John Mackey, the departing CEO of Whole Foods, has criticised young “woke” employees and expressed concern that “socialists are taking over everything,” including the military, business world, and educational institutions.
Mackey, who co-founded Whole Foods 42 years ago, said that large Democratic areas like New York City, where young people “don’t appear to want to work,” had undergone a change toward awakened ideas.
He said that young people “cannot aspire to start with meaningful employment” because they “only want to work in professions they are enthusiastic about.”
Mackey said that the “liberties I’ve taken for granted most of my life” are now under danger from socialism.
According to the 68-year-old, “My fear is that I feel like socialists are taking over,” he told Reason magazine.
They are marching through the institutions, according to Mackey, who is leaving Whole Foods at the end of the month. Education is being seized by them.
They seem to have control over many businesses, including the military.
“And it keeps going.” You see, I’m a capitalist at heart, and I support both capitalism and liberty. They are my two core values.
And I feel like, you know, a lot of the rights that I’ve taken for granted my whole life, I believe, are under assault with the way that freedom of speech is now, with the push on gun control.
Mackey, whose net fortune is believed to exceed $75 million, has been a vociferous opponent of socialism.
He said in 2020 that capitalism is the “best thing mankind has ever done” and that it cannot be replaced by socialism, which he characterised as “trickle-up poverty,” since it is more efficient.
The libertarian grocery store owner, whose company is reputed to “lead with love,” said Wednesday that Whole Foods’ capacity to recruit personnel was hampered by the unemployment benefits provided during the Covid epidemic.
Many individuals were earning at least as much money as they were working. Guess what, then?
They decided against returning to work. They adapted to it, according to Mackey.
But he said that “the younger generation… doesn’t appear to want to work,” which has been the main problem with employment.
Regarding the change towards awakened values, he remarked, “They only want to work if it’s genuinely worthwhile, and [something] they feel linked to.”
You can’t expect to start with meaningful employment, Mackey said. It will take time for you to earn it.
“I don’t know why, but some of the younger generation doesn’t appear to be prepared to pay that price,” the speaker said.
According to Mackey, he was “intimidated enough” by his position as CEO of Whole Foods to “shut up” about important matters.
In reference to his upcoming resignation as CEO of Whole Foods at the end of this month, Mackey remarked, “Pretty soon, you’re going to hear about “Crazy John” who’s no longer muzzled.”
“I have six weeks.” In six weeks, I can discuss politics more than I can now, Mackey said.
Mackey, a businessman from Houston, Texas, and his then-girlfriend Renee-Hardy Lawson co-founded SaferWay, a natural foods shop, in 1978.
Two years later, they teamed together to launch Whole Foods with Craig Weller and Mark Skiles, who established Clarksville Natural Grocery.
In September 1980, the Austin, Texas, location of the first Whole Foods shop unveiled its doors.
Together, they expanded Whole Foods into an empire with more than 90,000 employees and 500 outlets throughout North America.
Deborah Moran, a yoga teacher, and Mackey were married in 1991; they are childless.
Amazon acquired Whole Foods in 2017 in a transaction for more than $13 billion.
Mackey has previously been quite critical of socialism and wokeness.
He said socialism “impoverishes everything” whereas capitalism is the “best thing mankind has ever done” in 2020.
In the last 100 years, socialism has been attempted 42 times, with 42 failures, he said. It does not function. It is done incorrectly. We must maintain capitalism. I contend that aware capitalism is necessary.
Despite the need to embrace “progressive discoveries,” Mackey said throughout the interview that capitalism should not be abolished.
The co-founder of Whole Foods and co-author of “Conscious Capitalism,” went on to accuse progressives and private colleges of depicting business as “inherently corrupt.”
We’ve created a false narrative about ourselves and allowed the opponents of capitalism and business to do the same.
He said, “It’s erroneous and seriously harming young people’s thinking.” Capitalism will continue to be derided, mocked, and attacked until this is fixed.
It will be attacked because of its intentions, which are seen to be somehow immoral. Of course businesses need to make a profit.
“A firm will collapse if it doesn’t generate revenue, but it doesn’t imply that the goal of the business is to generate revenue.”
Instead, he contends that corporate culture must change in order to prevent socialism from “taking over,” which he refers to as the “road to poverty.”
“They speak about trickle-down riches, while poverty trickles up under socialism,” Simply said, it makes everything poorer.
I worry that academics who are socialists and Marxists will typically be unfriendly to capitalism. It has always been. It’s nothing new.
According to the proponent of a free market economy, academics are more angry than students are, and more “business people” should educate.
Mackey said he has endured heckling when giving presentations at universities and even had some sessions postponed.
Mackey founded Whole Foods in 1980; the company today employs over 100,000 people.
The network of organic supermarkets encourages “leadership with love” and has established locations in a number of inner cities and underprivileged neighbourhoods.
Additionally, Mackey outlined the two crucial factors—purpose and love—that, in his opinion, bind organisations together.
He attributes the company’s low employee turnover to its commitment to its staff members.
It comes after earlier in 2020, during the height of the epidemic, workers at Whole Foods and at warehouses run by its owner, online retailer Amazon, held demonstrations about worries for frontline personnel supplying goods to Americans forced to remain at home due to the outbreak.
Walkouts against both companies had been organised.
When Amazon acquired Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in 2017, it shocked the staid US supermarket industry.
Some analysts anticipated that this would expedite the shift to online grocery shopping and spell the end for established players like Walmart Inc. and Kroger.
The most recent interview comes after one in 2020 in which Mackey, a vegan, said that more COVID-19-related fatalities occur in the US because Americans are larger and less healthy than those in other countries.
The well-known spokesman for the organic food sector said that because more individuals are afflicted with diabetes and heart disease due to bad diets, it is probable that the pandemic has affected the nation more severely.
Mackey is a vocal libertarian with a track record of making the most of emerging culinary trends.
Although he follows a rigorous diet, food purists have criticised him for selling meat and “natural” versions of junk food like chips and sugary beverages.
He has actively sought out controversy.
Before the business acquired Wild Oats, Mackey posted reviews of Whole Foods and criticisms of Wild Oats on online discussion boards using the moniker “Rahodeb,” which is an anagram of his wife’s name.