In the midst of a time when the general public has a negative outlook on the economy, it’s surprising to see that Fortune 500 CEOs participating in our annual survey are feeling more optimistic than expected. According to the survey, only 28% of CEOs predict a recession in the U.S. within the next year. On the other hand, nearly 70% of them believe that the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates by 2024, showing their confidence in policymakers’ efforts to control inflation. Moreover, less than 20% anticipate downsizing their workforce this year.
Despite sharing concerns with the broader business community about AI and its impact, only 22% of these CEOs view tech transformation as one of their top priorities. They remain unperturbed by AI’s potential disruptive effects and instead express admiration for its capabilities. Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO who drives advancements in generative AI, is particularly admired by these CEOs. When asked about their preferred stocks to own personally, Microsoft and Nvidia emerged as leaders among Fortune 500 CEOs participating in the survey conducted between April 18th and April 28th, 2024. The results were initially published on Fortune.com
