100 CEOs
Imagine being personally mentored by some of the world's greatest CEOs that are alive today and they personally answer whatever question you are struggling with in your journey. This is how 100 CEOs was born - a newsletter where some of the world's biggest CEOs and entrepreneurs answer questions that you want to hear.
These CEOs weren’t very popular with their decisions…
Hi, What’s a choice you were judged for, but would make again in a heartbeat today? I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 5 answers: Dr. Edwin Olson is the founder and CEO of May Mobility, the company developing and operating autonomous vehicle and robotaxi services “Saying no to a high-profile partnership. A prominent Fortune 500 company became a major strategic partner for a robotics project I was running, and they invested money into it. Along with their support came the...
If AI is making you less human, you’re doing it wrong
Hi, What are you willing to sacrifice in speed and efficiency to keep human? I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 5 answers: Chris Best is the CEO and founder of Substack, the new media app letting authors publish directly to their audiences “Nothing. If you find yourself getting faster and more efficient at something that makes you less human, you’re doing it wrong. Too many technologists are losing sight of a basic idea. They focus on what AI will be able to do on its own,...
What 5 CEOs would tell their teen selves
Hi, If you could tell one brutal truth to your 16-year-old self, what would it be? I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 5 answers: Tom Eggemeier is CEO of Zendesk, a tech company providing software-as-a-service (SaaS) to customer support and sales “Here’s what I’d say to my younger self: You are so fixated on the horizon that you are completely missing the view right in front of you. At 16 years-old, you have this constant, buzzing anxiety that life only truly starts once you...
What 4 CEOs changed their minds about this year
Hi, What’s the biggest thing you’ve changed your mind about in the last year? I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 4 answers: Gyve Safavi, Co-Founder and CEO at SURI, an award-winning, eco-friendly electric toothbrush company “The biggest shift for me this year has been how I respond to things going wrong versus going right. In an early-stage company, getting things wrong is almost a part of the job. Sometimes it’s small, but sometimes it really stings. I used to carry a lot...
You have an idea you want to turn into a business – now what?
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 6 answers. Taymoor Atighetchi is CEO and founder of Papier, a personalised stationery company. “To get an idea off the whiteboard and into the wider world, requires a mix of hustle, determination and thick skin. Cold emails, pitching, getting in front of people, asking for advice and investment – and not fearing rejection. When you’re starting out, speed matters. The ability to react, pivot and adapt is one of the greatest strengths you...
How sweating the small stuff separates good leaders from successful leaders.
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 5 answers. Olivia Hanlon, Forbes 30 Under 30, speaker, founder of Girls in Marketing and Passata, an AI productivity startup. “You don’t build a global business from one person or one viral moment. You build it from hundreds of tiny ones: the unsexy, often overlooked decisions most people skip. That’s where the magic happens. In 2024, I was named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 for Marketing and Advertising. But honestly, the moments I’m...
Why is your office the worst place to be creative?
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 5 answers for how they get creative. Ollie Olanipekun, Founder & Creative Director of OpenAREA and Flock Together. “There’s someone having the same idea as you right now. We’re all looking at the same references, the same mood boards, the same recycled ideas. My secret weapon? Find ideas where no one else is looking. Before I start any brief, I let my brain walk before I work. While everyone else scrolls for references, I go offline and...
What keeps you grounded when you're at the top?
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 6 answers: John Mackey, Co-Founder of Whole Foods Market, and Co-Creator & CEO of Love.Life, an integrated health and wellness company. “What keeps me grounded is very simple: connection. It’s easy to focus on achievements and accolades, but for me, success isn’t wealth or recognition, but the impact we have on others and the relationships we build. Ego and fear have less room to grow when love is your foundation. At Whole Foods Market,...
What’s the boldest risk you’ve taken that nobody agreed with at the time?
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 6 answers: Doug McNamee, Founder and CEO of JOLT, the Australian-founded global EV-charging company expanding fast-charging infrastructure to accelerate a zero-emissions future. “The boldest risk I took was following an idea everyone told me was impossible. In 2019, I bought an electric car and realised home charging would cost almost as much as the car itself. But there was a problem with the only alternative: public charging. Sydney...
What do you see in people which makes you instantly not trust them?
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 5 answers: Isaiah Granet, Co-Founder and CEO of Bland AI, the self-hosted Voice AI platform, scaled from $0 to $65M raised in under two years. “Overselling is the tell. When someone oversells themselves, it usually means they’re trying to fill a gap with words instead of proof. The more someone tells you how great they are, the less likely they are to show it. People who are actually good don’t need to convince you; they do the work,...
Imagine being personally mentored by some of the world's greatest CEOs that are alive today and they personally answer whatever question you are struggling with in your journey. This is how 100 CEOs was born - a newsletter where some of the world's biggest CEOs and entrepreneurs answer questions that you want to hear.