Whole Foods' John Mackey: 'I Feel Like Socialists Are Taking Over'

[Chris]

An interview with John Mackey. You might remember his ideas on conscious capitalism. This is a preview. The entire podcast can be found at the link.

Whole Foods' John Mackey: 'I Feel Like Socialists Are Taking Over'

"My concern is that I feel like socialists are taking over," Whole Foods CEO John Mackey tells me on today's show. "They're marching through the institutions. They're…taking 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. You know, I'm a capitalist at heart, and I believe in liberty and capitalism. Those are my twin values. And I feel like, you know, with the way freedom of speech is today, the movement on gun control, a lot of the liberties that I've taken for granted most of my life, I think, are under threat."

...At the end of August, Mackey, born in 1953, is retiring from Whole Foods. Throughout his career, John has developed and evangelized for what he calls "conscious capitalism," or businesses that seek to "create financial, intellectual, social, cultural, emotional, spiritual, physical, and ecological wealth for all of their stakeholders." That may sound a bit hippy-dippy to you, but John is one of the most hardcore capitalists I've ever met, yet also an incredibly spiritual and thoughtful guy who wants to help all of us live better, more interesting lives.

That comes through loud and clear in his epic 2005 debate with Nobel laureate Milton Freidman and former Cypress Semiconductor CEO T.J. Rodgers about rethinking the social responsibility of business. "I believe that the enlightened corporation should try to create value for all of its constituencies," wrote John. "From an investor's perspective, the purpose of the business is to maximize profits. But that's not the purpose for other stakeholders—for customers, employees, suppliers, and the community. Each of those groups will define the purpose of the business in terms of its own needs and desires, and each perspective is valid and legitimate."...

[carolina73]

On the lines of the Republican vs Democrat by job thread.

Mackey built the company. He knows what it takes.

The next CEO, that built nothing, will come out of an Ivy League school and be socialist trained. He will find a way to lower costs, collect his bonus and leave Whole Foods to lose its reputation while proclaiming what he did as a success.

Amazon will decide it was not a core business and sell/spin it off.

[RMNIXON]

I think this poor fellow a good example of good intentions gone wrong. All this Good Corporate Citizen business really boils down to allowing the progressives in Government be your guide. It also implies that a private enterprise only exists on public approval well beyond whatever product or service you produce.

How long before we have Corporate Citizenship Scorecards and we punish those that don't keep up?

[carolina73]

I think this poor fellow a good example of good intentions gone wrong. All this Good Corporate Citizen business really boils down to allowing the progressives in Government be your guide. It also implies that a private enterprise only exists on public approval well beyond whatever product or service you produce.

How long before we have Corporate Citizenship Scorecards and we punish those that don't keep up?

That's coming. The media companies are playing the lead on that and they will be the hit squad for the left.

[Chris]

I think this poor fellow a good example of good intentions gone wrong. All this Good Corporate Citizen business really boils down to allowing the progressives in Government be your guide. It also implies that a private enterprise only exists on public approval well beyond whatever product or service you produce.

How long before we have Corporate Citizenship Scorecards and we punish those that don't keep up?

Indeed, his ideas can be used in the wrong way. I think a business should be concerned about its impact on the world around it, but that doesn't mean enforcing the good and the just on it the way progressives want it.

[carolina73]

Indeed, his ideas can be used in the wrong way. I think a business should be concerned about its impact on the world around it, but that doesn't mean enforcing the good and the just on it the way progressives want it.

Being charitable and a good citizen as a business is one thing. Being political should be the kiss of death for a company but the left wants to make it a necessity to survive.

Funny thing is that it meets their definition of Fascism and they embrace it.

[Peter1469]

Being charitable and a good citizen as a business is one thing. Being political should be the kiss of death for a company but the left wants to make it a necessity to survive.

Funny thing is that it meets their definition of Fascism and they embrace it.

Right, a business should want to maximize its customer base, not alienate a large percentage of it.

[Collateral Damage]

I've asked this question in numerous places, and I've gotten the stock liberal answers.

When did employers become responsible for the lifestyle of their employees? The exchange of time/labor for an agreed upon remuneration is the normal 'employment contract'. Some positions come with clauses and added benefits. Nowhere does the basic contract say that an employer is required to provide monetary reward above an beyond for mediocre work, paid benefits for normal life events, and 'insurance' for healthcare as mandatory.

The idea that a company does some or all of these things on a voluntary basis, does NOT make it mandatory for others.