{
  "id": 13707629,
  "title": "Ancestry’s CEO says a billionaire boss taught him to eat lunch with employees in the break room—it gives him access to ‘unfiltered information’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/ancestrys-ceo-says-a-billionaire-boss-taught-him-to-eat-lunch-with",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-11T11:22:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/10/11/ancestry-ceo-career-advice-lunch-with-employees-break-room/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Howard Hochhauser, CEO of Ancestry, developed the habit of eating lunch with his employees from observing Ace Greenberg, a billionaire boss he worked under at the Wall Street investment bank Bear Stears in the late 1990s. Greenberg would eat among his employees, sitting on the floor, which made him appear accessible and approachable. Hochhauser believes that this unfiltered interaction allows him to gain insight into what's on his employees' minds.\n\nBy sharing meals with his staff, Howard Hochhauser can gauge the reception of company policies and decisions, as well as address any concerns or issues that may arise. During Ancestry's transition to in-office work, Hochhauser tested the idea with employees before making a formal announcement. The employees felt comfortable expressing their concerns about work-life balance, such as dropping off children at school and attending school events. Hochhauser acknowledged their feedback and reassured them that they could make independent decisions.\n\nOther CEOs have also adopted the practice of eating with their employees. ABN Amro CEO Marguerite Bérard held weekly lunch meetings with 8-10 colleagues to discuss the bank's workforce reduction and receive candid feedback, aiming to build consensus during the challenging transition. Similarly, Apple CEO Tim Cook frequently sat with random employees during lunch, moving away from the more secluded practice of former CEO Steve Jobs. At Duolingo, CEO Luis von Ahn and CTO Severin Hacker regularly break bread with other executives to strengthen company culture and receive authentic input from their employees. Meanwhile, First Serve CEO Chris Tomasso emphasizes the importance of minimizing the CEO title and actively connecting with employees through casual lunches and personalized congratulatory notes. In all these cases, shared meals provide executives with a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between themselves and their workforce, fostering transparency and trust.",
  "summary": "Ancestry’s Howard Hochhauser says that CEOs get wrapped “in this bubble.” Apple and Duolingo execs are also breaking free by breaking bread with staffers.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}