I don’t know if it’s just my social media algorithm, but a recurring theme keeps popping up: the handsome CEO and his various young, beautiful female counterparts.
A beautiful but unhappy young woman falls in love with a CEO she meets by chance. The CEO is cold but very handsome. Love changes everything. Helicopters, offices, villas, ties… In cheap novels, the CEO has become the modern “prince.”
Strangely enough, both the head of a six-person company and the head of a giant corporation are called CEO, and regardless of the size of the business, the title creates a kind of relative aura around them.
Authorities Changing Through History
Throughout history, authority figures have shifted.
Once it was religious leaders who held sway. Then sultans, kings, philosophers, television stars, financiers, bankers… Every era had its own form of “power” and its representative figures. Today, some corporations are bigger than states in terms of influence, and the CEOs who run these giants are the new authority of our time — even objects of desire.
Sometimes they are portrayed as saviors, sometimes as stars, sometimes as muses. But in the real world, things are a lot more… tense and complicated.
Corporate Palaces and Modern Princes
In the past, princes determined the fate of dynasties. Today, CEOs shape the direction of companies — even economies. But here’s the difference: once, a prince only had to be powerful. Today’s CEO must be everything.
That means the modern CEO must:
• convince investors,
• motivate employees,
• take a stand on social issues,
• and still meet fourth-quarter targets.
In one part of the day, they solve crises in steel-toed boots, in the afternoon they perform with ballerina-like grace at a TEDx talk, and in the evening they inspire people on LinkedIn.
CEO 2.0: Prince or Influencer?
In the past, CEOs only appeared in annual reports.
Today, they are everywhere:
• On LinkedIn, talking about company culture,
• On X, sharing strategy,
• On Instagram, celebrating team spirit.
Visibility means not only applause but also more pressure, more scrutiny, and less private space.
“Now it’s not only the CEO’s decisions that matter, even their breakfast sends a message.”
The CEO has become the face of a brand, not just a company. Sometimes, even the target board of crises.
Performance or Authenticity?
Today, what’s expected from a CEO is not just leadership: it’s also emotional intelligence, media elegance, cultural sensitivity, and social awareness. But taking on so many roles is not easy. A CEO whose identity becomes blurred and who constantly performs may lose their own voice.
Could the CEO position be not the center of power, but the center of loneliness?
Why Do These Fairy Tales Still Work?
The romantic narratives around CEOs are, in fact, a reflection of our collective desires for power, wealth, and emotional transformation. But in real life, being a CEO is nothing like those novels: often they are the last to leave and the first to arrive at the company. At home, they are no longer the CEO but a family member. They must balance work and life, and at home too, they are accountable in a different way.
If There’s a Throne, Where Is the Heir?
Once, being a CEO was a more “portable” role. A successful executive could move from one company to another and carry their achievements with them. Today, this model is weakening.
Because now, the CEO is not just a manager but the voice, culture, and face of the company. That makes external transfers less valuable, while “grooming” from within matters more. This is why today’s “heir apparent” CEOs usually come from within — people who have worked for years inside, know the context, and have proven themselves in different roles.
So, “princedom” is no longer an appointment from outside; it’s the outcome of a long and arduous journey inside.
Isn’t the CEO’s Burden Heavy?
The CEO’s list of responsibilities sounds familiar, but also strange: inside a company with a clearly defined organizational chart, departments, responsibilities, and distributed leadership — why does every eye turn to the CEO?
Why must the CEO not only manage but also explain, defend, motivate, represent, and find solutions? In the past, CEOs were invisible, and so not every role was piled onto them.
But today, as visibility has increased, so have expectations. The one who steps on stage does not just speak; they must also manage everyone’s perception.
Maybe that’s why today, being a CEO is not just a job; it is representation, performance, and a test. And although the role has become an object of desire, for some, it may well be a role to turn down.