'Carbon Footprint For Centuries': Starbucks Criticised Over New CEO's Jet Commute

Starbucks Corp. has faced enough criticism since it was revealed that the newly appointed CEO, Brian Niccol, would use a corporate jet to travel to the company’s headquarters in Seattle. Niccol, who resides in California, has yet to take over the reins. His offer letter came to light via an SEC filing last week. As per the agreement, Niccol has not been asked to relocate to Seattle as he will commute 1,000 miles (1,600 km) to reach the Starbucks head office three days a week. The news created a stir among many social media buffs who pointed out the environmental impact of his frequent jet travel.

Starbucks garnered appreciation when it introduced an eco-friendly ‘green paper straw’ policy. A few years ago, the American coffee brand stopped the usage of plastic products in its outlets across the world. When people got to learn about the travel arrangements of Brian Niccole, several sarcastic posts and memes started surfacing, with users highlighting the topic of “corporate hypocrisy.”

A person shared on X, “Starbucks’ incoming CEO, Brian Niccol, will embark on an extraordinary daily commute of 1,600 kilometres. He’s a 50-year-old, who resides in California and will travel daily to the company’s headquarters in Seattle. Is this corporate hypocrisy at its peak—Starbucks introducing paper straws and cups while pushing towards sustainability?”

Referring to the irony of Starbucks, another X user noted, “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 have been tired of affecting the environment).”

Another disappointed user slammed Starbucks, saying, “They’ll convince you that it’s essential you switch to paper straws (it is) meanwhile their CEOs’ take enough pvt fights to eclipse your carbon footprint for centuries.”

A person echoed the same sentiment and posted, “Starbucks: We will use paper straws because of climate change. Also, Starbucks: Our CEO can use a company jet to travel 1600 km to the office 3x a week because he doesn’t need to relocate.”

An Indian man feels Starbucks should stop worrying about “the straws, ICE and Electric.” He also mentioned that “the distance between California and Seattle is the same as that between Delhi and Hyderabad.”

Brian Niccol has succeeded Laxman Narasimhan to become the CEO of Starbucks. In his offer letter, it was also mentioned that the company would provide him with a personal remote office in Newport Beach near his California home. Niccol has also received a joining bonus of 10 million dollars and his annual salary is roughly 1.6 million dollars.