It's not uncommon for the most successful companies to be led by the least popular bosses, but there are exceptions. According to a new survey of 13,171 verified U.S. professionals, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has the highest approval rating (96%), while Apple CEO Tim Cook also rounds out the top five. The list also includes the CEO with the lowest approval rating: Western Digital's David Goeckeler ranks last with 0% approval.
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Professional social network Blind conducted a survey based on employee feedback in August 2023 to determine the approval ratings of 103 CEOs. The survey asked employees: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way your CEO handles his job?"
Jen-Hsun Huang topped the list with an approval rating of 96%. Nvidia is one of the biggest winners in this year's artificial intelligence boom, accounting for about 95% of the artificial intelligence server market. The company's shares have tripled since the start of 2023, and it now has a market capitalization of $1.16 trillion.
“He saw the AI boom coming more than 10 years ago,” a verified NVIDIA professional on Blind said of Huang. "I trust him completely."
Last summer, when Nvidia failed to meet profit expectations and the economic situation worsened, Huang assured employees that the company would raise wages rather than lay off employees. Following Jen-Hsun Huang is Doug McMillon of Walmart (88%), and Nikesh Arora of Palo Alto Networks (84%) ranks third.
Apple's TimCook ranked fourth with 83% support. Since taking over from Steve Jobs in 2011, Cook has led Apple to become the world's largest company by market value, with a current market capitalization of $2.81 trillion. Cook has reportedly long been well-liked by employees, even though Apple is one of many companies asking employees to return to the office at least three days a week. The CEO's voluntary 40% pay cut this year may also increase his appeal.
The final boss in the top five is Ali Ghodsi (83%), CEO of data/artificial intelligence company Databricks.
AMD's Lisa Su also scored highly on the list, ranking eighth with a support rate of 79%.
Job security greatly affects employees' recognition of their bosses. Only one CEO in the top 10 has made layoffs in the past year or more. That's Autodesk, which cut 2% of its workforce globally in February while continuing to hire throughout the rest of the year.
Overall, CEO approval ratings are not high, with an average of only 32%. Bosses in e-commerce, financial services and technology industries are most popular.
At the bottom of the list are many companies that have slashed their jobs this year. Linda Yaccarino, Elon Musk's pick as CEO of X/Twitter, has an approval rating of just 4%, slightly ahead of Snap's Evan Spiegel (3%). John Riccitiello, who just announced his resignation as head of Unity due to the installment dispute, has a share of 2%.
Two CEOs scored an unwelcome 0%: Western Digital's David Goeckeler and Nordstrom's Erik Nordstrom. Western Digital laid off more than 200 employees in June, and Nordstrom is also laying off employees.