# Eh...so nobody wants Travis' old job?



## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

That's right...they've even got a headhunter going after some big names...

http://sfist.com/2017/07/14/nobody_wants_to_be_ubers_next_ceo_1.php

*Nobody Wants To Be Uber's Next CEO*
BY EVE BATEY IN NEWS ON JUL 14, 2017 11:30 AM









_Photo: Getty Images_

"You couldn't pay me enough money to take that job" is a response most likely heard when it comes to dangerous (skyscraper window washer), depressing (animal cop), or gross (BART janitor who _doesn't_ hang out in a closet all day). It also apparently applies to the role of CEO at one of the current boom's most infamous companies, if one insider's report is any indication.

Of course the company we're talking about is Uber, the recent travails of which I don't need to detail because we're all intelligent, well-informed people here. And to that point, we all know that since June the company has been without a CEO, when founder and coiner of the nickname "Boober" Travis Kalanick resigned under pressure from multiple investors.

Earlier this month, the Chron profiled John Thompson, the well-known Silicon Valley headhunter tasked with finding Kalanick's replacement. Describing the gig as "the most interesting headhunting assignment in tech," reporter Thomas Lee wrote that Thompson, who is the vice chairman of recruitment firm Heidrick & Struggles' "global CEO & Board of Directors Practice" (that's a mouthful of a title, eh?), faces his "toughest job yet" as he seeks Uber's next head.

Read SFist's most recent Uber coverage here.

Based on a Thursday report from Recode's Kara Swisher, it appears Thompson's slog continues, as many of the high-profile Silicon Valley stars assumed to be on Thompson's shortlist are not interested in the job. Here's who she says won't be taking on the ride-hail company's top slot:

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg: She's "quite happy with her current position and has much better options anyway across the corporate and political spectrum. She's also already very rich and has, said these sources, no interest in wading into the mess that is Uber."

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki: She's "Also happy and loving the media job she has at the online video behemoth, said sources inside and outside Uber. Also very rich. Also, said sources, Wojcicki is not keen on playing cleanup for a lot of naughty tech boys, even if she is great at that and a lot of other things."

Former Disney COO Tom Staggs: "Does not want to move, nor wade into the muck."

Former Ford CEO Alan Mulally: "Told me flatly on the record that he has no interest and is very happy with his board seats at places like Google and the Mayo Clinic."

Uber board member (among other things) Arianna Huffington: Spokesperson says "Arianna has zero interest in the CEO role and in fact as the chair of the board search committee is fully engaged in finding the best CEO for Uber."

Former Twitter COO Adam Bain: "He's unlikely to bite on that job even if it were offered. Plus, the well-liked Bain also has many other options (he has talked about a high-ranking job at Airbnb and has had a lot of investment firm interest too)."

Former Google exec Nikesh Arora: "has not held talks with Uber on this and will not be asked to."

Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer: (Whose recent defense of Kalanick definitely fanned the Uber recruitment rumor flames) "This one is just utterly and profoundly untrue...Mayer has zero background in the complex real-world logistics that running Uber would require and also has a leadership record at Yahoo that is questionable at best."

One of the biggest impediments to finding a new Uber CEO is apparently Kalanick, himself. As Lee noted earlier this month, "The next Uber CEO will need to be mindful of the company's co-founders, including Kalanick." Swisher put it more brutally Thursday, writing

There are the very pertinent worries about the continued influence of Kalanick, who still is on its board and is a significant shareholder. Many sources say he did not play nice in the COO search and was even obstructive.
"The Travis factor hangs over everything," said one source, which make the pugnacious CEO seem like a troublesome black cloud or capricious guillotine. Completely accurate, and he might want the job back - I am not kidding here - when he redeems himself too.

But don't expect this tale to end soon. For, though Swisher writes that "the lack of key management at Uber is astonishing given all the incoming it faces on a daily basis against ever-powerful rivals and with all its current travails," Thompson "suggested that he will take his time," Lee writes. And the winning candidate (using "winning" loosely) might have a specific quality lacked by the folks listed above: Advanced age. According to Lee, Thompson "believes that technology firms tend to overlook older, retired executives," quoting him as saying that "Age is the biggest bias in Silicon Valley, even more so than women and minorities." If you say so, pal!


