
25% of CEOs’ Time Is Spent on Tasks Machines Could Do - riqbal
https://hbr.org/2017/02/25-percent-of-ceos-time-is-spent-on-tasks-machines-could-do
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gkoberger
The title of the article refers to a single sentence:

"We estimate that about 25% of CEOs’ time is currently spent on activities
that machines could do, such as analyzing reports and data to inform
decisions."

It seems to me they're just describing inefficiencies that could be fixed, not
automation. Hard to tell, though, because the source they link to doesn't
mention this stat at all. Technology always makes things easier (it's a lot
quicker to write an email than a letter, or to use Excel over a calculator),
but I wouldn't necessarily consider that "tasks machines could do". Machines
can't just go analyze data on their own, but they can make it more efficient.

Automation in an assembly line might mean you can layoff 25% of your factory
workers, or that there will be 25% less need for people with that skillset in
the market. However you can't reduce your number of CEOs by 25% – there's one
CEO, and they have an infinite amount of work to do. Of all the things this
article mentions, quantifying the automation of a CEO (and using it as the
title) seems like the least relevant metric to care about.

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ccvannorman
Clickbait headline linked to opinion piece about general automation with no
content.

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xiphias
You can download the real 7MB pdf from the linked URL:
[http://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/digital-
disruption/har...](http://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/digital-
disruption/harnessing-automation-for-a-future-that-works)

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owebmaster
I bet 100% in most cases (like a lot of other jobs).

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bottled_poe
Unlikely. A CEO's job is literally about being the face of the company. How
exactly will a machine replace that? Perhaps in 100 years when we have human-
level androids walking around.

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groks
We've already got virtual pop stars. Why not a virtual CEO?

[https://arstechnica.com/the-multiverse/2016/04/waving-
glow-s...](https://arstechnica.com/the-multiverse/2016/04/waving-glow-sticks-
at-hologram-anime-pop-stars-our-night-with-hatsune-miku/)

RIM had a par of co-CEOs. Why not buy one CEO from IBM, and hire another to
play golf?

