78% of American CEOs are Bullish on AI's Impact on Workplace Efficiency and Innovation, New Stagwell (STGW) Study Reveals

Rhea-AI Summary

Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) released a survey of 100 U.S. CEOs conducted by its National Research Group, fielded Oct 21–Nov 10, 2025, and unveiled at The Wall Street Journal 2025 CEO Council Summit on Dec 9, 2025.

Key findings: 85% view AI as in a healthy growth phase, 78% are bullish on AI's impact on workplace efficiency and innovation, 74% express confidence in U.S. economic resilience into 2026 despite 62% saying the U.S. is on the wrong track. Top policy priorities: managing inflation (61%), reducing debt (47%), and job creation (33%).

Positive

• 78% of CEOs bullish on AI workplace efficiency
• 85% view AI as entering a healthy growth phase
• 74% express confidence in U.S. economic resilience into 2026

Negative

• 62% of CEOs believe the U.S. is on the wrong track
• 66% expect regulatory and policy shifts to impact business
• 60% cite trade restrictions as a significant business impact

News Market Reaction – STGW

+1.96%

1 alert

+1.96% News Effect

On the day this news was published, STGW gained 1.96%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

Key Figures

Survey sample size: 100 CEOs View AI in growth phase: 85% Bullish on AI impact: 78% +5 more

8 metrics

Survey sample size 100 CEOs U.S.-based CEOs leading organizations with 10,000+ employees

View AI in growth phase 85% CEOs seeing AI in a healthy growth phase, not a bubble

Bullish on AI impact 78% CEOs bullish on AI’s impact on workplace efficiency and innovation

Wrong track view 62% CEOs believing the U.S. is on the wrong track

Economy resilience confidence 74% CEOs expressing confidence in U.S. economic resilience into 2026

Inflation priority 61% CEOs citing managing inflation as top 2026 policy focus

Debt reduction priority 47% CEOs identifying reducing debt as a top policy priority

Large-enterprise threshold 10,000 employees Minimum employee count for surveyed organizations

Market Reality Check

Price: $4.63 Vol: Volume 1,926,621 is 29% a...

normal vol

$4.63 Last Close

Volume Volume 1,926,621 is 29% above 20-day average 1,488,358. normal

Technical Price 5.95 is trading above 200-day MA at 5.29, mid-range between 52-week low 4.03 and high 7.70.

Peers on Argus

Peers show mixed, mostly mild moves: CRTO +1.86%, ZD +0.28%, QNST +0.34%, IAS fl...

Peers show mixed, mostly mild moves: CRTO +1.86%, ZD +0.28%, QNST +0.34%, IAS flat, while EEX is down 2.16%. STGW’s gain appears more company-specific than sector-driven.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Dec 09 (Neutral)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Dec 09	AI sentiment survey	Neutral	+2.0%	Release of CEO survey on AI, economy, and policy priorities for 2026.
Dec 09	Agency award news	Positive	+2.0%	Code and Theory named Adweek’s Innovation Agency of the Year with strong growth.
Dec 08	Political polling data	Neutral	-2.3%	Harvard CAPS / Harris poll results on Trump approval and economic concerns.
Dec 08	Leadership appointment	Positive	-2.3%	Allison Worldwide appoints new Europe CEO to drive regional growth.
Dec 04	Business reorganization	Positive	+5.0%	Creation of global communications and advocacy vertical with sizable revenue base.

Pattern Detected

Recent AI- and strategy-oriented announcements have often coincided with positive or stable price reactions, with only some leadership news seeing negative follow-through.

Recent Company History

Over recent months, Stagwell has combined strategic reorganization, leadership expansion, and AI-related initiatives. On Dec 4, it unified communications and advocacy agencies into a vertical with expected $400m 2025 net revenue and over 1,500 employees, which coincided with a 4.97% gain. Subsequent leadership and polling releases on Dec 8 saw a -2.26% move. On Dec 9, recognition for Code and Theory and this AI CEO sentiment survey aligned with a roughly 1.96% rise, continuing a generally constructive response to AI-focused news.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement highlights CEO sentiment around AI, economic resilience, and policy risks heading ...

