The Ricks Era — $70B to $700B and What the Strategy Means for You

David Ricks took over as Lilly's CEO in January 2017 with a market cap around $70 billion. By September 2025 it had touched $700 billion — a 10x in less than nine years, making Lilly the most valuable pharma company in history. This module decodes the strategy behind that run so you can talk about Lilly's direction with substance: the bet on incretins and Alzheimer's, the productivity reset of R&D, and the patient-first philosophy Ricks has anchored every decision to.