CEOs

In general, the chief executive officer (CEO) is considered the highest-ranking officer in a company, while the president is second in charge. However, the roles may be different depending on the company. Often the CEO and president carry out different duties, and the roles are performed by two people. At smaller companies or those without subsidiaries, the CEO and president roles are often carried out by the same person.

Bill Gates invests his money in corporations: the majority of his financial assets are held by Cascade Investment LLC, an entity controlled by Gates to manage his investments. Bill Gates also puts his money to use buying real assets, including a sprawling estate and a private island. He also owns collectibles: In 1994, he purchased a celebrated Leonardo Da Vinci manuscript at auction for $30.8 million, as well as Andrew Wyeth's "Distant Thunder" for $7 million in 1996 and William Merritt Chase's "The Nursery" for $10 million in 1997.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has a managerial style could be broadly defined as democratic. Cook’s management style involves organizing teams with dedicated project managers. These leads spearhead the product vision from beginning to end, determining the financing, staff, and resources to see the project through. Under this management style, teams don't act in silos, but rather collaborate and communicate often.

When a chief executive officer (CEO) leaves a company, stock investors want to know why. When a new CEO comes in, they worry whether that's going to be good or bad for the bottom line. A CEO transition will usually make a stock's price more volatile in the short term. This is why many companies signal a transition well in advance, because an abrupt departure by a CEO is rarely good news.

Jack Welch was the CEO of General Electric (GE) from 1981-2001 and earned the moniker “Neutron Jack” from his management style. When he came into the position, he had GE cut all businesses in which the company could not dominate the market in first or second positions. Next, he had managers fire the bottom 10% of GE employees, and he fired the bottom 10% of management. The new commitment to competition came with large rewards, especially as stock option grants increased in value and GE continued to grow rapidly. GE soon became one of the most coveted places to work and attracted the best in the world.