First, this is a false dichotomy. Second, "loyal" and "obedient" are different words. Third, if your team thinks something is a bad idea, and your investor te

First, this is a false dichotomy. Second, "loyal" and "obedient" are different words. Third, if your team thinks something is a bad idea, and your investor tells you to do it anyway, maybe you need a more "loyal" (i.e., obedient) team, as this investor is arguing. Or maybe you need an investor who has more respect for your team's opinion. After all, sometimes the team is much better-informed. Sometimes "a difficult decision" is just a nice way to say "a bad idea." Sometimes you might tell an investor that you think their incredibly stupid idea is great, and you wish you could do it, but you can't, because you'd lose your team, and we all agree my team is valuable, right? I mean, yes, there's also the great loyalty Steve Jobs inspired, and for once "inspired" is the right word there. But even Steve Jobs had to listen when people told him he was wrong, at least once in a blue moon. He came back from a trip to Japan convinced that he was going to set up uniforms for every Apple employee, including engineers and executives, and that everybody was going to love it. Edit: and yes, mission-driven companies are a good idea.