Newly appointed Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol is not expected to move to Seattle to work from the company's headquarters. Instead, his offer letter, disclosed in an SEC filing last week, reveals that Niccol will be permitted to use the company jet to commute between his California home and the Seattle office three times a week.
The revelation is being viewed as a striking example of corporate hypocrisy regarding climate change, particularly since Starbucks is promoting paper straws in its stores globally to reduce single-use plastic.
Niccol, age 50, will receive an annual base salary of $1.6 million as Starbucks' CEO, as outlined in his offer letter. The letter also specifies that he will not need to move to the company’s Seattle headquarters. Instead, he will be expected to commute from his residence and undertake any necessary business travel to fulfil his role.
During his tenure at Starbucks, Brian Niccol will have access to the company’s aircraft for travel between his home city and the headquarters in Seattle. According to a company spokesperson speaking to CNBC, Niccol is required to work from the Seattle office at least three days a week, in line with Starbucks’ hybrid work policy.
“Brian’s primary office and a majority of his time will be spent in our Seattle Support Center or out visiting partners and customers in our stores, roasteries, roasting facilities and offices around the world,” the spokesperson added. “His schedule will exceed the hybrid work guidelines and workplace expectations we have for all partners.”
This isn't Mr. Niccol's first experience with a supercommute arrangement. He successfully arranged a similar setup during his tenure as CEO of Chipotle in 2018. Although Chipotle's headquarters were initially just a 15-minute drive from his previous job, the company relocated from Denver to California three months after he took on the CEO role.
Internet’s reaction to this news:
Niccol’s supercommute plan sparked surprise and criticism on social media. One X user responded, “You better stop giving paper lids and straws. That would be hypocritical.” Another user remarked, “We have to drink from paper straws, while their CEO commutes via private jets.” A third X user opined, “Flying a private jet three days a week just to go to work, but Starbucks had the unmitigated gall to tell us to use paper straws. I hate it here.”
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