Yup. Honestly at many companies the CEO is the only real decision maker and everyone else is just execution. No matter what their title says. To your point on

Yup. Honestly at many companies the CEO is the only real decision maker and everyone else is just execution. No matter what their title says. To your point on stakeholders - most PMs are just trying their best to balance the 35 different constraints/ideas thrown at them by the 5 or 6 most important stakeholders all while appearing upbeat and happy because the PM is supposed to be Miss/Mr/Mrs Positivity.