• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Exclusive

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

LeadershipCEO Daily

World’s Greatest Leaders, Amazon Prime, P&G and Merck: CEO Daily for April 19, 2018

By
David Meyer
David Meyer
and
Alan Murray
Alan Murray
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
David Meyer
David Meyer
and
Alan Murray
Alan Murray
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 19, 2018, 7:53 AM ET

Good morning.

Fortune’s World’s Greatest Leaders list is out this morning, and at the top of it are a bunch of kids—the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and elsewhere, who have challenged the powerful NRA with surprising effectiveness. That says something important about the nature of modern leadership. We live at a time when the captains of business and government are being taken on by surging currents of social media-fed sentiment. If you have any doubts about that, ask Harvey Weinstein —who once ruled Hollywood but was toppled last year by the #MeToo movement, which is No. 3 on the Fortune list.

Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms have captured this change in their just-published book, New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World–and How to Make it Work For You. They argue that “old power”–top down, jealously guarded, held by the few–is giving way to “new power”–bottom-up, participatory, peer-driven. The future belongs to “those best able to channel the participatory energy of those around them–for the good, for the bad, and for the trivial.” Expect to hear more of this in the future.

Some other interesting changes in the nature of leadership are reflected in the list. The top CEO in the group is Merck’s Ken Frazier, at No. 5, who was the first of President Trump’s business advisers to step down after the president blamed “both sides” for the violence in Charlottesville. Not long ago, no CEO would have dared to throw himself into the midst of such a controversy, with no direct relevance to his or her business. But these days, it is becoming almost commonplace–witness Delta’s Ed Bastian (No. 50 on the list), who eliminated a discount for NRA members in the wake of the Parkland shootings; or the small army of business leaders who opposed North Carolina’s restrictions on transgender access to public bathrooms.

Team Trump makes two appearances on this year’s list. One is Scott Gottlieb, who was appointed by the president to head the Food and Drug Administration. He’s earning broad kudos by pushing creative ways to slow skyrocketing medical prices and speeding the development of digital technologies. (Gottlieb is also a skilled user of social media.) The other is General Joseph Dunford, who has shown remarkable staying power as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Chief executives on the Leaders list, in addition to Frazier and Bastian, include: BlackRock’s Larry Fink (No. 8), GM’s Mary Barra (No. 11), Apple’s Tim Cook (No. 14), Tencent’s Pony Ma (No. 19), Salesforce’s Marc Benioff (No. 21), Reliance Industries’ Mukesh Ambani (No. 24), J.P. Morgan’s Jamie Dimon (No. 33), Grupo Bimbo’s Daniel Servitje Montull (No. 36), DSM’s Feike Sijbesma (No. 44), and Santander’s Ana Botin (No. 46).

You can view the entire list here.

More news below.

Alan Murray
@alansmurray
alan.murray@fortune.com

Top News

Amazon Primed

Amazon's Prime subscription service now has 100 million paying members, the company has revealed. This is, in fact, the first time Amazon has said how many Prime subscribers there are. CEO Jeff Bezos says a lot of the company's expansion is happening overseas—the growth is costing more than it brings in for now, analysts say, but Prime membership means loyalty and investors should be happy at the retention rates of over 90%. Bloomberg

Qualcomm and NXP

Qualcomm's takeover of rival chip firm NXP Semiconductors may have hit a snag in China. Antitrust regulators there said today that an initial review of the deal highlighted "issues that are hard to resolve, making it difficult to eliminate the negative impact." What does that mean? Who knows—the Commerce Ministry did not elaborate. But: a) This doesn't mean the regulator will definitely nix the takeover; and b) This does, of course, come in the context of a U.S.-China trade spat, and the U.S.'s decision earlier this week to ban China's ZTE from buying U.S. tech for seven years. Wall Street Journal

Comcast and 21st Century Fox

An SEC filing has revealed more about why 21st Century Fox spurned Comcast's takeover bid in December, opting to sell to Disney instead. It seems Comcast refused to agree to a breakup fee in the event that Justice Department regulators didn't agree to the deal going ahead. Disney offered a $2.5 billion fee, so the Murdoch clan went with Disney instead. Another factor was that Disney's stock was seen as more valuable. New York Times

