Abusing employees. when a cold wave caused a statewide power outage as well as nearly 700 deaths (60). You are of course welcome to add to or subtract (doubtful) from the lists presented here. The video game publisher known for Call of Duty among others was sued by the state of California for discriminating against and harassing female employees. This involved the payment of hundreds of thousands of dollars to him and to university administrators and coaches. Or will an acquirer attempt to monetize Twitter?

Mario Batali (Former CEO, Batali and Bastianich Hospitality Group): Time to Pay the Tab. We drive around a lot and every day see businesses that ought to be shut down and cant possibly be reformed. Misleading investors about a possible sale of a company.

Emmert placed 18th among the idiotic based on the 2021 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that resulted in allowing college athletes to receive compensation for the use of their name, image and likeness (16). Deliberately attempting to evade regulatory responsibility. Les Moonves (Former CEO, CBS): No Money for Molestor Moonves. With those points in mind, lets learn from the CEOs here who distinguished themselves and not in a good way, by their incompetence; dishonesty; failure; greed; insensitivity; abusive treatment of employees, customers and investors and general wrongdoing. Mark Zuckerberg3, Vlad Tenev3, Bobby Kotick 3, 2. Jeff recently got sent up the river for 30 years and Paulette is looking at 15. To address some of the complaints, last year he fired about 40 developers out of the 10,000 employees for their part in sexual harassment of female workers (19), but apparently that gesture was not enough and set the stage for Microsoft buying the game maker for $68 billion in cash, a different kind of union than employees were envisioning no doubt (20). Patrick Byrne (Former CEO, Overstock.com): Traveling Circus. Vishal Garg does his best Donald Trump Apprentice firing imitation but creates the worst Zoom moment since Jeffrey Toobin. To date, no acquisitions have been made. Dennis Muilenburg (Former CEO and Chairman, Boeing): Life After Death. Pretty hard to do that when you (1) allow a different style of ball to be used to reduce home runs while the existing inventory of juiced balls is used up and you dont inform teams (17), (2) give slap on the wrist punishments to multiple teams for use of electronic sign stealing systems and ignore a third altogether, (3) overlook the widespread use of a foreign substance to help grip the ball and (4) still not do anything substantive about opioid abuse (our addition to the lineup). Unlike in California where no one was fired but extra power was sourced to avoid a repeat, in Texas, many officials lost their jobs, but no plans were made to correct the underlying problem.

