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>What do you think?

It bothers me as well. I attended a social gaming conference during the height of the Facebook game fad, and every company had a "CEO", even if the company had one or two employees.

It's ridiculous, and only seems to be prevalent in the tech scene; when the plumbing proprietor shows up at your house, he isn't referring to himself as the CEO.

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> when the plumbing proprietor shows up at your house, he isn't referring to himself as the CEO

What does he refer to himself as?

Probably plumber - but what's the equivalent for a CEO? Head of Sales? Lead Developer? General Manager? The CEO's duties (at a startup) will vary from startup to startup. [I'm not disagreeing with you - I'm just not sure there's a better option]

Small companies don't need "Officers."

Any corporation needs to report a certain standard set of officers in their incorporation papers: President, Secretary are often the minimum. Many think of President as roughly equivalent to CEO.

Corporations, yes. Companies, no. Nobody founds a corporation.

I am afraid you lost me with Nobody founds a corporation. I did this, insofar as I know.

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