The Whole Foods CEO Has A Bizarre Government Conspiracy Theory
Joni Hanebutt/Shutterstock By Elaina Friedman/Updated: Aug. 12, 2022 9:51 am EST
There are a lot of things you might expect to find at your neighborhood Whole Foods: someone in cycling gear stocking up on protein bars; aisles lined with vegetables that have been dried and seasoned, packaged into stylish bags, and labeled as “chips;” and people in Birkenstocks bogarting all the cashews in the bulk section, for example. What you probably wouldn’t expect, however, is an underlying current of political conspiracy trickling down from the desk of the market chain’s CEO, John Mackey.
In an episode of the “Reason” podcast this week, the organic food businessman used the libertarian platform to let off steam about his issues with socialism. While Mackey has never been shy about his yen for capitalism (he famously co-authored a book on “conscious capitalism” and participated in turning the term and its credo into a nonprofit organization), the CEO’s disdain toward anti-corporation ideologies has proven to be a bit more under the radar until now.
The Whole Foods CEO Has A Bizarre Government Conspiracy Theory
Joni Hanebutt/Shutterstock
By Elaina Friedman/Updated: Aug. 12, 2022 9:51 am EST
There are a lot of things you might expect to find at your neighborhood Whole Foods: someone in cycling gear stocking up on protein bars; aisles lined with vegetables that have been dried and seasoned, packaged into stylish bags, and labeled as “chips;” and people in Birkenstocks bogarting all the cashews in the bulk section, for example. What you probably wouldn’t expect, however, is an underlying current of political conspiracy trickling down from the desk of the market chain’s CEO, John Mackey.
In an episode of the “Reason” podcast this week, the organic food businessman used the libertarian platform to let off steam about his issues with socialism. While Mackey has never been shy about his yen for capitalism (he famously co-authored a book on “conscious capitalism” and participated in turning the term and its credo into a nonprofit organization), the CEO’s disdain toward anti-corporation ideologies has proven to be a bit more under the radar until now.
In an episode of the “Reason” podcast this week, the organic food businessman used the libertarian platform to let off steam about his issues with socialism. While Mackey has never been shy about his yen for capitalism (he famously co-authored a book on “conscious capitalism” and participated in turning the term and its credo into a nonprofit organization), the CEO’s disdain toward anti-corporation ideologies has proven to be a bit more under the radar until now.
Mackey believes socialists are ’taking over'
Dustin Finkelstein/Getty Images
In the months since Mackey announced his retirement, the CEO has become even more vocal about his political views. On “Reason,” he revealed that he has “muzzled” himself ever since he received pushback for controversial remarks he’s made within the last several years, such as his comparison of Obamacare to fascism. With only a few weeks left on his tenure, Mackey is spilling the (organic) beans.
