This is a delicious bit of news. The CEO and chairman of Whole Foods, John Mackey, has been secretly blogging under a pseudonym for the past eight years, reports the Motley Fool. He labeled himself “Rahodeb” and has apparently been posting on the Yahoo! investment boards on topics including information about his company and opinions about his competitors. Read more.
What makes this bit of news particularly yummy is that Mackey has been heralded as a rare, honest CEO in today’s Internet age. Such an image is based on one of his properly attributed blog entries defending his proposed merger with Wild Oats:
“I love the fact that I can now communicate my own opinions and interpretations directly to people instead of depending upon a journalist to both understand and accurately communicate what I’ve told him or her to other people. It is very frustrating to be continually misquoted and misinterpreted. Now I can speak directly for myself and that is very liberating.”
The whole issue brings up the question … should CEOs blog? That’s the question addressed by Microsoft Subnet blogger and collaboration expert. Sue Hanely. She writes in her blog:
“I hate being asked to weigh in on this one …this is one of the trickiest areas in the corporate intranet.” Read more.
What do you think … is it ok for CEOs like Mackey to post to investment boards under assumed identities?
