Woman Says Her Once ‘Decent’ Ex-Husband Drastically Changed After Becoming A CEO
Do people become sociopathic when they become CEOs?
insta_photos | Shutterstock Research suggests that as much as 20% of business leaders have psychopathic tendencies. But, do they excel in the corporate world because of their psychopathic qualities, or do they become psychopathic because of their role?
One woman on TikTok believes the latter. She was married to a man before he became the CEO of a company and noticed major differences in his behavior after he was promoted.
The woman said her once 'decent' ex-husband drastically changed after becoming a CEO.
Content creator @angerandautism insisted in a recent video that "you have to be sociopathic to make it to executive level."
"I do not think that you can be a healthy, kind, genuinely good person and work at that level in the corporate environment," he said.
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"These people will cut 2,000 jobs so that they can continue to secure a good bonus without blinking an eye," he continued. "You just can't be a decent human being and do that."
We've heard so many stories that corroborate his take, from a boss who canceled his staff's health insurance to buy a Lamborghini to CEOs who conduct layoffs before the holiday season to up their stocks.
The creator further insisted that upper-level employees don't care about those below them because they already "made it." They don't care about their employees' well-being or mental health. They don't care if their workers can afford to live, so long as they don't lose their salary and benefits.
It's hard to argue with his assessment, given the average CEO is paid 290 times as much as a typical worker, per the Economic Policy Institute's 2023 report.
In a comment, a woman with firsthand experience agreed.
"My ex-husband was a decent human until he became President/CEO of a company," she wrote in a comment on @angerandautism's video. "Once he was never told no in work life, he changed drastically."
The content creator responded to the woman in another video. "I love this comment," he admitted. "We don't know who we are until we are presented with the chance to be that person."
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He then shared an experience of his own that exemplified his point. He explained that he once dated an actress who ran in "some really fun circles." As someone interested in the psychology of people, he constantly picked her brain about the celebrities she spent time with.
They discussed the trope of the "nerdy guy who never could get the girl" who, once he becomes famous, turns into a misogynistic abuser. In other words, "a genuine nasty nasty creep of a dude." He noted that a similar thing occurs when someone becomes a CEO and it all has to do with power and opportunity.
"None of us know who we are until we're tested," he insisted. "None of us think that we're gonna be that villain. But the truth is until we get the opportunity, until we have access to the means to test ourselves," we just can't know for sure.
Some evidence suggests that psychopathic and narcissistic tendencies aid in career success.
While you can certainly argue that career success breeds psychopathic tendencies, those who already possess such qualities are often hired and promoted more quickly. From the start, they are willing to put themselves first, even at the expense of others, and that serves them well in the corporate world.
According to Very Well Mind, some of these psychopathic inclinations include antisocial behavior, superficial charm, callous behavior, lack of empathy, and lack of guilt. Those qualities would certainly fit a CEO who feels no remorse in firing thousands of hardworking employees to secure a bigger bonus.
Ultimately, it's hard to determine if psychopathic tendencies or career success comes first. Perhaps it depends on the person. Either way, there certainly seems to be a correlation between the two.
Sylvia Ojeda is an author who has over a decade of experience writing novels and screenplays. She covers self-help, relationships, culture, and human interest topics.