SANTA CLARA – Al Guido is switching job titles in the 49ers’ front office, moving from president to CEO, a role previously held by Jed York, who succeeded his mother as principal owner in March 2024.
York, the CEO since 2010, will remain heavily involved in the 49ers’ operations, with both coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch still reporting to him as they head into their 10th season together.
“I’ve always been a good teammate to John and Kyle on the football side and that’s what I intend to do on this front,” Guido said in an exclusive interview with this news organization.
“Al has been an exceptional leader for this organization for more than a decade,” York said in a statement. “His vision, partnership, and steady leadership have positioned the 49ers for success today and well into the future. The evolution of his role reflects how essential he has been to this organization and our confidence about what’s ahead.”
It has been a decade since a 49ers’ front office move in which Guido replaced Paraag Marathe as team president, two years after Guido succeeded Marathe as chief operating officer.
Marathe continues to serve in dual roles, both as the 49ers’ lead contract negotiator with 25 years of salary cap expertise and also as chair of Leeds United in the English Premier League.
York and Guido both appeared at Monday morning’s Super Bowl LX’s opening press conference, along with other local leaders and athletes.
Immediately after Levi’s Stadium hosted Super Bowl 50 a decade ago, Guido hit up the NFL for this coming Sunday’s encore.
“I was very aggressive in bringing back the Super Bowl. I didn’t want to be one and done,” Guido said. “And I don’t want to two and done. It’s good for partners, our fan base and our region. There’s no negative in my opinion to hosting it. We’re a big enough market and should be able to do it again.”
While the 49ers continue to expand their international branding, Guido has taken great pride entering this year’s marquee doubleheader at Levi’s Stadium: Super Bowl LX next Sunday, and the FIFA World Cup this summer. Large-scale concerts and other events have also brought a steady flow of fans – and income – to Levi’s Stadium.
”It speaks to the region and stadium,” Guido said. “Moving forward we have ambitions to grow beyond the infrastructure of Levi’s Stadium, which you’ve seen in our in investments in European football, tech investments, real estate ambitions and international ambitions.”
Guido was ready Monday to answer questions about a hot topic: whether an electrical substation next to the 49ers’ practice fields is legitimately impacting players’ health amid injury-strewn seasons.
Guido strongly supported the views relayed Sunday by the NFL’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, who gave little to no credence to a health hazard due to the substation. Sills claimed he’s unfamiliar with “anything in the sports medicine literature that supports those (electric substation) associations,” instead citing players’ injury history, playing style, training and equipment.
“We’ve been there since the ’80s and have been a pretty good team since that time, but on behalf of our players, we’ll look into whether we need to do something different,” Guido said.
Guido has often defended the 49ers through the City of Santa Clara’s years-long feud over stadium management and a 2016 audit.
Since 2018, Guido has concurrently served as chairman and CEO of Elevate, a consulting firm for global sports and entertainment. He is a native of Washington Township, N.J., and resides in Los Gatos with his wife, Thea, and their three daughters.
