The Ethical Enterprise

When I initially became interested in business, I thought it was all about bold ideas, clever strategies, and billion-dollar valuations. I read start-up stories about Apple, Tesla, Nike: the globe-changing companies. But the more I read, the more I started questioning things that weren’t always so neatly answered.

Why is Apple on the hot seat for allegedly limiting competition through its App Store policies? How does Tesla justify its treatment of employees in an automation- and innovation-driven firm? Why did Glossier, startup sweetheart, lay off workers and change tactics, and what does it say about the way we handle growth?

Then I paid closer attention.

Allbirds, Bumble, or Liquid Death don’t merely retail shoes, dating apps, or canned water. They retail values: sustainability, empowerment, rebellion. What happens, though, when brand values collide with business reality? Is this ethical branding or sophisticated marketing? Where is the legal line between mission and manipulation?

That’s when I had an epiphany: business isn’t all about what works. It’s about what’s legal, what’s right, and what’s fair. And those aren’t always so easy to tell apart.

Hi, I’m Tei Lee, a student at Pomfret School, and the founder of The Ethical Enterprise. I created this platform to explore the intersection of business, law, and philosophy: three areas that shape how we lead, decide, and build a better future.

I started The Ethical Enterprise because I believe students should start learning about how real business operates, not just theoretically, but in practice. We must understand how the law affects business, how ethics affect leadership, and how every significant business decision a company makes has implications far beyond the bottom line.

That’s what this platform is for. I’ll be breaking down real case studies, analyzing from the massive companies to the small-sized companies, and asking what we can take away from their choices. What legal boundaries are being tested? What ethical standards are being upheld or shattered? And what can founders, lawyers, and leaders like us take away from it all?

I’m not claiming to have all the solutions. I’m still figuring things out myself. But I do believe that business must be taught as much through spreadsheets as through conscience. That leadership entails not merely bold acts, but wise, prudent ones as well. And that our future CEOs, policymakers, or generals must be trained to think analytically, legally, and ethically at the same time.

So if you’re curious to know how capitalism actually works, where it fails, and how we might rethink it, I hope you’ll stick around. Read, question, disagree, and reflect. That’s what The Ethical Enterprise is for.

Let’s talk about profit, principle, and power. Together. Shall we?