Your CEO's Divorce Is Your Problem

InnovationYour CEO's Divorce Is Your ProblemByHans Guntren,Forbes Councils Member.for Forbes Technology CouncilCOUNCIL POSTExpertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based)Jun 05, 2026, 12:30pm EDT​Hans Guntren is CEO of Deliberately.ai. gettyThe end of a marriage is one of the most destabilizing events a person can go through, both emotionally and financially. For executives and founders, it brings an added level of challenge. The legal and financial exposure of divorce is substantially higher than for a typical employee. Depending on the company's structure and the affected individual’s role, the ripple effects can extend to cash flow, company control, confidentiality and even leadership stability.​At the same time, companies are often unprepared, with the unspoken stance being that employees should deal with the stress themselves. When a key individual is affected, though, it really is the company's problem.A Risk In Plain SightBoards rarely discuss the divorce risk of their senior leaders. Yet a University of California analysis of married business owners found that nearly one-third of entrepreneurs had divorced, roughly double the rate of non-founders in the same age group. Stress erodes patience, fuels money fights and eats up the emotional bandwidth couples need to stay connected.​The productivity hit alone is striking. Among business owners going through divorce, one survey found that "57% say their company has taken a financial hit" and nearly one in 20 closed their business entirely under the financial strain. You essentially have another full-time job of restarting a new life, separating assets and possibly moving and redefining your parenting if you have children.​​I lived this myself. During my divorce, I was at work, but I wasn't really at work. We all can muck our way through tough times, but it’s a serious risk to the company’s bottom line...