Executives, investors, and the business press routinely chant the mantra that corporations are required to "maximize shareholder value." In this path-breaking book, renowned corporate expert Lynn Stout debunks the myth that corporate law mandates shareholder primacy. Stout shows how shareholder value thinking endangers not only investors but the rest of us as well. It leads managers to focus myopically on short-term earnings; discourages investment and innovation; harms employees, customers, and communities; and causes companies to indulge in reckless, sociopathic, and irresponsible behaviors. Additionally, Stout looks at new models of corporate purpose that better serve the needs of investors, corporations, and society.