P&G and Merck

Procter & Gamble is buying Merck's consumer health business, giving P&G new vitamin and food supplements to add to its over-the-counter business. The deal is worth $4.2 billion, and Merck's OTC sales bring in almost $1 billion a year. Meanwhile, P&G joint venture with Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries will be terminated in July. Fortune

Around the Water Cooler

Wynn Resorts

Wynn Resorts, stung by allegations of founder Steve Wynn's sexual misconduct, has added three women to its board. "The Wynn Resorts board now comprises 36% women, bringing Wynn into the top 40 S&P 500 companies in terms of female board representation," the company said. The new independent directors are Disney veteran Wendy Webb, corporate governance expert Betsy Atkins, and former White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers. BBC

Facebook's Facial Recognition

Facebook may think it's time to reintroduce facial recognition technology to the EU, but EU privacy regulators aren't so sure. The problem, which led to the tech being turned off there in 2012, was always that not everyone in Facebook photos consents to having their facial data processed. Despite Facebook's new drive to comply with EU privacy law, the Irish watchdog (which has jurisdiction over the company) is not convinced that it's fixed the problem. Fortune

Ramaphosa's Plan

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has outlined his plan for reviving his country's economy after the immensely damaging tenure of his predecessor, Jacob Zuma. "I'm approaching it with a private-sector lens," the president (who has a reported worth of $450 million thanks to his years in business) told the Financial Times. And what about Ramaphosa's backing of land expropriation without compensation? "We are not going to go for a smash-and-grab," he promised. Financial Times

Farmers for Trump

Farmer (and Agri-Business Committee chair) Casey Guernsey writes for Fortune that President Trump, whom he supports, really needs to play ball with international partners China, Canada and Mexico on trade: "We recognize and appreciate Trump’s commitment to protect American interests through trade and are fully aware that China is a bad actor on many fronts… Unfortunately, the unintended consequences of the president’s recent trade actions are already being felt among his most loyal supporters across the heartland." Fortune

This edition of CEO Daily was edited by David Meyer. Find previous editions here, and sign up for other Fortune newsletters here.

About the Authors
By David Meyer
LinkedIn icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Alan Murray
By Alan Murray
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

Employers are quietly pausing 401(k) matches again. The last time this happened was the 2008 recession and Covid
Personal Finance401(k)
Employers are quietly pausing 401(k) matches again. The last time this happened was the 2008 recession and Covid
By Courtney Vinopal and HR BrewMay 18, 2026
6 hours ago
Photo of Elon Musk
AIOpenAI
Jury rules against Elon Musk in $150 billion lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman
By Sharon GoldmanMay 18, 2026
8 hours ago
broker
Investingbubble
AI is eating the market and Wall Street strategists have bubble brain as they debate: are we in 1997 or 1999?
By Nick LichtenbergMay 18, 2026
9 hours ago
Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit logo
ConferencesWorkplace Innovation Summit
Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit 2026 livestream
By Fortune EditorsMay 18, 2026
10 hours ago
David Solomon
SuccessCareers
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon had 2 jobs as a teenager while also juggling 3 sports. Now, he’s telling Gen Z to stop wasting time
By Preston ForeMay 18, 2026
11 hours ago
griffin
AIBillionaires
Billionaire Ken Griffin used to dismiss AI as ‘garbage.’ Here’s why he changed his mind—and why he’s ‘depressed’
By Nick LichtenbergMay 18, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
6 days ago
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
3 days ago
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
Economy
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
By Jason MaMay 17, 2026
1 day ago
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
Innovation
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
2 days ago
While Trump insisted the Iran war would end ‘soon,’ an account in his name was buying millions in oil, defense and gold
Economy
While Trump insisted the Iran war would end ‘soon,’ an account in his name was buying millions in oil, defense and gold
By Eva RoytburgMay 18, 2026
8 hours ago
Mamdani's New York is coming to tax your private jet. Here's how to prepare
Personal Finance
Mamdani's New York is coming to tax your private jet. Here's how to prepare
By Greg RaiffMay 16, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.