The jaw-dropping CEO moments this year
Another year, another endless news cycle driven by the world’s top corporate executives, with moments ranging from cringe-worthy to downright bizarre.
While some CEOs seemed to relish the spotlight, Elon Musk chief among them, others were inadvertently thrust into social media’s harsh glare.
Here are some of the most high-profile management misadventures:
The Muskiest moment
Of all the jaw-dropping Musk moments this year, the pinnacle came on stage at the New York Times DealBook Summit when he told advertisers that have stopped spending on X to go “f-” themselves.
Billionaire cage match bluff
In June, Musk challenged Mark Zuckerberg to what perhaps passes for a duel in 2023, posting on X: “I’m up for a cage match if he is lol.” The peculiar invitation came shortly after news surfaced that Meta Platforms Inc. was set to release Threads as a competitor to X.
OpenAI’s about-face
The abrupt firing and rehiring of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman by the board played out over the course of a long weekend. The whole thing was pretty bizarre, with some of the drama unfolding on social media.
The view from Acapulco
When Stellantis NV and UAW leadership met in August, Mark Stewart, the company’s chief operating officer for North America wasn’t physically present – he Zoomed in from Acapulco, Mexico, where he has a second home.
Leave “pity city” behind
A short video of office furniture maker MillerKnoll Inc. CEO Andi Owen chastising staff for fixating on end-of-year bonuses ricocheted around the internet in April.
Management’s massage time
In October, Tony Fernandes, co-founder of AirAsia and a top executive there, went to LinkedIn to post a picture of himself, shirtless, getting a massage while sitting at a conference room table.
Not enough discretion with an indiscretion
BP Plc CEO Bernard Looney resigned in September over the failure to fully disclose past relationships with colleagues, forfeiting as much as £32.4 million ($41.4 million) in pay.
The flight must go on
United Airlines Holdings Inc. canceled 751 flights on one day in June – more than any other airline – and its hub airport in Denver was among the hardest hit.
Not parting with that paycheck
Former Silicon Valley Bank CEO Greg Becker refused to commit to giving up his $10 million pay after the bank collapsed in March.
The HBO troll
Casey Bloys, CEO of HBO and Max content, apologized for using fake X accounts to troll TV critics who gave bad reviews to the network’s shows, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. According to the Times, Bloys said his passion for his company’s programming – and too much time on social media during the Covid-19 pandemic – led him to that error.