3 ms·

Do CEOs ever do such a bad job they don't get hired again? Seems like once you're in the club you just get to stay being a C-suite exec regardless of whether or

Do CEOs ever do such a bad job they don't get hired again? Seems like once you're in the club you just get to stay being a C-suite exec regardless of whether or not you ran a company into the ground.

wombat-man 5y ago
you just get really good at spinning failures into tales of e x p e r i e n c e But really sometimes you're just put in charge of a sinking ship, and sometimes you sink a perfectly fine ship. I suppose it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference.
linguae 5y ago
Michael Spindler, Apple CEO from 1993 to early 1996, doesn't seem to have been a CEO at any other company since he was fired from Apple (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Spindler https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Spindler), although I don't know if this is because he couldn't find another position or because he wanted to do something different with his life; I know that he struggled with stress management during his career at Apple even before becoming CEO. Michael Spindler presided over the successful PowerPC transition, but unfortunately he also presided over a catastrophic 1995 for Apple, where Apple had to contend with bad Performa x200/x300 models, faulty PowerBook 5300 models with many issues such as chipping and easily-breakable hinges (not to mention the exploding battery at the factory before release), and the release of Windows 95. Gil Amelio ended up taking over in 1996 to try to turn the company around; we all know what happened NeXT.
- helsinkiandrew 5y ago
  He was founder/co-managing partner at Upstart Capital from 1999 onwards, I'm not sure when that ended. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/upstart-capital https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/upstart-capital
ido 5y ago
I guess this mostly applies to CEOs of big (or once big) companies? I know a lot of former founders/owners/ceos of small startups that came back to IC roles after their companies went out of business.
- brianwawok 5y ago
  Right, F2000 CEO and Startup CEO (like me) have nothing actually in common. After my current startup, I have no illusion I can walk into Pepsi and apply for the CEO role. (I mean, I could, but I would not get an interview). Being big company CEO is a very very high wall to get over, but once you do it, I think you have a pretty good shot at keeping the CEO job for the rest of your career. Startup CEO... might help get some funding in your next startup, or find co-founders easier. Not a lot though I expect..
AniseAbyss 5y ago
In China they seem to have the willingness to go after CEOs that threaten the harmony of the State- or the hegemony of the CCP. Did anything bad happen after the guys who ran Lehman brothers into the ground?
kerng 5y ago
Its similar for CISOs and other exec positions. Just look at some of the large breaches that happened like 5 years ago and where the CISOs of these companies work for now. Breaches typically help them improve their profile and career in the long run (maybe you get to even speak in front of congrees) - it's very odd. I think it has todo with people thinking, oh ,this person has seen some bad stuff - so the person must be experienced. Rather than maybe question if the root cause of the bad stuff (like a breach) was actually an incompetent exec.

Do CEOs ever do such a bad job they don't get hired again? Seems like once you're in the club you just get to stay being a C-suite exec regardless of whether or not you ran a company into the ground.

wombat-man 5y ago

you just get really good at spinning failures into tales of e x p e r i e n c e But really sometimes you're just put in charge of a sinking ship, and sometimes you sink a perfectly fine ship. I suppose it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference.

linguae 5y ago

Michael Spindler, Apple CEO from 1993 to early 1996, doesn't seem to have been a CEO at any other company since he was fired from Apple (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Spindler https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Spindler), although I don't know if this is because he couldn't find another position or because he wanted to do something different with his life; I know that he struggled with stress management during his career at Apple even before becoming CEO. Michael Spindler presided over the successful PowerPC transition, but unfortunately he also presided over a catastrophic 1995 for Apple, where Apple had to contend with bad Performa x200/x300 models, faulty PowerBook 5300 models with many issues such as chipping and easily-breakable hinges (not to mention the exploding battery at the factory before release), and the release of Windows 95. Gil Amelio ended up taking over in 1996 to try to turn the company around; we all know what happened NeXT.

helsinkiandrew 5y ago
He was founder/co-managing partner at Upstart Capital from 1999 onwards, I'm not sure when that ended. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/upstart-capital https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/upstart-capital

ido 5y ago

I guess this mostly applies to CEOs of big (or once big) companies? I know a lot of former founders/owners/ceos of small startups that came back to IC roles after their companies went out of business.

brianwawok 5y ago
Right, F2000 CEO and Startup CEO (like me) have nothing actually in common. After my current startup, I have no illusion I can walk into Pepsi and apply for the CEO role. (I mean, I could, but I would not get an interview). Being big company CEO is a very very high wall to get over, but once you do it, I think you have a pretty good shot at keeping the CEO job for the rest of your career. Startup CEO... might help get some funding in your next startup, or find co-founders easier. Not a lot though I expect..

AniseAbyss 5y ago

In China they seem to have the willingness to go after CEOs that threaten the harmony of the State- or the hegemony of the CCP. Did anything bad happen after the guys who ran Lehman brothers into the ground?

kerng 5y ago

Its similar for CISOs and other exec positions. Just look at some of the large breaches that happened like 5 years ago and where the CISOs of these companies work for now. Breaches typically help them improve their profile and career in the long run (maybe you get to even speak in front of congrees) - it's very odd. I think it has todo with people thinking, oh ,this person has seen some bad stuff - so the person must be experienced. Rather than maybe question if the root cause of the bad stuff (like a breach) was actually an incompetent exec.