I'd argue that eventually the short-term focused people will always take over and ruin the company. When times get tough long-term goals are hard to stick to. I

I'd argue that eventually the short-term focused people will always take over and ruin the company. When times get tough long-term goals are hard to stick to. Investors, ownership, etc get spooked and look for a way to try to solve problems now, losing sight of why the company was moving on a path that only pays off in the long term. In the case of tech companies, I fully expect to see them shift heavily towards the short-term whenever the tides turn. VCs did it last year, as soon as money dried up and economic concerns rose VCs shifted from investing with a goal of say 1 in 20 companies succeeding to only investing money in companies that appeared to be a sure bet.