Analysis

This announcement highlights CEO sentiment around AI, economic resilience, and policy risks heading into 2026, with 78% bullish on AI’s workplace impact and 74% confident in U.S. resilience despite widespread macro unease. For context, Stagwell has repeatedly tied its strategy to AI-driven platforms and global hubs. Investors may monitor future AI product launches, client adoption metrics, and macro or regulatory developments affecting technology deployment.

Key Terms

generative AI

1 terms

generative AI technical

"with generative AI viewed as the most transformative technology of 2026"

Generative AI is a type of computer technology that can create new content, like text, images, or music, on its own. It’s important because it can produce realistic and useful material quickly, which could change how we create art, write stories, or even develop new products. Think of it as a smart robot that can invent and produce things almost like a human.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

Stagwell Chairman and CEO Mark Penn unveiled survey of 100 CEOs on stage at The Wall Street Journal's 2025 CEO Council Summit

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW), the challenger network built to transform marketing, unveiled the results of a survey of 100 American CEOs to gauge sentiment on business priorities, economic outlook, and views of AI advancements heading into 2026. The study, conducted by Stagwell's National Research Group (NRG), provides guidance on how CEOs are anticipating business, economic and political shifts leading into the new year.

Key findings from the study include:

• CEOs support AI as a transformative force: Nearly all CEOs (85%) see AI as entering a healthy growth phase rather than a bubble, with generative AI viewed as the most transformative technology of 2026. 78% of CEOs maintain they are bullish on AI's impact on workplace efficiency and innovation.
• CEOs predict economic unease, but maintain measured confidence: While 62% of CEOs believe the U.S. is on the wrong track, nearly three in four (74%) express confidence in the resilience of the U.S. economy heading into 2026.
• Inflation, debt, and jobs dominate CEO agendas: Financial stability is the top policy focus for 2026, with managing inflation (61%), reducing debt (47%), and job creation (33%) marked as top policy priorities.
• Policy and political concerns weigh on CEO confidence: Regulatory and policy shifts (66%) and trade restrictions (60%), are expected to have the greatest impact on business. Nearly half (46%) are pessimistic about political leaders' stability and predictability.

For the full results, visit stagwellglobal.com.

Methodology
The findings are drawn from research conducted by Stagwell's National Research Group (NRG) with 100 U.S.-based CEOs leading organizations with 10,000 or more employees. The sample reflects a mix of CEO tenures, cross-industry representation, and B2B and B2C companies. The survey was fielded online between October 21 and November 10, 2025.

About Stagwell 
Stagwell is the challenger holding company built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world's most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our specialists in 45+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for our clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.

Contact
Maggie Axford
pr@stagwellglobal.com

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SOURCE Stagwell Inc.

FAQ

What did Stagwell (STGW) report about CEO views on AI in December 2025?

Stagwell reported that 85% of surveyed CEOs view AI as in a healthy growth phase and 78% are bullish on AI's workplace impact.

How many CEOs did Stagwell survey for the STGW study and when was it fielded?

Stagwell surveyed 100 U.S. CEOs, and the survey was fielded online between Oct 21 and Nov 10, 2025.

What economic outlook did CEOs in the STGW survey express for 2026?

74% of CEOs expressed confidence in U.S. economic resilience into 2026, despite 62% saying the country is on the wrong track.

What policy priorities did CEOs list in the Stagwell (STGW) CEO survey?

Top policy priorities were managing inflation (61%), reducing debt (47%), and job creation (33%) for 2026.

Which risks did CEOs say would most affect business in the STGW survey?

CEOs cited regulatory and policy shifts (66%) and trade restrictions (60%) as having the greatest expected impact.

Where can investors find the full Stagwell (STGW) CEO survey results from Dec 9, 2025?

The company directs readers to visit stagwellglobal.com for the full survey results.