Whole Foods CEO: "Socialists are taking over"

Whole Foods co-founder and CEO John Mackey fears that socialism is on the rise in the U.S.

"My concern is that I feel like socialists are taking over," Mackey, who is set to retire from the Amazon-owned grocery chain at the end of the month after 44 years at the company, said in a podcast this week with Reason Magazine. "They're marching through the institutions."

Socialists have "taken over education. It looks like they've taken over a lot of the corporations. It looks like they've taken over the military. And it's just continuing — so I'm deeply concerned," he added.

Mackey, who espouses the idea of "conscious capitalism" — which he describes as a management philosophy focused on ethical ways of doing business — also questioned the work ethic of younger Americans.

"I feel like I've become my father. I don't understand the younger generation — they don't seem to want to work," Mackey, 68, told Reason, saying that the enhanced unemployment benefits offered to people who lost jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic had make it hard for Whole Foods to find workers. 

Extra federal jobless aid ended in September 2021. 

Amazon bought Whole Foods in 2017 for $13.7 billion. 

After winding up his career at Whole Foods, Mackey plans to launch a chain of restaurants specializing in plant-based foods, along with medical wellness centers, according to Bloomberg

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.