Are Two C.E.O.s Better Than One? (Update)
Spotify, Oracle, and Comcast have each recently announced they’re going with co-C.E.O.s. In this 2023 episode, we dig into the research and hear firsthand stories of triumph and disaster. Also: lessons from computer programmers, Simon and Garfunkel, and bears versus alligators.
- Duration
- 53m
- Broadcast on
- 28 Oct 2025
- Audio Format
- other
This episode appears to contain dynamically inserted ads. Transcript timestamps may be approximate.
Spotify, Oracle, and Comcast have each recently announced they’re going with co-C.E.O.s. In this 2023 episode, we dig into the research and hear firsthand stories of triumph and disaster. Also: lessons from computer programmers, Simon and Garfunkel, and bears versus alligators.
- SOURCES:
- Jim Balsillie, retired chairman and co-C.E.O. of Research In Motion.
- Mike Cannon-Brookes, co-founder and C.E.O. of Atlassian.
- Scott Farquhar, co-founder and former co-C.E.O. of Atlassian.
- Marc Feigen, C.E.O. advisor.
- Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, professor of management studies and senior associate dean at the Yale School of Management and founding president of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute.
- Laurie Williams, professor of computer science at North Carolina State University.
- RESOURCES:
- "Scott Farquhar to resign as joint CEO of Atlassian," by Jonathan Barrett (The Guardian, 2024).
- "Is It Time to Consider Co-C.E.O.s?" by Marc A. Feigen, Michael Jenkins, and Anton Warendh (Harvard Business Review, 2022).
- "The Costs and Benefits of Pair Programming," by Alistair Cockburn and Laurie Williams (2000).
- "Strengthening the Case for Pair Programming," by Laurie Williams, Robert R. Kessler, Ward Cunningham, and Ron Jeffries (IEEE Software, 2000).
- EXTRAS:
- "The Secret Life of a C.E.O.," series by Freakonomics Radio (2018).
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Transcription truncated.
Spotify, Oracle, and Comcast have each recently announced they’re going with co-C.E.O.s. In this 2023 episode, we dig into the research and hear firsthand stories of triumph and disaster. Also: lessons from computer programmers, Simon and Garfunkel, and bears versus alligators.