John May (CEO, Deere and Company): Reaping Whirlwind. Would an e-mail have been any better for Better? 7. Daniel Snyder (Washington Football Team): NFL Justice. CEO anxiety now, on the other hand seems to be largely fueled by the belief labor shortages and supply chain problems are here to stay and they will be held accountable. Meanwhile, his accomplices in his great (or crate) escape to Beirut have been rounded up and are facing the music in Japan. Those already covered are not discussed. As for Boeing, it paid the U.S. Department of Justice $2.5 billion for its part in the coverup, blaming two lower-level employees for lying about the safety of the plane (49). Bill Magness, Among Others (Former CEO, ERCOT): Dont Mess with Texas ERCOT, Because Texas ERCOT is a Mess. ), Jr. decided to sue the school for damaging his reputation but dropped the suit (64). To address charges of a toxic workplace culture at the no-name franchise in the nations capital, the National Football League (NFL) conducted its own investigation, finding in 2021 that sexual harassment, bullying and intimidation were common. Now its on everybodys radar. Even so, millions in the U.S. and elsewhere remain unemployed and the arrival of each new variant of Covid-19 sends shockwaves throughout society and the business world. 1. In our previous report, we spent several pages recounting the events leading up to rotating power blackouts in California in 2020 during a heat wave and the role various state agencies played. The pandemic, although a catalyst for all of these was only cited by a few as the proximate cause. It is also written to alert some of the corporations and their boards of directors whose bosses made the list to take corrective action and to serve as a warning to others not to make the same mistakes. The latter must be how Zuckerberg viewed 2021 with government agencies investigating the platform for antitrust violations and whistleblowers sounding the alarm FB is dangerous to teenagers and knows it. Most of the CEOs are newcomers, but there are some repeat offenders. 1. due to the obstinance of May they were on strike in October, reducing output by an estimated 10-15% for two quarters (32). Jeff and Paulette Carpoff (Former CEOs, DC Solar): No Light at the End of Their Tunnel. Putting a face on failure or in the case of the 2021 winner, horns and a tail. The team (which is 100% owned by him) was fined $10 million and he had to let his wife run the show for several months (34). Doubt they will have much renewable energy left after doing all that time. After the CEO went after some real people who claimed the stock was overvalued and online critics predictably then dug up some dirt on the company that their supposedly secure web platform (are any?) Martin Shkreli (Former CEO, Various Companies): Lifetime Ban. We looked, but it appears they took the last train to the coast on this topic for this year, leaving us to sort through the debris field. Now getting laid off is generally no fun, although some companies provide long-time employees going away presents like 6 months of salary. How about calling the police? The listing criteria for those who did an analysis vary somewhat with most this time limiting their scope to publicly or about to be publicly held firms in the U.S.Our own list that comes later considers all companies, public, private, domestic and international as well as non-profits like universities and sports-governing bodies. In January 2022, to address No. Bobby Kotick (CEO, Activision/Blizzard). A number of business publications issue annual lists of this or that, including bad CEOs. They arent going away and neither is Facebook. 1. Unfortunately.

However, since we live in the online video age, whats so wrong about the boss canning some staff this way?

Elizabeth Spaulding (CEO, Stitch Fix): Skirting the Issue. Chuck Jones (Former CEO, First Energy): Throwing Bad Money After Bad Can Be Costly. Facebook changed its name to Meta Platforms in 2021, probably so people wouldnt realize it was Facebook. After filing for bankruptcy protection in 2020 in the wake of more than 90,000 sexual abuse lawsuits dating back decades, BSA and abuse victims appear close to a settlement in the neighborhood of $2.7 billion covering 82,000 claims, roughly 5 times the initial offer (70). 1. Vlad Tenev (CEO, Robinhood): Working Both Sides of the Street. The CEO blames supply chain issues but the major shortage appears to be repeat customers. Kevin Marsh (Former CEO SCANA Energy): Electrical Wire Fraud. IP lists this PR disaster under Aurora Acquisition Corp. (AAC) whose CEO hasnt done anything wrong, so it requires some explaining.

Apparently, the party is over and now its all about the money for the one-time kingpin of the evangelical college of religious knowledge in the mountains of Virginia. Jerry Falwell, Jr. (Former President, Liberty University): Slimebag. Facebook is the poster boy for this one. Yahoo Finance bases its worst list on a vote of readers (13), this time over 1500. The online retailer sells customized clothing made to shoppers body types with the help of an AI system. A category added in 2018, but not a new corporate transgression. She had claimed she was fired without cause for abusive behavior, that her predecessor had sexually assaulted a singer, the general counsel had similarly attacked her and the nomination process was fixed. Selling an adulterated or bogus product just to make more money because you can and then rationalizing the decision. 2. And this time, its his own money on the line. You cant make a silk purse out of a sows ear, although thats never stopped people in the business world from trying. However, this was not able to stop the credibility bleeding as a former project manager testified before Congress that the company was morally bankrupt and aware that it was harmful to young people as well as guilty of spreading false information and hate speech. Alibaba (Daniel Zhang), the Chinese e-commerce website and AT&T (John Stankey) the phone company, both saw share price drops of 50% and 25% respectively. 1. 2. Securities fraudster and drug price jacker upper Shkreli is serving 7 years in federal prison.

When the scandal was exposed in 2019, the parents and 20 others were indicted on charges of mail fraud and money laundering.

