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Oof, where to begin? I've known more than a few CEOs between my father with his PhD in Business and specialization in strategic management and my own start in

Oof, where to begin? I've known more than a few CEOs between my father with his PhD in Business and specialization in strategic management and my own start in the startup world... but if we're just going out on condescending limbs, I'm going to go out on one and guess you're just coping with the "more money than the rest of us part" by convincing yourself CEOs have a horrible lonely lives? - The reality is nothing you described doesn't somewhat apply to anyone approaching higher levels of a career. For every study showing how depressed CEOs are compared to the peons, you'd find 10 more about how staff engineers/vps/product leads/etc. are too if anyone actually cared to study them. It's success that brings pressure and stress, not the title of C-suite. For example... "not knowing if anyone they meet is just looking for a handout" The median household income in this country is $67,000. If you're working in tech long enough to be turning down C-suite positions and don't already have this problem I'd start searching for a new job about 5 years ago. - Your vision of a CEO is either that of a founder CEO who lives like they're guiding their child (and will be replaced if the company ever grows large enough), or a Disney Channel movie you took too seriously. The "career C-suite" is not hired for their inability to commit to WLB. They're not hired to kiss ass on weekends. They're not hired to play psychologist to coax out your "true feelings". They definitely don't tend to hang around people who need handouts. They're not putting the company before themselves because at the end of the day the next job is waiting in the Rolodex. It is pretty hilarious that you think that though! Honestly you're describing what they wish people would see them as. I know plenty of C-suites would be over the moon with your characterization :)

sulam 4y ago
I’ve been a C suite exec at four different companies, and decline to consider more than that every month for at least the last four years. My taxes are more than the average American earns in their entire lifetime for over 10 years running. I’m not dumb enough to believe every single CEO fits the description I gave, but CEOs of $100B companies do not phone it in, and anyone who believes that is both ignorant and sadly lacking in both observational power and imagination.
- lmeyerov 4y ago
  The only (good) CEOs I have seen 'phone it in' are career replacement CEOs whose job is to come in, sprinkle magic dust (fire & hire & slight rebrand), and use that to sell the company within 18mo. They have a very specific and narrow mission. The rest I met have too big a mission to phone it in. (A lot of signs of premature aging, ...) I understand it a lot less after $1B/yr in revenue though, so can't say much from experience there.
- BoorishBears 4y ago
  Yeesh, martyring yourself while trying to awkwardly flex your tax bill? Career C-suite to a tee! Now we know where I got the vibe of "I know plenty of C-suites would be over the moon with your characterization :)" - Ignoring the fact there are millions of people would gladly trade their double shifts with no childcare for having to answer emails at the 3pm ball games. I do wonder what would have happened if you just, didn't answer emails during the kid's games? (in case I need to spell that out, it's a synecdoche for putting work over personal life...) I guess it'd just be a very "career CEO"-esque to wax poetic about how you shortened your life doing a bunch of stuff to keep companies afloat when the reality is you just chose not to be present in your own personal life. After all, a small team working through a Series B is one thing... but what 100B ship is relying on any single person (or even a room of C-suites) to keep floating?
- refurb 4y ago
  I agree 100% with your take on CEO at $10B+ revenue companies. I worked closely with a handful of them and it’s a brutal role in terms of WLB. As you said it wasn’t unusual to be flying international 2 or 3 times per week. Late night/early morning calls with Europe/Asia and not to mention the PR aspects of it.

sulam 4y ago

I’ve been a C suite exec at four different companies, and decline to consider more than that every month for at least the last four years. My taxes are more than the average American earns in their entire lifetime for over 10 years running. I’m not dumb enough to believe every single CEO fits the description I gave, but CEOs of $100B companies do not phone it in, and anyone who believes that is both ignorant and sadly lacking in both observational power and imagination.

lmeyerov 4y ago
The only (good) CEOs I have seen 'phone it in' are career replacement CEOs whose job is to come in, sprinkle magic dust (fire & hire & slight rebrand), and use that to sell the company within 18mo. They have a very specific and narrow mission. The rest I met have too big a mission to phone it in. (A lot of signs of premature aging, ...) I understand it a lot less after $1B/yr in revenue though, so can't say much from experience there.
BoorishBears 4y ago
Yeesh, martyring yourself while trying to awkwardly flex your tax bill? Career C-suite to a tee! Now we know where I got the vibe of "I know plenty of C-suites would be over the moon with your characterization :)" - Ignoring the fact there are millions of people would gladly trade their double shifts with no childcare for having to answer emails at the 3pm ball games. I do wonder what would have happened if you just, didn't answer emails during the kid's games? (in case I need to spell that out, it's a synecdoche for putting work over personal life...) I guess it'd just be a very "career CEO"-esque to wax poetic about how you shortened your life doing a bunch of stuff to keep companies afloat when the reality is you just chose not to be present in your own personal life. After all, a small team working through a Series B is one thing... but what 100B ship is relying on any single person (or even a room of C-suites) to keep floating?
refurb 4y ago
I agree 100% with your take on CEO at $10B+ revenue companies. I worked closely with a handful of them and it’s a brutal role in terms of WLB. As you said it wasn’t unusual to be flying international 2 or 3 times per week. Late night/early morning calls with Europe/Asia and not to mention the PR aspects of it.