It's a gig economy for CEOs these days, too
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It's not just college kids standing in line for a few extra bucks these days — there's a sudden surge in CEOs taking on entire companies for the short term, per a new survey out Monday.
Why it matters: Dipping in and out of the C-suite is quickly becoming the next workplace revolution after five years of constant changes on where we work, how we do our jobs and whether humans are even needed anymore.
Driving the news: Some 33% of new CEOs appointed in the first half of 2025 were only on an interim basis, per data published Monday by Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
- That's a dramatic increase from the 5% to 9% range of the last few years, according to the firm, which has tracked granular data on CEO exits for more than 20 years.
What they're saying: "[M]ore executives are embracing the increasingly attractive option of short-term CEO roles, essentially participating in a 'CEO gig economy,'" the firm's Andy Challenger said in a statement.
- "Many of these leaders, some of whom stepped away after guiding organizations through the pandemic, are now returning on their own terms."
Zoom in: The fractional executive trend is not a new one, though it's been seen more elsewhere in the C-suite, particularly among operations, finance and communications leads.