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

ABC123DEF said:


> That's right...they've even got a headhunter going after some big names...
> 
> http://sfist.com/2017/07/14/nobody_wants_to_be_ubers_next_ceo_1.php
> 
> ...


Uber drivers do the SAME JOB as BART janitors in THEIR OWN PERSONAL VEHICLES FOR 59 CENTS A DAMN MILE !
Dont tell me !

I love heights and can operate a spider or hanging scaffold off the side of a rig.
I built Beau Rivage casino/ hotel in Biloxi.
( we had a window washing style hanging scaffold break on one side on that job, hanging by one side. Didnt lose anyone)
I would Love a sky scraper window washing job ! It pays well. Great view.
I work high iron building plants, oil field construction, ship yards. I can still climb iron like a monkey.
Travis had a unique skill set.
They are only coming to appreciate that now.
Used to love walking boom of large cranes to grease shieves.( anyone here ever build a 250 foot crane boom as it came off 18 wheelers piece by piece ?)
Or climbing derrick in a rig on Top of a production platform with counterweight harness. Makes you nearly weightless going up or down. Climb high enough you can see the curve of the earth.
Look down on flying seagulls.
Some people climb mountains.


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

Travis had NO people skills, no foresight, nor any business sense. He was good at concepts and the actual tech side of things, however. 

I read some of the benefits of working at corporate Uber was "liberal vacation policy...take time off when you need it". However, they frowned upon people taking off and wanted you to work and kill yourself all the time - especially on the engineering side of things. People don't want to be owned by or get burned out by a job. 

I don't think anyone wants to come in and try to clean up this mess - nor do I blame them.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

ABC123DEF said:


> Travis had NO people skills, no foresight, nor any business sense. He was good at concepts and the actual tech side of things, however.
> 
> I read some of the benefits of working at corporate Uber was "liberal vacation policy...take time off when you need it". However, they frowned upon people taking off and wanted you to work and kill yourself all the time - especially on the engineering side of things. People don't want to be owned by or get burned out by a job.
> 
> I don't think anyone wants to come in and try to clean up this mess - nor do I blame them.


Travis wasnt afraid to ride the Bull.
( Travis wasnt afraid to ride the Dragon)
All the potential C.E.O.' s afraid of getting stomped ?
So afraid they wont try ?
Somebody is going to come in and calm this beast.
Someone not Afraid !

The thing about being a Decision maker
You have a 50/50 shot of being right even if you have no clue !

Then you learn as you go.

Damn C.E.O.'s are snowflakes.
Spoiled.
Cant perform with a net in a place no one has ever been !


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

We need a Captain who LOVES THE STORM !


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## PrestonT (Feb 15, 2017)

tohunt4me said:


> We need a Captain who LOVES THE STORM !


So are you saying Travis should return? He loved the storms so much he created half of them.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

PrestonT said:


> So are you saying Travis should return? He loved the storms so much he created half of them.


Travis was definantly right for the job in the beginning.
If the investors hadnt thought so . . .how did Uber get their money ?
Now they want transition.
Protestors because Travis was asked to be on a consulting committee by the President.
People destroy things they can not replace.
This is why China will rule the world.
Snowflakes will have to learn to plant rice knee deep in water . . .
No " Free College"
Life aint Disneyland.
Plant rice or Become Fertilizer !



PrestonT said:


> So are you saying Travis should return? He loved the storms so much he created half of them.


Some of the storms served a purpose.

Personally, i believe Travis stalled on I.P.O.
DIDNT WANT his baby to go off into the world. Part of his real downfall.

He should have delegated authority in matters not of his expertise a few years ago.


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

It's been said that people who the most effective in leadership positions should know their limitations. They should always surround themselves with people that know just as much as they do....if not more than them...especially in areas outside of their expertise.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

An Admiral can not micromanage every ship in the fleet.


