Investors prefer ‘I’ over ‘we’ when CEOs apologize

By: Prachi Gala, Kennesaw State University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: November 3, 2025

Words: 783

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 1 day ago

By Prachi Gala, Kennesaw State University

When corporate crises hit, the public looks to the CEO. From product recalls to workplace discrimination, to customer mistreatment scandals, CEOs are often thrust into the spotlight and forced to apologize.

But do the exact words they choose really matter?

I’m a professor of marketing, and my preliminary research suggests the answer is yes. In fact, they can even move stock prices.

A tale of 2 …

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