As someone who runs a business with a co-founder, we both are constantly making trade offs. How do we move quickly while remaining stable? How do increase our featureset without getting over our skis? How do we grow our business quickly, but not take on the wrong customers?

Incentives can win, and should win, on both sides of the equation at different moments in time. The most mature organizations can feel the pain from one direction or another, and adjust accordingly.