Starbucks' new CEO has made headlines for his commute (Photo Credit: Unsplash)
Starbucks' newly-appointed CEO has made headlines due to his unusually long commute to the office. Brian Niccol, who is set to take the reins of the company next month, is reportedly going to travel 1600 kilometres at least three days a week. Niccol will be using a corporate jet to cover the distance between his home in California and the company's headquarters in Seattle. The news has sparked much criticism online, especially in the context of the environmental impact of such jet travel.
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People took to social media to slam Niccol and Starbucks for this decision. Several responded with sarcasm and memes. In particular, users are contrasting Starbucks' seemingly 'green' paper straw policy to its CEO's commute, which is far from eco-friendly. In this context, people are pointing out the irony and "hypocrisy" of the company that had proudly announced its decision to eliminate plastic straws a few years ago.
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One of the viral memes on the topic was shared by @sagarcasm. The sarcastic post read, " Starbucks' new CEO will fly 1600 km daily in a private jet for work. Meanwhile Starbucks employees to customers: Paper straw lijiye. Thak gaye honge environment kharaab kar kar ke." ["Take paper straws. You must be tired of damaging the environment."]
Check out some of the other reactions from X below:
Brian Niccol has replaced Laxman Narasimhan as the CEO of Starbucks. In July 2024, Narasimhan revealed that he "almost never" worked past 6 pm in an interview with Fortune magazine. His declaration about work-life balance took the internet by storm, especially as he stepped down from the helm of the global giant.
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