From external impressions, lampooned by 'South Park' writers, Whole Foods would seem to be a liberal company with progressive environmental policies. But the company did not achieve success based on feel-good ideology which its co-founder has denounced.
The “socialists are taking over,” Whole Foods CEO and co-founder John Mackey warned in a recent podcast.
“They’re marching through the institutions. They’re taking everything over. They’re taking over education. It looks like they’ve taken over a lot of corporations. It looks like they’ve taken over the military, and it’s just continuing,” Mackey said in an Aug. 10 Reason podcast.
He continued: “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.”
Mackey, starting with a staff of just 19 people, and three business colleagues in Austin, Texas started Whole Foods in 1980, Paul Batura of Focus on the Family's Daily Citizen noted in an Aug. 11 report.
In its first year, a flood destroyed all $400,000 worth of food in the market. Mackey and his partners relied on the kindness and grace of creditors and neighbors to rebuild and relaunch the company.
Last year, Whole Foods, which is now owned by Amazon, reported $17 billion in revenue.
During the podcast, Mackey also slammed the work ethic of the rising generation.
“Younger people aren’t quick to work because they want meaningful work,” he said. “You can’t expect to start with meaningful work. You’re going to have to earn it over time … they don’t seem like they want to work.”
Dr. Al Mohler, president of Southern Seminary and a former Focus on the Family board member, noted: “Do not be fooled when you hear promises of a kinder, gentler socialism — even if its earnest proponents mean it when they make their promise. The coming socialist storm lies before us. The battle of ideas never ceases. The Christian defense of liberty calls us — and there is much hard work for us to do.”
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