Fired in 2019 for what he claimed was a consensual affair with a single subordinate, his severance package now totaling $105 million was clawed back by Mickey Ds lawyers late last year when it was revealed there were multiple women involved and he used company funds to pay one of them for sex (38). Carlos Ghosn [pronounced Gone] (Former CEO, Renault-Nissan Alliance): Gone, but Not Forgotten.

In November, the company announced it would build a $17 billion semiconductor factory in Texas, clearly just a coincidence (55). Everyones allowed to make a few mistakes, but not this many and on this scale. 5. 2. But the most surprising selection was Tesla (Elon Musk), with readers ignoring its momentum driven stock climb and instead zeroing in on its too soon roll out of products that have to then be recalled, sexual harassment scandals and the cult of personality that has developed around its Dear Leader. This doesnt mean that Captain Greedy and his fellow university president pirates cant keep raking in the loot from TV rights to the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament among others.

(Former CEO, Pilgrims Pride): Poultry Prosecution, The former CEOs federal prosecution along with executives from other chicken processors for price fixing resulted in a mistrial (37). He claims he is now consulting with companies regarding electric and self-driving vehicles but doesnt name names (52). Her sentencing, which could see her doing up to 20 years, will be in late September by which time her co-conspirator and former lover Ramesh Balwani will have had his day in court (42). Jones was fired in 2020 for giving Ohio state legislators a $61 million bribe to get them to approve a $1.3 billion bailout (since rescinded) for two of the utilitys struggling nuclear plants. Boy Scouts of America (Child Molesters of America): Ka-ching. We all remember the images of Lehman Brothers 25,000 workers headed out the door with their personal items in cardboard boxes in the fall of 2008. Adam Neumann (Former CEO, WeWork): Now a Real Landlord. May himself received a 160% pay raise. As a result, Google dropped it from its search results.

1. The inscrutable founder of the messaging platform for people with something to say in just a few words departed his creation amidst a fight for seats on the board by a hedge fund who thought Dorsey had failed to grow or innovate the company (53), the stock price languishing in a trading range for 10 years as the part time, hands off new ager sat in silence in ice water baths and took long walks. Just because a CEO left the company (retirement, took another job) or because the company is in a bad industry and generated poor results (e.g., victim of the pandemic) does not necessarily mean the CEO committed some act of wrongdoing or made a strategic blunder and is automatically to blame. Investor Place, another newcomer to the CEO driving range, teed up 7 for us to swing at (12). 1. Several are not officially described as lists of worst CEOs or companies, but by calling attention to fired or forced out CEOs, the meaning is clear. 2019s consensus Worst CEO of the year has bounced back after being fired by Boeing for covering up the problems with the 737 MAX airplane that led to two deadly crashes. 3. 3. An internal investigation identified the lack of adequate generating capacity as a major factor. Not a good look for two people who are looking worse and worse all the time. This may not happen, however as the CEO of Better since 2014 gained instant notoriety after holding a two-minute Zoom meeting right before Christmas for 900 employees during which he told them if they were in the meeting, they were fired, accusing 250 of stealing from the company by working 2 hours a day and billing it for 8.

This involved a major bank and in 2019, the feds forced a change at the top for the second time. The sex lives of some prominent CEOs were on display in 2019-2020 due to their own misbehavior. Since then, Lemonade has turned into lemons for investors and management, down 80%. Management claims this is due to higher advertising costs as the economy has recovered from the pandemic. Zuckerberg and Tenev have made previous annual lists while this is Koticks debut. We will also provide an update on those from last year including some who are no longer with us in the corporate sense that is. Robinhood is an online stock trading platform popular with young investors due its commission-free trading. Jack Dorsey (Former CEO, Twitter): Flew the Coop. 2.2 Deadspin.com: Idiot Presidents and Commissioners, 2.3 Jeffrey Sonnenfeld: Expert Bad Managers, 2.6 Yahoo Finance.com: Winners are Losers. The company filed for bankruptcy, is in the process of being liquidated and in late 2021 agreed to a settlement paying shareholders at least $180 million (36). Stankey also appeared last year. She swindled a number of wealthy investors out of nearly a billion dollars with phony promises of a testing machine that could analyze a suite of parameters using a single drop of blood (41). wasnt, the company then dumped a secondary offering on the market making the case the stock was too expensive. Deadspin.com, while not just covering sports, does so with a flamethrower and publishes an annual list titled Idiot of the Year (9). Or just turn it into another app? Robinhood made our list last year.

