{
  "id": 17253043,
  "title": "Elizabeth Holmes’ baritone was mocked for years. But research shows CEOs with deeper voices run bigger companies and earn $187,000 more",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/elizabeth-holmes-baritone-was-mocked-for-years-but-research-shows",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-30T16:10:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/10/30/elizabeth-holmes-deep-voice-science-ceo-pay-you-can-see-everything/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos, has been the subject of much scrutiny and controversy since her company's fraudulent practices were exposed. In A24's documentary You Can See Everything, her deep voice was touched upon as a mystery, revealing how her vocal trait may have played a role in her career. One 2013 study published in Evolution and Human Behavior found that CEOs with lower voices tended to run larger companies and earn higher salaries. The study showed that CEOs with voices 22 Hz lower than the median managed firms around $440 million bigger and earned approximately $187,000 more per year. These deeper-voiced executives also had a longer tenure, staying with their companies for an additional 151 days for the same decrease in pitch. However, the researchers emphasized that their findings indicate a correlation rather than causation. The study's coauthor, Bill Mayew, suggested that the effect might be a combination of perception bias and real leadership development. If someone appears dominant early in life, they may receive more opportunities to lead, and by the time they are running a public company in their mid-50s, the initial impression has had decades to translate into actual experience. The impact of voice on leadership extends beyond the corporate world. In a 2012 study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers recorded people speaking in higher and lower pitches while urging voters to support them. Both men and women preferred the candidates with lower voices. This preference could explain the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles, as women's voices are typically higher. Interestingly, in the documentary, Holmes's voice is notably higher, potentially illustrating the advantage her vocal trait may have provided her during her career. However, this advantage disappeared when her company's claims were revealed as fraudulent. Elizabeth Holmes was ultimately convicted in January 2022 for defrauding investors and is currently serving her sentence at a federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas.",
  "summary": "As You Can See Everything puts Holmes back in the spotlight, studies of CEOs and voters show why a low register can open doors, and why that bias says nothing about who deserves to lead.",
  "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."
}