Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has a question he likes to ask founders about their companies: “Why do you deserve to exist?” It’s a provocation that has nothing to do with market share, financing options, or investor interest, but rather, necessity. “The best generic answer I’ve ever received is, ‘If I don’t do it, no one else is going to do it,'” he recently told tech news podcast TBPN.
It’s a compelling question that more CEOs—or those aspiring to become—should even be asking themselves. Leaders are often evaluated on their ability to scale the organization, manage complexity, inspire employees and appease investors. These are key capabilities. But they don’t touch on the deeper question: If you don’t lead, do you lose anything meaningful?
As Make-A-Wish CEO Leslie Motter recently told me, becoming a CEO is not a right or an inevitable next rung on the corporate ladder, but a responsibility. And it increasingly requires moral clarity, tenacity, and a sense of obligation beyond ambition.
Chesky’s question redefines the CEO role as founders typically understand it: not what you want to achieve, but what you feel compelled to take on.
it reminds of a conversation i earlier this year Talking to Nike’s Elliott Hill, he told me that he took on the CEO role because he sincerely believed he could return the company to high growth. Likewise, Red Lobster CEO Damola Adamolekun recently told me he accepted the position believing he could help inspire The greatest restaurants turn a profit in recent memory. In both cases, the reason isn’t the title. This is a problem they feel it is their personal responsibility to address.
The best CEOs often say that what drives them is not the entitlement to the top job, but the knowledge that they have a job to do. They no longer think they deserve the seat, but recognize that the seat deserves something only they can give. Without this belief, the role of the CEO risks becoming empty talk.
This mentality is particularly important today. As CEO turnover accelerates and trust in institutions becomes fragile, CEOs are more than just strategists or operators. They are the vehicle for the organization’s raison d’être.
Editor’s Note: The deadline to apply for Wealth’s Next Leaders List is Monday, December 1, 2025. For more information or to submit a nomination, Apply here.
Ruth Ulmer
ruth.umoh@fortune.com
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