Walmart CEO Shuffle: Garden Center Grunt to AI Overlord
KEY POINTS
- •Doug McMillon, Walmart CEO since 2014, retires February 2025
- •John Furner, US Division CEO since 2019, replaces McMillon
- •Furner started Walmart career 30+ years ago as part-time garden center associate
- •McMillon praises Furner as 'merchant, operator, innovator, and builder' for AI transition
In a corporate plot twist juicier than a ripe tomato from Walmart's garden center, Doug McMillon, CEO since 2014 and 40-year company veteran, is clocking out in February 2025. Taking the throne is John Furner, the garden center kid-turned-US division boss since 2019, touted as 'a merchant, operator, innovator, and builder' ready to lead Walmart’s leap into an AI-driven future. Fun fact: Furner started as a part-time hourly associate over 30 years ago—proof Walmart’s corporate ladder is more like a supermarket aisle, and the garden center is the VIP lounge. McMillon insists the future 'is bright' under Furner, who’s structurally prepared to cart Walmart’s gargantuan retail empire into e-commerce glory while probably explaining why gardening gloves beat AI any day.
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Walmart's new CEO went from humble garden gloves to steering the AI retail ship because nothing screams retail revolution like a man who once stocked petunias.
When your CEO started as a part-time gardener, maybe the secret to beating Amazon is just knowing where to weed out the competition.
Doug McMillon handing over Walmart’s reins to a guy who once handled flower pots feels like watching a nature documentary about corporate survival of the fittest.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 11/14/2025 | Author: Dominick Reuter
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