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Annual "Worst CEO" List Released

Posted by samzenpus on from the top-of-the-heap dept.

angry tapir writes "Zynga's Mark Pincus made the annual 'Worst CEOs' list compiled by Dartmouth College professor Sydney Finkelstein. Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Andrew Mason of Groupon received dishonorable mentions. Zuckerberg earned his dishonorable mention on the list partly due to his 'hoodie mentality.'"

17 of 121 comments (clear)

  1. Methodology by phantomfive · · Score: 5, Informative
    Here's the methodology used:

    The methodology behind the list combines three factors: the firms' financial performance including stock returns and cash flow; the extent to which the CEO has behaved responsibly; and strategic leadership and corporate governance.

    Also, the CEO of Best Buy got the #1 worst ranking.

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    1. Re:Methodology by RabidReindeer · · Score: 4, Insightful

      His Methodology is complete and utter crap. Company growth should be included, but also look at the long term strategy, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction or employee turnover rate.

      I think Brian Driscoll of Hostess needs to be on that list as well as Leo Apotheker, not because he was a CEO this year, but because he failed so bad at it last year.

      Nobody gives a rat's rear about the long term. Get the most money you can as fast as possible, pass it out in fat raises and bonuses to the upper tiers, then watch them all flee for greener pastures.

      No point in measuring for anyone's satisfaction or the company's long-term prosperity. That kind of stuff went out with the 20th Century. Not enough holdouts to be worth considering.

    2. Re:Methodology by bws111 · · Score: 5, Informative

      He is not complaining about attire. A 'hoody mentality' is when you act like someone who is wearing a hoody - insulated from what is going on around you. That is a bad quality in a CEO - you need to know what is going on around you, and others need to know what you are thinking.

  2. Obvious pick by Misanthrope · · Score: 4, Funny

    Meg Whitman...

  3. And actual article link: by isopropanol · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://www.businessworld.in/en/storypage/-/bw/who-are-the-worst-ceos-of-2012/679612.37489/page/-1

  4. Missing names by zooblethorpe · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Where the hell is Elop? I would have thought that cratering the company you're running would count something towards being a bad CEO.

    And shouldn't Ballmer at least rate a dishonorable mention?

    :-P

    --
    "What in the name of Fats Waller is that?"
    "A four-foot prune."
    1. Re:Missing names by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Here's Elop

      From The Seven Biggest Collapses in Mobile Handset or Smartphone History - this is part 3 in the Nokia Disaster analysis series

      NOKIA - 2010-2012 - FELL FROM 35% to 5% in TWO YEARS - AVERAGE FALL 62% PER YEAR - IS CURRENTLY ENDANGERED SPECIES AS FALL CONTINUES
      (Was ranked number 1 in market of smartphones)
      Cause of death - Elop Effect ie Osborne Effect combined with Ratner Effect - resulted in instant carrier boycott and retail boycott against Nokia, these furher damaged by another Osborne Effect by Elop and yet another by Ballmer, and the purchase of Skype by Microsoft causing a Microsoft-targeted sales boycott

      He's #1 in the mobile industry. #1 of losing.

    2. Re:Missing names by niftydude · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Seems to be a worst CEO of US-based companies list. Nokia is Finnish. Also, Nokia is Finished :drumroll:.

      I would have thought Rupert Murdoch would rate a mention after the recent UK debacle though.

      --
      You can never know everything, and part of what you do know will always be wrong. Perhaps even the most important part.
    3. Re:Missing names by Patch86 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The two "dishonourable mentions" called out in TFA were both for the reason "I don't like their attitude". For Zuckerberg it was his "hoodie mentality" and acting like a "hacker", and for Mason it was his "frat boy" attitude.

      Seeing as Ballmer wears a suit, and could never be described as having a "hacker" demeanour, I imagine he's A-OK by the author.

    4. Re:Missing names by SalsaDoom · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I don't know. Ballmer is one of my favorite CEO's in IT today, possibly in all of IT's history. Speaking as a Linux user, I hope he stays with Microsoft for as long as its operating ;) BALLMER RULES!

      --
      "Computers will never truly be free until the last windows user is strangled with the entrails of the last mac user."
    5. Re:Missing names by fatphil · · Score: 4, Informative

      As someone who lost his job because of Elop, and I think he's definitely vying for a top-5 slot, you have to remember that Tomi Ahonen (behind that blog) is a total loon who is completely obsessed with Nokia, and should be taken with a pinch of salt.

      --
      Also FatPhil on SoylentNews, id 863
  5. Worst Tech Calls of 2012 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    My top three are all social media related. Imagine that.

    1. Microsoft buys Yammer for $1.2 Billion
    "Enterprise social network" -- a solution looking for a problem. This is almost as bad an idea as Ballmer's Skype acquisition in 2011.

    2. Facebook buys Instagram for $715 Million
    Zuckerman didn't even ask the board. Meanwhile users are leaving Instagram like someone set the company on fire. And they're still not profitable.

    3. Zynga buys OMGPOP for $180 Million
    Pincus thinks he's the next EA, while the entire company rots away under him.

    There are a lot more (thinking rather pointedly of AMD, Apple, Samsung, Nokia), perhaps we can compile them all here.

  6. In the next category of 'Fiscal Buggery in Taxes': by TiggertheMad · · Score: 5, Funny

    And shouldn't Ballmer at least rate a dishonorable mention?

    You won't see Balmer in the main annual lists, he is up for the Lifetime Achievement award...

    --

    HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
  7. Fun idea, not sure I agree with the criteria by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I feel there have to be worse things than what is mentioned in the story. Things like demotivating your entire company by firing people the day before their promised stock vests, actually killing the company you're running, stealing a significant chunk of money or other assets, keeping the company alive only because of a massive bail-out, those are things I would expect to make the list.

    What's actually on the list seems comparatively tame. Hoodie mentality, seriously? Do we really still value complying with dress codes that were set in a different era higher than actually creating a multi-billion dollar company?

    Disclaimer: I work for Facebook, however, I imagine my opinion would be much the same if I didn't. Also, this is my personal opinion; not necessarily that of my employer.

  8. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 4, Informative

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  9. Follow the money by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Or in this case, follow the ideology of the "Professor" in question. We like to think people who think themselves smart are above having agenda's. But are they?

    I wonder how this guy DOES views Elop. Or indeed Nobuyuki Idei, the man who killed Sony. A managers manager, a man who had the shareholder firmly in mind. Who followed the tree factors that determined this list... AND ruined the company with it.

    This "professor" dislikes the "hoodie" mentality, dislikes companies thinking their engineers are important when they should be worried about this quarters stock performance. So... it isn't that much of a leap to conclude this professor is of the Wallstreet business school, you know, the guys who gave us this wonderful robuust economy.

    Are the mentioned CEO's bad leaders for their company OR did they just upset Wallstreet to much? ALWAYS question the source of a message, it tells you a lot about the message and how you should treat it. This list? Make up your own mind.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

  10. Actual actual article link: by Meneth · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://m.washingtonpost.com/national/on-leadership/the-five-worst-ceos-of-2012/2012/12/18/0f353f14-4940-11e2-ad54-580638ede391_story.html