1,171 US companies changed leaders in September 2026

Across the US, we counted 1,250 leadership changes at 1,171 companies in September 2026. Berkshire Hathaway led with 5 events and OpenAI followed with 4. There, the chairman stepped down on 18 September, nine months after leaving the chief executive role, with a successor named (Motley Fool).

Paramount Skydance Corporation named Mattel's chief executive co-CEO of the $111B merged entity, effective once a federal judge approved the antitrust settlement (Deadline). Mattel then handed its top job to the former Condé Nast chief executive (Deadline). One appointment opened two boardrooms.

The sharpest move ended in a public dispute. Factory AI's board observer and adviser left to become chief revenue officer at rival Cognition, and Factory's chief executive alleged recurring conversations with Cognition executives while the adviser counselled Factory on confidential matters (Business Insider). Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, answered: “Factory was a "struggling second tier competitor" acting out of desperation.” (Google News).

Most of the count sits at growth companies. Neighborly Software named a new CEO effective 28 September, its co-founder moving to chairman (citybiz), and NextBoat replaced its CEO with immediate effect (Pulse2). LemonEdge put the CEO and board chair roles in one appointment (The Fintech Times), and its new chief executive set out the brief: “A modern platform needs an open, API-based architecture so it can connect with the wider technology stack and allow data to flow between systems without manual intervention.”

The demand category is re-engagement: 1,250 changes in one month, each at a client where the person who hires outside counsel may have changed. Stockton Mortgage elevated its founder to CEO and named a new president; Outrigger Hospitality Group appointed a new chief financial officer. In each, the relationship a US law firm held with the previous executive starts again.

The work is concrete. Executive transitions bring employment and separation agreements for officers arriving and leaving, along with their equity treatment and indemnification. The Factory and Cognition dispute shows the restrictive covenant and confidentiality work that follows an adviser crossing to a rival, and the Paramount Skydance appointment brings post-merger governance counsel.

This matters to a firm's relationship partners and its business development team, who need to know which of the 1,171 companies now has a new name signing off on legal spend.