New research reveals that left-handed CEOs, including tech titans like Jobs, Gates, and Zuckerberg, tend to lead more innovative and high-performing companies.
May 3, 2025: What do Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg have in common — besides founding billion-dollar companies? A new scientific study suggests the secret might be in their hands — quite literally.
Researchers from the Donald G. Costello College of Business have discovered that left-handedness may play a surprising role in entrepreneurial success. According to a study published in the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, CEOs who are left-handed tend to foster more innovation, generate higher returns, and lead companies with greater global talent diversity.
Among the 1,000+ CEOs across 472 companies analyzed, just 7.9% were left-handed — yet they consistently outperformed their right-handed counterparts in terms of innovation and patent output. The majority (91.4%) were right-handed, while 0.7% were ambidextrous.
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To determine handedness, researchers reviewed photos, videos, and even reached out directly to companies when needed. “We also checked for the wrist on which they wore their watches, as left-handed people often wear it on the right,” said study co-author Professor Long Chen.
Key findings included:
- Companies led by left-handed CEOs saw a notable increase in patents and patent citations.
- Transitions from right-handed to left-handed CEOs triggered spikes in innovation.
- Left-handed CEOs were more likely to hire foreign employees, often associated with higher innovation.
“These results suggest that a CEO’s background — including something as overlooked as handedness — can shape leadership style, openness, and creative direction,” said Chen.
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As legends like Jobs, Gates, and Zuckerberg have shown, being left-handed might just be more than a quirk — it could be a catalyst for visionary thinking.
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Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, left-handed CEOs, innovation, leadership, entrepreneurship, behavioral finance, patents, tech billionaires, business psychology, startup success, visionary leadership, Donald G. Costello College of Business, Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance