The Co-CEO Conundrum

If two parents can run a family, why shouldn’t two executives run a company? We dig into the research and hear firsthand stories of both triumph and disaster. Also: lessons from computer programmers, Simon and Garfunkel, and bears versus alligators.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How Allbirds Lost Its Way," by Suzanne Kapner (The Wall Street Journal, 2023).
  • "Is It Time to Consider Co-C.E.O.s?" by Marc A. Feigen, Michael Jenkins, and Anton Warendh (Harvard Business Review, 2022).
  • "The Costs and Benefits of Pair Programming," by Alistair Cockburn and Laurie Williams (2000).
  • "Strengthening the Case for Pair Programming," by Laurie Williams, Robert R. Kessler, Ward Cunningham, and Ron Jeffries (IEEE Software, 2000).

• EXTRAS:
  • "The Facts Are In: Two Parents Are Better Than One," by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "The Secret Life of a C.E.O.," series by Freakonomics Radio (2018-2023).

• SOURCES:
  • Jim Balsillie, retired chairman and co-C.E.O. of Research In Motion.
  • Mike Cannon-Brookes, co-founder and co-C.E.O. of Atlassian.
  • Scott Farquhar, co-founder and co-C.E.O. of Atlassian.
  • Marc Feigen, C.E.O. advisor.
  • Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, professor of management studies and senior associate dean at the Yale School of Management and founding president of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute.
  • Laurie Williams, professor of computer science at North Carolina State University...