The celebrity CEO
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Blame it on scoop scarcity or dumb journalists. Business channels have a lot of weekend programs featuring many a mediocre CEO making “announcements” (and none claiming “execution”). I’ve often racked my brains trying to figure out what makes this guy (for what he “will” do) newsworthy. Some well wired spin doctor has clearly been at work. Watch it at your own risk.
I dug out this old article from Slate.com. Excerpts -
The idea of the businessman as an outsized, even heroic, figure seemed like the legacy of a long-forgotten past when men like J.P. Morgan and William Randolph Hearst were still around. In fact, in 1982, Forbes magazine wrote, “Tycoons are fairly rare birds in today’s business world. We seldom hear of moguls.” Within just a few years, that had all changed, with business journalists turning every clever executive with a good idea into the next Henry Ford, and with the Rupert Murdochs, Sumner Redstones, and Donald Trumps of the world actively cultivating the “mogul” label.
Blackout the screens till we get our moguls…..
September 1, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Nearly all men named there are/ were entrepreneurs. Most CEOs doing TV appearances are employees, albeit highly paid ones, of corporations. The former did not need to be told of their importance; the latter do.
Amongst the latter however, many of those, who have created most value, are notorious for not engaging with the media (or for that matter, analysts). They focus on their results instead.
September 1, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Bang on, Shefaly…
Analysts don’t grow old, they just turn comedians. They make a living by peddling predictions that end up as jokes. One can safely go against them and by guaranteeing certainty, they too stand and serve.
Thanks for the thoughts…