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## Andre Benjamin 6000 (Nov 11, 2016)

tohunt4me said:


> Uber drivers do the SAME JOB as BART janitors in THEIR OWN PERSONAL VEHICLES FOR 59 CENTS A DAMN MILE !
> Dont tell me !
> 
> I love heights and can operate a spider or hanging scaffold off the side of a rig.
> ...


I won some good money @ Beau Rivage a few years ago. Beautiful casino btw....Came back & lost my @ss though. I stopped gambling after that.


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

ABC123DEF said:


> That's right...they've even got a headhunter going after some big names...
> 
> http://sfist.com/2017/07/14/nobody_wants_to_be_ubers_next_ceo_1.php
> 
> ...


I'll take it, where do I send ion my resume?

( no kidding, I'll do it if they can't find anyone, and you guys would be glad I did) )


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## tomatopaste (Apr 11, 2017)

ABC123DEF said:


> That's right...they've even got a headhunter going after some big names...
> 
> http://sfist.com/2017/07/14/nobody_wants_to_be_ubers_next_ceo_1.php
> 
> ...


I don't think Uber is fixable. They are billions in the hole and investors want their money back. That's not possible with their current business model


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## Drivincrazy (Feb 14, 2016)

The solution...RAISE RATES! And go back to single fare model. Uber didn't value drivers and now, will pay the price.


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## tomatopaste (Apr 11, 2017)

Drivincrazy said:


> The solution...RAISE RATES! And go back to single fare model. Uber didn't value drivers and now, will pay the price.


Yes this is what they need to do, but that won't help investors get their money back. I think it's more likely that new competitors come in and eat Uber's lunch than Uber ever making a profit.


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

Oscar Levant said:


> I'll take it, where do I send ion my resume?
> 
> ( no kidding, I'll do it if they can't find anyone, and you guys would be glad I did) )


Nah..you wouldn't work. You'd be too focused on making drivers happy.


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## ChortlingCrison (Mar 30, 2016)

I think "The Optimus Uber" should be the new CEO!


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## BurgerTiime (Jun 22, 2015)

Nope


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

ChortlingCrison said:


> I think "The Optimus Uber" should be the new CEO!


I second that motion as an Uber Partner


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## UberLaLa (Sep 6, 2015)

Tap Optimus Uber for the gig.


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

Hmm....the NYT put this article out on 7/13....

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/13/...cket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethits

SAN FRANCISCO - Wanted: a seasoned executive to take the top position at a troubled technology start-up. Must be willing to fix a broken culture, deal with an aggressive predecessor, battle a risky lawsuit and prepare the company for an initial public offering. Self-starters preferred.

This is essentially the pitch that Uber is making to potential chief executive candidates after Travis Kalanick, the ride-hailing company's co-founder, was ousted from the top spot last month. By some accounts, the job appears to be a thankless one at a company whose reputation is in the toilet. So who would want it?

Quite a few people, as it turns out.

Despite a series of scandals that have rocked Uber to its core this year, competition for the chief executive position is robust, according to people familiar with the search who asked to remain anonymous because the process is confidential. The company has received a flood of interest since Mr. Kalanick vacated his seat in June, and Uber's board has interviewed multiple candidates.

For those applicants, the calculus is easy. Despite Uber's problems, executives see an opportunity to shepherd the company - which operates in more than 80 countries and pulls in billions of dollars each quarter - through the most trying time in its eight-year history.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who's wired for problem solving and wants to make their mark by turning around the image of the company," said Jason Hanold, managing partner at Hanold Associates, a boutique executive search firm. "Yes, they're inheriting Uber's entire toxic culture. But they're also getting thousands of employees who are hungry to change it."
Continue reading the main story

The chance of having an impact is high. Apart from the opportunity to steer a turnaround, any chief executive would be walking into a company that has already reached enormous scale. As a result, changes made by a new chief would affect millions of people globally, not to mention Uber's work force of more than 15,000 employees and hundreds of thousands of contract drivers.

The eventual chief executive would also have the opportunity to take Uber public. The company, which began in 2009, is now the highest-valued private company in the world, with a valuation of around $70 billion. And while Uber is unprofitable, its revenue has been growing. That would make an initial public offering a huge event on Wall Street, as well as for Silicon Valley investors who have billions of dollars wagered on Uber's success.

