11 CEOs Who Really Need To Spend More Time Talking

Some of these guys often throw out the tightly scripted CEO playbook and say precisely what's on their mind. That's why we love listening to them. Others need to speak up and let us know what's on their mind.

1. Barry Diller

Among financiers there's a running joke about the "Diller Discount" because, basically, no one is sure what Diller will do — or buy — next. He's well known for having an opinion the size of a 787 on just about everything and, much to the delight of analysts and media watchers, isn't shy when it comes to railing on certain topics. In April, for instance, he told Bloomberg that running Newsweek magazine (which he sold last week) was a "fool's errand" and that buying it was a "mistake."

Keep 'em coming, Barry!

2. Jamie Dimon

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has a famously loud mouth when it comes to dealing with the media and analysts.

He once explained to an analyst why he was far richer than him.

He called media attention to the famous "London Whale" a "tempest in a tea pot." (Ultimately, JPMorgan lost billions on the London Whale incident.)

Still, on Wall Street, Dimon is basically the new E.F. Hutton: When he speaks, people listen.

3. Jeff Bezos

While most of these other CEOs make public appearances — at least ostensibly — or show up on the analyst conference call, Bezos does neither. In fact, Bezos basically doesn't care what everyone thinks about Amazon and its business, and the stock has hit a record high as a result.

His purchase of The Washington Post this week has prompted the media to spill gallons of ink and devote hours of airtime to his motivation and plans — neither of which it has any insight on because Bezos hasn't commented on the topic other than in a statement announcing the deal that basically said he had no set plans for the paper.

4. Steve Ballmer

Ballmer is a fast-talking marketing guru who will find his way into spinning just about anything with a dose of specific data and a ton of enthusiasm. One of his most famous bits is running on stage sweating profusely while shouting "developers" over and over again.

In fact, he even has a best-of reel.

View this video on YouTube

5. Tim Cook

Cook is often quite shy about tipping his hand when it comes to upcoming Apple products — in fact, it basically hasn't happened in recent memory — but he does do an excellent job of diving deeper into areas of the company's earnings when asked. He'll give a great explanation of what's going on in China, and he isn't shy about taking shots at competitors like Samsung (which he pronounces sam-SUNG).

6. Lloyd Blankfein

In addition to being the head of one of the largest and most important banks in the world, Goldman Sachs CEO Blankfein is chock-full of specific one-off zingers that are timelessly quotable. Most famously, he was quoted saying Goldman Sachs was doing "God's work" in the aftermath of the financial crisis. (Of course, it was meant to be a joke.)

7. Larry Ellison

Ellison loves taking pot shots at his competitors, has basically financed the U.S.'s resurgence in the America's Cup, and also happens to be one of the richest men in the world. He also bought an island in Hawaii, because why not?

And no, he does not think you will become the next Steve Jobs.

8. Les Moonves

CBS CEO Moonves, in addition to being endlessly quotable, is basically the most optimistic person in the media industry. Even amid a major blackout dealing with Time Warner Cable, he called a letter he received from the company a "well-wrought distraction."

9. Rex Tillerson

Tillerson runs one of the largest multinantional oil companies on the planet, Exxon Mobile, and when he speaks he often sounds like he's taking his foot out of his mouth. He also happens to think climate change fears are a bit overblown and basically lost his shirt when talking about natural gas prices eating his business around this time last year.

10. Rupert Murdoch

One of the few CEOs in the world who is more than willing to dole out his opinions on Twitter — and they are often some of the best quotes in the whole media industry.

On way from the Land of the Free (?) to the Lucky Country for a few days hard work.

Rupert Murdoch

@rupertmurdoch

On way from the Land of the Free (?) to the Lucky Country for a few days hard work.

Murdoch doesn't shy away from speaking his mind and is more than willing to take shots at his competitors.

11. Larry Page

Google CEO Larry Page hasn't done much talking since he was knocked out of commission due to complications with his voice. But he did attend Google's developer conference this year and, when Page speaks, he often gives a huge 35,000-foot view of what's going on in technology — whether that's related to health, robotics, interfacing with the internet, or anything along those lines.

Page has started getting back onto conference calls to discuss the company's earnings, but there's always more room for new viewpoints from him.

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