Study finds common trait behind Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs’ success. It’s not what you think

To reach their findings, the researchers examined more than 1,000 chief executives leading 472 publicly listed companies.

A new academic study may have revealed an overlooked commonality among three of the most influential CEOs of the modern era — Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg — suggesting that left-handedness could play a role in entrepreneurial success and innovation.

While the trio are widely recognised for their leadership, strategic foresight, and effective communication, researchers at the Donald G Costello College of Business have identified another potential factor that may contribute to their extraordinary achievements. All three men are left-handed.

Published in the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, the study suggested a significant link between left-handedness in CEOs and superior company performance, including enhanced innovation and higher financial returns.

“CEO decisions may be shaped by factors like family experiences, genetics, academic background, career paths, and more – really, the full range of experiences that makes them who they are,” said Long Chen, a professor and co-author of the study.

To reach their findings, the researchers examined more than 1,000 chief executives leading 472 publicly listed companies. Their methodology included reviewing photographs and video footage of CEOs performing tasks such as writing, eating, drawing, and throwing, in order to determine their dominant hand. Where uncertainty remained, the researchers contacted companies directly via calls or emails to verify the information.

“We also noted which wrist they wore their watch on; left-handed people often wear it on the right,” the study noted, detailing the techniques used to identify hand dominance with accuracy.

The findings revealed that a vast majority of the CEOs studied — 91.4 percent — were right-handed, while 7.9 percent were left-handed, and 0.7 percent were classified as mixed-handed. However, despite being a minority, left-handed CEOs stood out for their firms’ innovative capabilities.

According to the study, firms led by left-handed CEOs produced a significantly greater volume of innovative output, including a higher number of unique patents. The research further observed that when companies transitioned from having a right-handed CEO to a left-handed one, they experienced an uptick in both the number of patents filed and the citations those patents received.

“The results indicate that firms transitioning from a right-handed to a left-handed CEO subsequently experience a greater increase in the number of patents and citations granted. However, we do not find a similar change in innovation output for firms transitioning from a left-handed to a right-handed CEO,” the study stated.

In addition to patent-related metrics, the researchers also found that companies led by left-handed CEOs were more likely to recruit foreign employees — a workforce segment previously shown to contribute disproportionately to innovation. This hiring tendency, the study suggested, may be indicative of more open-minded leadership styles among left-handed CEOs, further fostering creativity and breakthrough thinking within organisations.