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When PayPal recently posted a job opening for head of CEO content, it signaled more than a new hire. It marked a shift in how companies are thinking about leadership visibility. The role, which blends strategic communications, personal brand development, and thought leadership, reflects a growing recognition that the CEOs voice is not just a corporate asset, it is a leadership imperative. This isnt a new idea. Executive communications has long been a behind-the-scenes function, often housed within corporate affairs or PR. But what is changing is the velocity and visibility of CEO-led storytelling. In an era where attention is fragmented and trust is hard-won, the CEO brand is emerging as a distinct and powerful lever. It is no longer enough to speak on behalf of the company. Todays leaders are expected to speak as themselves. The challenge is that many CEOs are surrounded by noise. Between investor relations, media cycles, internal messaging, and social platforms, the risk of dilution is real. When a CEOs voice is filtered through too many layers or outsourced without strategic alignment, it can lose its edge. Worse, it can become indistinguishable from the corporate brand itself. 3 PRINCIPLES FOR A LEADERS BRAND That is why the rise of external head of CEO content roles is both promising and precarious. On one hand, it reflects a desire for precision, clarity, and influence. On the other, it raises questions about authenticity and ownership. A CEOs brand should complement the company, not compete with it. It should be shaped with intention, not just polished for optics. So how can CEOs navigate this shift and build a leadership brand that is both authentic and effective? Here are three key principles: 1. Separate the voice from the company but stay aligned A CEOs brand is not a mirror of the corporate brand. It is a lens. While the company may speak in terms of products, markets, and performance, the CEO speaks in terms of vision, values, and leadership. That distinction matters. The most effective CEOs articulate their own point of view on issues that transcend the business, whether it is innovation, inclusion, sustainability, or the future of work. They do so in a way that reinforces the companys mission without being confined by it. 2. Build a content engine, not just a communications plan Thought leadership is not a quarterly op-ed or a reactive LinkedIn post. It is a system. CEOs who lead with influence invest in a content engine that supports their voice across channels and formats. That includes speeches, investor letters, internal town halls, media interviews, and digital presence. The goal is consistency without repetition, and resonance without noise. Every message should reflect the CEOs strategic clarity and leadership philosophy. 3. Choose partners who elevate thinking, not just polish words Behind every compelling CEO brand is a trusted thought partner, someone who understands the business, challenges assumptions, and helps shape the narrative. This is not a ghostwriter or a PR handler. It is a strategic confidant who brings intellectual rigor and editorial precision. The best partnerships are built on trust, discretion, and shared ambition. They help CEOs make confident decisions and communicate with impact in moments that matter. As the CEO brand becomes more visible, the stakes get higher. Leaders are no longer judged solely by company performance. They are judged by how they show up, what they stand for, and how they lead in public. The rise of roles like head of CEO content reflects that shift. But the real work happens behind the scenes, in the conversations, decisions, and stories that shape a leaders legacy. In the end, the CEO brand is not about visibility. It is about voice. And in a world of noise, clarity is power. Beth Jannery is founder and president of Titan Strategic Communications.
