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Can someone in the know shed some light on how a CEO of a corporation this big gets selected, from searching for and vetting candidates to the competition involved amongst nominees vying for the position? I imagine it's less about an admissions-type board reviewing applicants' credentials and accomplishments and more about years and years of strategic positioning, favors, and relationship building with people that matter. Or a bit of both.

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> Can someone in the know shed some light on how a CEO of a corporation this big gets selected ...

It's easy to summarize: the stockholders trust the corporation's board, and the board trusts its selected candidate. There are very few written requirements, most of the process is based on the judgment and experience of the board members -- which is why they're sitting on the board.

> ... years and years of strategic positioning, favors, and relationship building with people that matter.

That's accurate. But the bottom line is that if the candidate doesn't work out, the board's credibility evaporates -- that part of the process is also ruthless and unwritten.

It's actually much like the hunger games ... a bunch of candidates go into an arena, and the new CEO emerges from the carnage.

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