Nvidia’s Jensen Huang tops “most popular CEOs” survey, check out the best and worst approval ratings

In a nutshell: It’s not unusual to search out essentially the most profitable firms led by essentially the most unliked bosses, however there are exceptions. Based on a brand new survey of 13,171 verified US professionals, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has the best approval ranking (96%), whereas Apple chief govt Tim Prepare dinner additionally made the highest 5. The record consists of CEOs with the bottom approval rankings, too: Western Digital’s David Goeckeler got here in joint final with an approval ranking of 0%.

Skilled social community Blind carried out the survey to find out the approval ranking of 103 CEOs, based mostly on workers’ suggestions in August 2023. The community requested employees: “Do you approve or disapprove of the best way your CEO is dealing with their job?”

Sitting on the high of the approval rankings is Jensen Huang at 96%. Nvidia has been one of many greatest winners on this yr’s AI increase, due to it holding an estimated 95% share within the AI servers market. The corporate’s share worth has trebled because the begin of 2023, and it now holds a $1.16 trillion market cap.

“He noticed this AI mania coming 10+ years in the past,” a verified Nvidia skilled on Blind mentioned of Huang. “I belief him utterly.”

In the summertime of final yr, again when Nvidia missed incomes expectations and the financial system was even worse, Huang assured workers there can be raises, not layoffs, on the firm.

Following Huang is Walmart’s Doug McMillon at 88%, with Palo Alto Networks’ Nikesh Arora (84%) in third.

Apple’s Tim Prepare dinner is available in at fourth place with an 83% approval ranking. Since taking on from Steve Jobs in 2011, Prepare dinner has overseen Apple’s rise to develop into the most important firm on this planet by market cap, which is at present $2.81 trillion. Prepare dinner has lengthy been reportedly preferred by workers, regardless of Apple being one of many many firms telling employees to get again into the workplace no less than three days per week. The CEO’s voluntary 40% pay reduce this yr may have elevated his enchantment, too.

Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora was a senior govt at Google, and later the president of SoftBank Group till 2016. He took on the function of CEO and chairman at Palo Alto Networks in 2018.

The ultimate high boss within the high 5 is Ali Ghodsi, CEO of knowledge/AI firm Databricks (83%).

AMD’s Lisa Su additionally scored excessive on the record, touchdown in eighth place with an approval ranking of 79%.

Job safety is a serious affect on how a lot an worker approves of their boss. Just one CEO within the high ten has laid off workers within the final yr or extra. That was Autodesk, which reduce 2% of worldwide workers in February whereas persevering with to rent all through the remainder of the yr.

General, the CEOs’ approval rankings are removed from spectacular, with the common being simply 32%. E-commerce, monetary providers, and the tech trade had the preferred bosses.

On the backside of the pile have been many firms who've seen huge workers cuts this yr. Linda Yaccarino, who Elon Musk appointed CEO of X/Twitter, has simply 4%, barely forward of Snap’s Evan Spiegel (3%). John Riccitiello, who has simply introduced he's stepping down as head of Unity following the installment payment controversy, has 2%.

Two CEOs have the undesirable distinction of scoring 0%: Western Digital’s David Goeckeler and Nordstrom’s Erik Nordstrom. Western Digital laid off greater than 200 workers in June, whereas Nordstrom can also be reducing jobs.