New Delhi, Aug. 17 -- CEOs were once fixtures in the corporate firmament. Today, they resemble IPL coaches. Lose a few matches, disappoint analysts, and suddenly LinkedIn announces they are "pursuing new opportunities."

Globally, CEO churn is accelerating. According to Spencer Stuart, CEO exits reached record levels in the first half of 2025, while average CEO tenure fell to about 6.8 years worldwide. Nearly as many CEOs left the S&P 500 in the first half of 2025 as in all of 2024. Interim CEOs are becoming fashionable. Like corporate Airbnb occupants until someone permanent arrives.

India appears determined to join the trend. A study of BSE-200 firms found that 33 companies changed CEOs in 2025; that's one in six listed firms and the h...