant on products and platforms that take from you instead of giving back, don’t start. And if you can, step away now. Whether you’re a customer, worker, or investor, you can choose to say no.

We often think of making positive change as a “collective action problem” – believing it’s useless to act unless everyone agrees to do the same. However, this overlooks a powerful dynamic. Think of gravity: it’s based on individual perception. Every choice we make sends a signal. When you choose to do something different, that choice becomes information for others – and impacts their goals. When enough people make similar choices, even without planning it, leaders notice. This is how individual actions combine to create a larger, collective impact – like gravity.

We easily give up our power, often without even realizing it. We put our money into systems we criticize, choose companies based on advertising or convenience, and work for organizations whose values don’t align with our own. Each of these decisions reinforces the status quo, making it seem unchangeable and permanent.

Ursula K. Le Guin compared our current economic and financial systems to the once-unquestioned power of kings. She pointed out that just like the idea of a king’s divine right, these systems seem powerful now, but aren’t actually permanent. In fact, the systems that shape our lives today are relatively new – younger than many trees – and the idea that they’re unchangeable is just an illusion.

The future isn’t shaped by others making the right choices – it’s shaped by us realizing the influence we already possess.

This excerpt is from the book Incorruptible by Eric Ries, published by Authors Equity in 2026. It is reprinted with their permission.

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2026-05-27 23:06