Definition
The chief executive officer (CEO) is a company’s top-ranking operating manager, responsible for setting and executing strategy, appointed by and answerable to the board of directors. Other C-suite officers (CTO, CFO and so on) typically report to the CEO.
Meaning and usage
The day-to-day job changes with company size: at a startup the CEO often personally handles product, hiring and fundraising, while at a mature company the role focuses on strategy, resource allocation and representing the company externally. A founder is not automatically the CEO — the title depends on the board’s appointment.
Usage
The CEO is among the most frequent titles in corporate announcements, earnings calls and industry interviews. Media coverage of a company’s decisions usually treats the CEO’s statements as the company’s position.
Related and confusable terms
A CTO owns the technical direction while the CEO owns the whole company; they overlap on technology investment, but the CTO usually reports to the CEO. HR is the function that supports people and organization — the CEO is one of its stakeholders and final decision-makers, not the same thing.