I think PG's comments towards Sam (at least since Sam left YC) are not really complements, when you read between the lines... King of the cannibals? What do you

I think PG's comments towards Sam (at least since Sam left YC) are not really complements, when you read between the lines... King of the cannibals? What do you have to be willing to do to take that crown? But yes, knowing some CEOs, I'd say there are rare (at the population level) traits that predispose you to success in that role. An ability to sell a vision, which can become pathological detachment from reality long before this trait becomes detrimental to your ability to fundraise for a startup. An ability to focus on the mission and not get bogged down in details, which can become pathological sociopathy/psychopathy long before this trait becomes detrimental to the company. Gift of the gab / eloquence is very helpful. A willingness to sacrifice a lot to achieve one's goals, which is usually detrimental to any kind of life outside of the business. Basically, CEOs are weirdos, the job is way harder than non-founders will ever know, and it definitely has selection pressures and feedback loops that can concentrate some extremely toxic traits if you're not careful. Most people don't want to be CEOs if they understand what it actually means, and most people wouldn't want to self-modify their personality to make them a lot more CEO-like.