[gumptionary]

Tony Aquila is the CEO of both companies - Canoo and Aquila Family Ventures. I'll never understand why it's okay for CEOs to have multiple concurrent jobs, while one of the biggest fervors of the pandemic was when employees were found to have... multiple concurrent jobs.

[corry]

Do you manage your own money and finances in addition to having a day-job?

That's what he's doing, albeit in a more complex situation and likely higher wealth bracket given he sold his last company for $Bs. The only thing that strikes me as odd about it is calling oneself "CEO" of the family office. I don't know what title is customary but CEO seems out of place. If it said he was "Chair" of the Aquila Family Ventures family office or something it would stand out far less.

[neom]

Being a CEO of your family office shouldn't really be a "real job" - it should take up maybe a day or two out of your month if it's being run correctly. To me this would be the same as if a product manager had a side hustle doing some accounting for friends and family. It's fine.

The selling services back and forth thing, I get it, it probably saves some people some work and it might even work out better economically for the company, but the optics are never going to be solid and people are always going to question it, so imo it's not worth it, but... it is quite common.

[snowwrestler]

It’s fine for anyone to have multiple concurrent jobs as long as all their employers know about it. Hiding things is where people get into trouble (and not just with jobs).

[gumptionary]

This is a totally fair point. The incongruity arises for me in that if I said in a job interview process that I'd be continuing to hold another position while adding this one, I'd get laughed out of the room. If it's critical that rank and file guys don't have divided time or loyalties, why is the standard different for the single person most responsible for success or failure of the company?

[ant6n]

Sounds like a hold co. Even startups worth 100K may have the founders hold the stock through a family holding corporation (which may then also be used to "hold" vehicles).

[s0rce]

As others said, he just runs his family office, likely 99% of the work is delegated to people who work for the family office.

[efnx]

Not sure why you’re getting downvoted as this is a legit question I’d like answered.

[lionkor]

Yeah, but answered by who?

[Karellen]

Because CEO's decide which is okay and which isn't, and because fuck you, that's why.

No, it's not logical, or consistent, or rationally defensible. They don't give a shit, and they don't believe they have you answer to you. If they choose to give any answer at all, it will be bullshit in the "On Bullshit" sense of the word; the answer will not be made with any consideration for truth, but just to provide whatever words the speaker thinks will shut you up.

[astrange]

No they don't, boards do.

[ryandrake]

Well, they are CEOs, and are therefore better people than the rest of us workerbees and get to operate under totally different rules.

[ThrowawayR2]

This but unsarcastically. Linux Torvalds, Anders Hejlsberg, and other elite developers also operate under totally different rules than worker bees too.

No, we're not on the same footing as a CEO candidate or 10x developer. Anyone who is sure as heck wouldn't be wasting their life collecting karma points on HN.