‘Succession’ series finale recap: Who won CEO after bitter Roy sibling battle?

[WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for the series finale of “Succession.”]

After four seasons, “Succession” has come to an end — and Waystar RoyCo has a new CEO.

In the 90-minute series finale, creator Jesse Armstrong wrapped up a string of conflicts, but ultimately had the goal of answering the question everyone has been asking since Season 1 premiered in 2018: Who will succeed Logan Roy (Brian Cox) as CEO?

There were many ways the ending could’ve gone: Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) could’ve filled his father’s shoes — as Logan may or may not have wanted from the looks of the underline/cross-out on his official document, Kendall and Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) could’ve stayed on as co-CEOs, GoJo could have acquired Waystar with Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) coming out on top and naming Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) as CEO, as well as many other possibilities.

In the end, the hole left by the death of Logan Roy could only be filled by one person.

Spoilers for Season 4, Episode 10, “With Open Eyes” are below, so stop scrolling now if you don’t want to know who got the crown.

Who is the new CEO of Waystar RoyCo?

While it was always presumed that Logan Roy’s successor would be in the family bloodline, it didn’t exactly turn out that way.

Neither Kendall, Roman, Shiv — or Connor (Alan Ruck), for that matter — ended up being the heir to the media mogul’s throne.

After Matsson decided he wasn’t going to name Shiv as the CEO of the company, an unsuspecting person filled her in on who it would be.

“Shiv, you should probably know: it’s me,” Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) told his wife.

What happened with the GoJo deal?

As noted above, Greg found out by translating a conversation in Swedish that Matsson was not actually planning on giving the CEO title to Shiv, as he promised he would.

Upon finding out she was screwed over, Shiv hopped back on board with her brothers to block the GoJo deal.

Yet when it came time to cast votes at the board meeting, it comes down to a six-six tie — with Shiv as the tiebreaker. She excused herself from the room to think over what she really wants: standing behind her brothers or her husband and father of her child.

Ultimately, Shiv decides that Kendall isn’t right for the job and tells him, “I love you, really I love you but I cannot f–king stomach you.” Roman agrees and everything falls apart for the siblings, bringing up the past and hitting each other where it hurts most.

As Kendall and Roman fight over miscellaneous past events — such as Kendall’s part in the death of the waiter at Shiv’s wedding and Kendall’s adoptive children not technically being part of the “bloodline” — Shiv goes and casts her vote for the GoJo deal, putting Waystar in the hands of Matsson.

Which Roy sibling would have been CEO if they blocked the deal?

As per usual, a large portion of the episode saw Kendall, Roman and Shiv fighting over which of the three of them should be named CEO in their concrete plan to present to the board. All three of them shared that Logan at one point or another promised them the title and the company.

After going back and forth, Shiv and Roman decide that their options are to either kill Kendall or give him CEO. They quip that murder is “too much admin,” so they decide he would be the one to take over.

What happens to the Roy siblings in the end?

The end of the episode shows Tom marching into Waystar like he runs the place — because he does.

While in the office, Tom promises cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun), “I got you,” essentially landing him security in the company.

As for the siblings, Shiv is seen riding away in a car with Tom, weirdly placing her hand on his as he offers his hand to hold. It’s presumed that their marriage will stay alive in the end, and eventually, they’ll have their child together.

Roman ends up in a bar with a martini, possibly feeling the weight of his father’s pressure lifted from his shoulders.

And in the final shot of the entire series, Kendall — who told his siblings that if he doesn’t get the company he thinks he “might die” — is seen walking through a park and sitting on a bench watching the sunset on the day he learned he will not be CEO. Logan’s bodyguard Colin (Scott Nicholson) follows him from afar watching over him.

Kendall may not have gotten the company from his father, but he did get Colin — who Logan referred to earlier in the season as his “best friend.”

The entire series of “Succession” is now streaming on Max.