For now, Uber's executive search committee, which includes five members of its board, has kept the lid tight on the list of candidates. After a torrent of leaks before Mr. Kalanick's departure, two of the people familiar with the search said there has been a renewed effort to keep quiet.

Among those up for consideration have been Susan Wojcicki, who leads YouTube. Others include Adam Bain, Twitter's former chief operating officer; David Cush, a former chief executive at Virgin America; the former Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer; and Thomas Staggs, a former chief operating officer at Disney, according to three other people familiar with the search. It was unclear what level of interest, if any, these executives had expressed in the Uber job.

Others, like the former Google sales executive Nikesh Arora, have been quietly advancing themselves for the position, according to two of the people.

Mr. Bain, Mr. Cush, Ms. Mayer, Mr. Staggs and Mr. Arora did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A YouTube spokesman declined to comment about Ms. Wojcicki.

Some candidates have expressed concern over how Uber's board operates, especially because Mr. Kalanick retains a seat. Mr. Kalanick, who remains a significant Uber shareholder, has been active in the search for his replacement, according to two of the people familiar with the candidates, although the candidates have been assured that they would have autonomy as chief executive.

Uber has other considerations in choosing a new leader. The company has faced intense criticism for its lack of diversity and has only recently begun to address the matter. Last year, Arianna Huffington, the media entrepreneur who runs the health and wellness business Thrive Global, joined Uber's board, and in the past few months the company has recruited female and minority executives.

For the eventual winning candidate, there will be plenty of difficulties. Negative perception of Uber tripled, to 27 percent of respondents, in a survey conducted in May by cg42, a management consulting firm. The company has had a more difficult time hiring technical talent in light of its negative image.

Uber also faces a lawsuit filed by Waymo, the self-driving car company spun out of Google, over claims of stolen trade secrets. And Uber is in the midst of reforming its fractured culture after a former employee spoke publicly about sexual harassment at the company.

While the job will make Uber's next chief executive wealthy, it will not necessarily make him or her filthy rich: With the company's valuation already so high, any stock doled out to a new chief would most likely have to experience an enormous rise in value after a public offering for the returns to be considerable.

Yet the positives of the job still outweigh the negatives for hopeful applicants.

"Even with all the problems that companies like Uber have, there will always be top candidates who want to go there," Mr. Hanold said. "These people are problem solvers: The hairier a scenario is, the more they're attracted to trying to fix it."


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## PrestonT (Feb 15, 2017)

I'll take it. I'll screw drivers out of every penny I can extract. Then retire after 3 years.


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## WeirdBob (Jan 2, 2016)

I nominate RamzFanz for the position of UberCEO

He will have the RoboCars rolling worldwide in two, maybe three weeks tops!


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

Wait, WTF? I go to Philippines for a month and Kalanik resigns?
Can anyone link a news Thread on this for me arto71 ....


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## arto71 (Sep 20, 2014)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> Wait, WTF? I go to Philippines for a month and Kalanik resigns?
> Can anyone link a news Thread on this for me arto71 ....


like you Couldn't take your vacation few years ago.
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/06/21/technology/uber-ceo-travis-kalanick.html


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## uberdriverfornow (Jan 10, 2016)

You can't take a company public that's still losing $3 billion every year.


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

I'll do it.

Just: money on the table, cold hard cash, no stinkin "stock options"


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> Wait, WTF? I go to Philippines for a month and Kalanik resigns?
> Can anyone link a news Thread on this for me arto71 ....


And there's the whole "180 Days of (Small to pretend like we care) Change" thing going on, too.


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## ChortlingCrison (Mar 30, 2016)

Maybe "Abieu" will take the helm!!


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## DRider85 (Nov 19, 2016)

My friend says Travis can still do whatever he wants, but they want to calm people down. He says that when people finally calm down, Travis will come back as CEO.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

DRider85 said:


> My friend says Travis can still do whatever he wants, but they want to calm people down. He says that when people finally calm down, Travis will come back as CEO.


Your friend just made me LOL.