The replacement of Jacks buddies on the board signaled his departure and potentially put the company in play. Failing to meet financial expectations. Our pick for Worst CEO in 2018 finally ended his civil litigation against CBS in 2021, brought about by his firing by Tiffany for sexually assaulting numerous actresses and other women over the years he was an executive at the network.

2. The same readers, this time a more sizable 30%, suggesting a lot more than 8% were unhappy with Marks leadership, said it could redeem itself, by abandoning the social media model on which it is based. Singer helped the children of 33 wealthy individuals get admitted to prestigious colleges by arranging to have someone else take SAT and related entrance exams for them and creating phony records that they were outstanding athletes who could then gain admission through slots set aside for real ones (65). In 2019, it was revealed to have been used to conceal embezzlement at a major automaker. Luckin Coffee was a rival to Starbucks in China with nearly 4500 locations and its stock trading on the NASDAQ. Reminiscent of how Stalin and Saddam Hussein used to handle RIFs. Whether the Sex in the City spinoff (no pun intended) episode where Mr. Big dies while cycling on a Peloton bike is just morbid symbolism or a harbinger of things to come remains to be seen. After scrolling through more than 50 pages of idiocy, we settled on two leaders, one whos been here before and the other for the first time but perhaps not the last. this is intended to inform employees, investors and the public about actions a particular CEO took or failed to take that resulted in damage to the companys reputation and/or financial status. Jenny Q and her pals were caught inflating profits by $300 million and fired. He also trashed the laid off employees again in a later online townhall the same day (24). The stock is also down 90% from its peak with declining sales and increasing losses.

2.

This also factored into his MRS asking for and getting a divorce (67). Jayson Going to the Penn? The business model is based on a woman buying a $2000-3000 stationary bike or treadmill and then pedaling or running to the point of exhaustion in online sessions with other women for $39/month egged on by a virtual trainer in what is now called connected fitness (28). Elizabeth Holmes (Former CEO of the Former Theranos): Unbelievable. 1. 1. 1. The walkout was due to low wages for new hires and an El Cheapo pension plan. 2. Whatever the market will bear sounds acceptable in the abstract, but if someone tried to charge you $20 a gallon for water after a hurricane, you would be justifiably pissed off.

That said the rule of caveat emptor still applies. William Rick Singer (Former CEO, Key Worldwide Foundation): Illegal Entry. Even the most zealous supporter of government oversight will agree that this sometimes goes too far.

Sumner nuclear plant reactor additions, costing ratepayers some $2.5 billion (56). Something to look forward to. Mark Emmert (President, NCAA): Still Trying to Hog the Chili. 2. As likely consequences of her complaints, the general counsels firm and others were fired, saving the organization $3 million a year although they now have to create their own internal counsel and the nomination process for awards is more transparent. This could perhaps be because so many high-profile CEOs checked out of C-suite the last two years, the system hasnt had time to reload, respond and belch out more tyrants, crooks and imbeciles. There are many thousands of talented and honest executives throughout the business world who do an exceptional job in delivering quality products and services and in creating a rich and rewarding work experience for their employees. Last years YF worst, Nikola (Mark Russell), made another appearance and the former CEO Trevor Milton was also indicted for fraud (33). One of the jobs of the Commissioner is to ensure that the integrity of the game is maintained.