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Nvidia is set to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI and supply it with data center chips, in a deal that gives the chipmaker a financial stake in the world’s most prominent AI company, which is already an important customer. Investments in systems powering AI have surged since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, on expectations that companies across sectors will integrate the technology into their products and services. Here is a list of multi-billion dollar AI, cloud and chip deals signed recently: Nvidia and Intel Nvidia will invest $5 billion in Intel, giving it roughly 4% of the company after new shares are issued. Oracle and Meta Oracle is in talks with Meta for a multi-year cloud computing deal worth about $20 billion, underscoring the social media giant’s drive to secure faster access to computing power. Oracle and OpenAI Oracle is reported to have signed one of the biggest cloud deals ever with OpenAI, under which the ChatGPT maker is expected to buy $300 billion in computing power from the company for about five years. CoreWeave and Nvidia CoreWeave signed a $6.3 billion initial order with backer Nvidia, a deal that guarantees that the AI chipmaker will purchase any cloud capacity not sold to customers. Nebius Group and Microsoft Nebius Group will provide Microsoft with GPU infrastructure capacity in a deal worth $17.4 billion over a five-year term. Meta and Google Google struck a six-year cloud computing deal with Meta Platforms worth more than $10 billion, Reuters had reported in August. Intel and SoftBank Group Intel is getting a $2 billion capital injection from SoftBank Group, making the Japanese tech investor one of the top-10 shareholders of the troubled U.S. chipmaker. Tesla and Samsung Tesla signed a $16.5 billion deal to source chips from Samsung Electronics, with the EV maker’s CEO Elon Musk, saying that the South Korean tech giant’s new chip factory in Texas would make Tesla’s next-generation AI6 chip. Meta And Scale AI Meta took a 49% stake for about $14.3 billion in Scale AI and brought in its 28-year-old CEO, Alexandr Wang, to play a prominent role in the tech giant’s artificial intelligence strategy. Google and Windsurf Google hired several key staff members from AI code generation startup Windsurf and will pay $2.4 billion in license fees as part of the deal to use some of Windsurf’s technology under non-exclusive terms. CoreWeave and OpenAI CoreWeave signed a five-year contract worth $11.9 billion with OpenAI in March, before the Nvidia-backed startup’s IPO. Stargate datacenter project Stargate is a joint venture between SoftBank, OpenAI and Oracle to build data centers. The project was announced in January by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said that the companies would invest up to $500 billion to fund infrastructure for artificial intelligence. Amazon and Anthropic Amazon.com pumped $4 billion into OpenAI competitor Anthropic, doubling its investment in the firm known for its GenAI chatbot Claude. Juby Babu, Reuters
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E-Commerce
I’ve been out of school for decades, but I still take tests. Sometimes I take actual tests, like when I took the three-hour Class A Contractor’s License test last year. More often they’re “tests”: talking to event organizers considering me for a keynote, a potential ghostwriting clients, or making important decisions, etc. (And even to self-testing, since research shows testing yourself when you’re trying to learn is a great way to improve retention and recall.) So yeah: like you, I take plenty of “tests.” But I rarely think about when I should take them, which, according to a study just published in Frontiers in Psychology, is a mistake. The researchers analyzed the results of over 100,000 oral exams conducted at an Italian university and found a clear bell curve in pass rates that peaked at noon, regardless of the test taker’s chronotype. (More on that in a moment.) Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. is the sweet spot; any earlier or later and the chances of passing significantly decreased. In fact, the earlier or later in the day students took a test, the less likely they were to pass. Why? Partly that’s because your cognitive performance improves over the course of the morning, and then declines in the afternoon. Falling energy levels are also to blame. And if you have a “test” scheduled for late afternoon, you probably stress about it during the day, and stress inevitably leads to poorer performance. And then there’s the person who evaluates you. As the researchers write: The progressive decline in passing rates observed in the afternoon may be due to ego depletion, as students’ and assessors’ cognitive resources become fatigued by the examination stress, which is known to impair self-control, ultimately leading to reduced passing rates. Specifically, the growing rigidity or reduced flexibility associated with cognitive resource depletion may result in a higher rejection bias in assessors, consistent with findings suggesting judges in a state of ego depletion were more likely to make decisions that were less favorable to defendants. The peak in passing rates around midday may reflect the optimal balance between chronotype alignment and mental depletion, according to the explanations provided above. The last sentenceespecially the “chronotype alignment” partadds an interesting twist, because the cognitive performance and fatigue level of the person who “grades” your test also matters. A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science found that prisoners who appeared before a parole board first thing in the morning had their parole granted about 70% of the time . . . but as the day went on, and even though it did spike back up for the first case or two after lunch, the rate of favorable rulings fell to almost zero. That’s another reason the mid-day hours are best for taking “tests.” You’ll be at your peak level of performanceand so will the person who evaluates you. All of which means deciding, whenever possible, when you’ll take a testwhether an actual test, or an important meeting, or an interview with a job candidate, a sales or investor pitch, etc.could be the difference between passing and failing. By Jeff Haden This article originally appeared on Fast Company‘s sister publication, Inc. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
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E-Commerce
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