Freakonomics Radio Launches Six-Week Series Exploring CEOs and Leadership

Today, Freakonomics Radio, a partnership between Dubner Productions and WNYC Studios, begins a special six-week series called "The Secret Life of CEOs". Host Stephen J. Dubner takes listeners behind the scenes of the most powerful companies in the world, interviewing a who's-who of prominent current and former CEOs: Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Richard Branson (Virgin), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Indra Nooyi (PepsiCo), Jack Welch (General Electric), Ellen Pao (Reddit), Carol Bartz (Yahoo!), Ray Dalio (Bridgewater Associates), and David Rubenstein (The Carlyle Group). The first episode is up now at http://freakonomics.com and all podcast providers.

"Most of us hear about CEOs only when something very bad or very good happens," Dubner says. "We wanted to know what's going on the other 99.9% of the time. We also wanted to know how they got where they are, whether they deserve those gigantic paychecks, and if it's lonely at the top. Fortunately, it turns out that CEOs aren't shy, so we learned a lot more than we even hoped."

Dubner, his CEO guests, and academic experts explore the empirical evidence behind what makes an effective leader. They look at whether a CEO's background figures into the likelihood of success, and what the data show about predicting CEO performance. They explore the "glass cliff" notion of women being appointed CEO when a company is in trouble, and how executives have transitioned to life after the corner office. They even drill down into a very basic question: What does a CEO actually do all day?

Following the six-week series' completion, the full CEO interviews will be released weekly as podcast exclusive episodes.

"The Secret Life of CEOs" Schedule:
* Episode 1 (Jan 18): What does a CEO do, what makes a good one, and how can you tell? 

* Episode 2 (Jan 25): The rise of the CEO: How do CEOs reach their lofty perch while others do not? We'll look at the diverse origin stories of our roster of CEOs and the stories of their corporate climb.

* Episode 3 (Feb 1): The Life of a CEO: a profile of Indra Nooyi, CEO of Pepsico since 2006.

* Episode 4 (Feb 8): Hard Choices and Hard Times -- how CEOs manage crisis.

* Episode 5 (Feb 15): THE 6% -- How women who break through the glass ceiling may find themselves on a "glass cliff."

* Episode 6 (Feb 22): Letting Go: Preparing for succession and the post-CEO life.

About Freakonomics Radio

Discover the hidden side of everything with host Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the best-selling Freakonomics books. Each week, hear surprising conversations that explore the riddles of everyday life and the weird wrinkles of human nature -- from cheating and crime to parenting and sports. Dubner talks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, social scientists and entrepreneurs -- and his Freakonomics co-author Steve Levitt. After just a few episodes, this podcast will heave you too thinking like a Freak.

About Stephen J. Dubner

Stephen J. Dubner is an award-winning author, journalist, and TV and radio personality. In addition to Freakonomics, SuperFreakonomics, Think Like a Freak, and When to Rob a Bank, his books include Turbulent Souls (Choosing My Religion), Confessions of a Hero-Worshiper, and the children's book The Boy With Two Belly Buttons. His journalism has been published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Time, and has been anthologized in The Best American Sports Writing, The Best American Crime Writing, and elsewhere. He has taught English at Columbia University (while receiving an M.F.A. there), played in a rock band (which started at Appalachian State University, where he was an undergrad, and was later signed to Arista Records), and, as a writer, was first published at the age of 11, in Highlights for Children. Dubner is also the host of the Freakonomics Radio podcast, which gets 8 million downloads a month. He lives in New York with his wife, the documentary photographer Ellen Binder, and their children.