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## Abraxas79 (Feb 7, 2016)

ABC123DEF said:


> That's right...they've even got a headhunter going after some big names...
> 
> http://sfist.com/2017/07/14/nobody_wants_to_be_ubers_next_ceo_1.php
> 
> ...


It would be like responding to a want ad for a book Keeper for Bernie Maddoff.


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## rembrandt (Jul 3, 2016)

A CEO should come from the investors in all cases so that the person in question defends the company against calamities even out of self interests. People love to play with other people's money instead of their own.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

I'll take the job. I ran a micro cab company for a decade, I'm qualified.


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## d0n (Oct 16, 2016)

Travis can still call the shots for expansion, it's management where he sucks.


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## Mars Troll Number 4 (Oct 30, 2015)

I don't think anyone wants to jump in on that massive pile of lawsuits and find themselves responsible for something horrendous that someone hid from them.

Uber is effectively the Enron of transporation, and TK is the Charles Ponzi of the tech world, eventually the scam he pulled is going to get named after him.

I's no surprise no one wants the helm of the Titanic.


And for one more Cliche, 


I'll burn that bridge when i get to it...


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## majxl (Jan 6, 2017)

Uber is probably flooded with candidates for the CEO job. And I am sure that many of those contenders are qualified for the job.
But Uber needs are very simple: Cash and fast!
Uber (and other similar business) is an inefficient transportation app incapable of producing enough money to cover their operating cost and have lost billions of dollars. Uber needs a successful I.P.O., and the next CEO will be the one who can deliver that


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

majxl said:


> Uber is probably flooded with candidates for the CEO job. And I am sure that many of those contenders are qualified for the job.
> But Uber needs are very simple: Cash and fast!
> Uber (and other similar business) is an inefficient transportation app incapable of of producing enough money to cover their operating cost and have lost billions of dollars. Uber needs a successful I.P.O., and the next CEO will be the one who could produce it.


Exactly. No profit, tons of loss, and no viable IPO.
Who in their right mind would sign up to run that train wreck?


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## rembrandt (Jul 3, 2016)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> Exactly. No profit, tons of loss, and no viable IPO.
> Who in their right mind would sign up to run that train wreck?


Someone who already has similar experience in running a train wreck. CEO are greedy and born psychopath after all.


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## unPat (Jul 20, 2016)

They should bring back Jeff Jones. He at least tried for the drivers.


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

Oopsber probably tore its collective arse with Jeff Jones. He tried but nobody seemed to want to listen to anything he proposed...especially Mr. Blockhead Know-it-all.


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## FixUber4444 (Jul 13, 2017)

ABC123DEF said:


> Travis had NO people skills, no foresight, nor any business sense. He was good at concepts and the actual tech side of things, however.
> 
> I read some of the benefits of working at corporate Uber was "liberal vacation policy...take time off when you need it". However, they frowned upon people taking off and wanted you to work and kill yourself all the time - especially on the engineering side of things. People don't want to be owned by or get burned out by a job.
> 
> I don't think anyone wants to come in and try to clean up this mess - nor do I blame them.


I once read that he stole someone else idea. This might not his concept.

An imature person, as we can see from the CEO-DRIVER argument, may not have that kind of ability. Furthermore, we can see the business model definetely faild. Uber did not defeat Lyft, instead Lyft keeps getting stronger, which is a way that proves his argument is wrongful with the driver in the video. "We got competition. If I didn't do that, we will be out of business". So, he cut the price, did Lyft goes out of business? Thus I suspect the idea was stolen and he lacks the ability to operate. Maybe I am wrong. Its only my opinion. However, I think the Uber concept is great and meaniful to socity if utilized correctly. God bless America and Uber!


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## Trebor (Apr 22, 2015)

How about a prince from Saudi Arabia?


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## Mars Troll Number 4 (Oct 30, 2015)

Trebor said:


> How about a prince from Saudi Arabia?


The funny thing about Royalty is they receive their position by means of inheritance, so they may or may not be qualified to manage an Orange Julius stand at the local mall, or they may advanced business degrees and experience as CEOs of fortune 500 companies, And they may have gotten an MBA by donating a bunch of money.


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