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The thing is, this applies to all of the non-CEO staff as well. Without them, the company would not stay afloat. If anything, they risked their capital (ie the

The thing is, this applies to all of the non-CEO staff as well. Without them, the company would not stay afloat. If anything, they risked their capital (ie the labor-producing bodies) more than any CEO. And all of this in an economic system where capital risk is ostensibly rewarded.

29athrowaway 5y ago
CEOs make important decisions... acquisions, mergers, layoffs, expanding, shrinking, key partnerships, etc... or entirely changing the direction of the company.
- aaron-santos 5y ago
  Laborers do important work. Without them the company produces nothing. We could go back and forth with this. And for one reason: it doesn't matter what the CEO does or doesn't do. There is something else that matters much more than any of that.
  - 29athrowaway 5y ago
    What happens if a laborer shows up to work drunk, and sexually harasses a colleague and then starts a fight? What will happen is that they will get fired with no news coverage and no impact to the share price whatsoever. What happens if a CEO does a fraction of that? It will affect the share price. Share holders will be pissed off. People will protest about it, people will stop buying the products, there will be news coverage and social media coverage about it... It will be a mess that will affect not only the CEO but everyone under them either directly or indirectly. Once the CEO is replaced, the new CEO will bring a new team and that will trigger a reorg... All the stuff above comes with risks and it's possible the new CEO is unsuccessful and has to be replaced again. And the losses generated by the outing of the crazy CEO will likely affect the laborers too somehow. As you can see, even if the laborer works hard and contributes to the company, but they do not have the same responsibility as the CEO.
    - aaron-santos 5y ago
      Let's zoom in on what happens when a CEO is replaced. They get a severance package that is more than what I (making 6-figures even) will make in a lifetime. That's what I mean when I'm taking about risks. If I do any of those things, then I'm risking food, housing, and taking care of my kids. If a CEO does it, then he is risking early retirement. That is what makes all the difference.
      - 29athrowaway 5y ago
        Sometimes the CEO can do so much harm to a company, that there's no going back. The entire company becomes a failure, and not only the CEO gets a severance package... every employee gets laid off too. And the shareholders lose their money, and the investors lose their investment... The livelihood of thousands of people can be in the hands of a CEO. If you have something against hierarchies, that's your problem, man. Hierarchies exist everywhere and have always existed. Larger groups beat smaller groups, and groups need coordination and leadership.
        aaron-santos 5y ago
        Thanks for the discussion. I'm feeling pretty good that this kind of back and forth didn't devolve the way usual does, but the HN comment section is probably not the right venue to keep going with this. If you do want to continue talking about it, my contact info is in my profile.

29athrowaway 5y ago

CEOs make important decisions... acquisions, mergers, layoffs, expanding, shrinking, key partnerships, etc... or entirely changing the direction of the company.

aaron-santos 5y ago
Laborers do important work. Without them the company produces nothing. We could go back and forth with this. And for one reason: it doesn't matter what the CEO does or doesn't do. There is something else that matters much more than any of that.
- 29athrowaway 5y ago
  What happens if a laborer shows up to work drunk, and sexually harasses a colleague and then starts a fight? What will happen is that they will get fired with no news coverage and no impact to the share price whatsoever. What happens if a CEO does a fraction of that? It will affect the share price. Share holders will be pissed off. People will protest about it, people will stop buying the products, there will be news coverage and social media coverage about it... It will be a mess that will affect not only the CEO but everyone under them either directly or indirectly. Once the CEO is replaced, the new CEO will bring a new team and that will trigger a reorg... All the stuff above comes with risks and it's possible the new CEO is unsuccessful and has to be replaced again. And the losses generated by the outing of the crazy CEO will likely affect the laborers too somehow. As you can see, even if the laborer works hard and contributes to the company, but they do not have the same responsibility as the CEO.
  - aaron-santos 5y ago
    Let's zoom in on what happens when a CEO is replaced. They get a severance package that is more than what I (making 6-figures even) will make in a lifetime. That's what I mean when I'm taking about risks. If I do any of those things, then I'm risking food, housing, and taking care of my kids. If a CEO does it, then he is risking early retirement. That is what makes all the difference.
    - 29athrowaway 5y ago
      Sometimes the CEO can do so much harm to a company, that there's no going back. The entire company becomes a failure, and not only the CEO gets a severance package... every employee gets laid off too. And the shareholders lose their money, and the investors lose their investment... The livelihood of thousands of people can be in the hands of a CEO. If you have something against hierarchies, that's your problem, man. Hierarchies exist everywhere and have always existed. Larger groups beat smaller groups, and groups need coordination and leadership.
      - aaron-santos 5y ago
        Thanks for the discussion. I'm feeling pretty good that this kind of back and forth didn't devolve the way usual does, but the HN comment section is probably not the right venue to keep going with this. If you do want to continue talking about it, my contact info is in my profile.