Musk's Meeting with Twitter Employees

A summary of Elon Musk’s meeting with Twitter staff gives us a window into a typical “all-hands meeting.” Employees who ask questions demonstrate courage—and humility.

Of course, in this case, employees are most concerned about their jobs if/when Musk’s acquisition of the company is final. A Wall Street Journal article describes his stance:

Regarding layoffs, Mr. Musk said anyone who is a significant contributor shouldn’t have anything to worry about, according to people who viewed the meeting. “Right now, costs exceed revenue,” he said, according to the people. “That’s not a great situation.”

Likewise, this isn’t a great response for worried staff. How do they know whether they are “a significant contributor”? Doesn’t everyone believe that they are? As one person tweeted, “still not sure if I need to start packing my bags.” The company might lose good people in the meantime—people who don’t want to stick around to see what happens.

As expected, Musk was asked how he views freedom of speech. Musk distinguished between freedom of speech and “freedom of reach,” giving the example of “walk[ing] into the middle of Times Square and deny[ing] the Holocaust" but not allowing that to be promoted. "So I think people should be allowed to say pretty outrageous things that are within the bounds of the law, but then that doesn’t get amplified. It doesn’t get, you know, a ton of reach."

A lot of uncertainty remains for Twitter employees. It’s difficult to know how sincere the meeting was. As this employee cartoon suggests, employees expected that the meeting, although billed as confidential, would be leaked. Still, the format was probably useful for employees to hear directly from Musk, which is the point of these meetings, whether in person or virtual.

Comms About Disney Leadership Changes

When companies announce leadership changes, they typically include quotes from outgoing executives, but a Disney press release mentions the head of TV only in passing. The focus of the release is on Dana Walden’s promotion to Chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content. The 817-word statement mentions Tim Rice near the end of the first paragraph:

She will have oversight of ABC Entertainment, ABC News, Disney Branded Television, Disney Television Studios, Freeform, FX, Hulu Originals, National Geographic Content, and Onyx Collective. Walden previously served as Chairman, Entertainment, Walt Disney Television and succeeds Peter Rice, who is leaving the Company. Her appointment is effective immediately, and she will report directly to Chapek.

News reports explains that Rice was fired for differences over creative decisions, compensation, etc. The company statement could have acknowledged a bit more and demonstrated integrity and accountability for the decision; otherwise, the press carries the message.

In Walden’s email to employees, she mentions Rice in the 14th of 16 paragraphs:

In reflecting on my own professional journey, I am very fortunate to have worked alongside Peter Rice for a long time. We have been friends for almost three decades and he was my boss for eight years. He is a gifted executive, and I learned a lot from him. I know you all join me in wishing him the best in whatever he chooses to do next.

Of course, this is the right thing to do—and important for employees who may have loyalties to Rice. I respect that she didn’t sugarcoat his departure (and at least Disney isn’t claiming the weasley “mutual agreement” reason for leaving).

As always, leaders communicate by what they say and what they omit. This situation also illustrates a question for business communication students: is this bad news, good news, or a persuasive message? I would argue that it’s all three, depending on your perspective.

Fined for Writer's Block

I’m fascinated by a business in Tokyo, Manuscript Writing Cafe, that charges people if they miss the writing goal they set for their time working.

In addition to the $22 fee, book authors, corporate managers, and others (surprisingly, the article doesn’t mention students or academics) benefit from gathering with others to write. Co-owner Takuya Kawai says the strategy works: “Looking at each other, they find themselves under the same amount of stress—and so, together, they end up working hard.” Customers choose from varying levels of intervention from being left alone to constant observation.

Parts of this strategy match advice offered in Chapter 4 of Business Communication and Character for curing writer’s block, for example, choosing the right environment and scheduling a block of time. The cafe also might encourage free-writing and tackling the easiest parts first, particularly if goals are measured by number of words rather than quality.

Customers of the cafe (and business communication students) could consider why they experience writer’s block. For example, are they trying to make it perfect the first time? Are they impatient with the naturally slow pace of the writing process? Or do they avoid writing because they don’t like it? Many of us carry years of baggage, for example, feeling as though we’re “bad writers,” which would stymie anyone’s process. For this and other reasons, the cafe might help us overcome resistance by just writing—getting projects done. How can students use these principles in their academic work?

"Rainbow Washing" and Burger King Ad

Almost every company seems to have some recognition of Pride Month, a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community during the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. But skeptics complain that June has become a time for “rainbow washing,” which Urban Dictionary defines as “The act of using or adding rainbow colors and/or imagery to advertising, apparel, accessories, landmarks, et cetera, in order to indicate progressive support for LGBTQ equality (and earn consumer credibility)—but with a minimum of effort or pragmatic result. (Akin to ‘green-washing’ with environmental issues and ‘pink-washing’ with breast cancer.)”

Burger King has done worse. To promote a Whopper in Austria, the company’s ad agency suggested selling "two equal buns"—either two tops or two bottoms. Some found the sexual reference funny, but others were offended, particularly because Burger King used the joke only for financial gain. Unlike other brands, the company didn’t include, for example, a donation to an LGBTQ+ organization.

The agency sent an apology to AdAge: “We at Jung von Matt Donau are proud of our queer community within our agency. Unfortunately, we still messed up and didn’t check well enough with community members on different interpretations of the ‘Pride Whopper.’ That’s on us.” The group also said, “we’ve learned our lessons and will include experts on communicating with the LGBTQ community for future work as promoting equal love and equal rights will still be a priority for us.”

The company takes responsibility, but a good apology includes a bit more, for example, an understanding of the impact and reparations or compensation. AdAge didn’t publish the apology in full, but business communication students could rewrite the response to demonstrate more vulnerability, humility, and compassion. In addition, Burger King has remained quiet while the ad agency took all the blame.

End the Long Email Chains

New research highlights problems with choosing text-based communication for complex or ambiguous tasks. In Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, researchers published findings from five studies and concluded the following:

Findings suggest that communicators need to be aware that using text-based communication media, such as email for convergence tasks, can be tiring. As a result, they may not have the energy required to effectively deal with subsequent tasks requiring complex reasoning (e.g., writing a report) they may work on after they finish communicating.

Convergence tasks involve multiple perspectives and require creating a shared understanding, which is difficult to do by email or in Slack. When group decision making or negotiations, for example, starts a string of emails, the communication depletes our energy, making it harder to work on other complex tasks.

Study authors suggest what you might expect: choose a synchronous way of meeting instead. The authors acknowledge that meetings, particularly in person, are increasingly rare and challenging because of more remote work across time zones and varying schedules. But they say it’s worth the effort.

This advice is consistent with lessons in Chapter 1 of Business Communication and Character, which describes rich and lean media and reasons to choose one communication channel over the other. In-person meetings are best for complex decision making, building relationships, and emotional interactions.

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PGA Commissioner Sends Letter to Suspend Golfers

After a new golf tour has wooed Professional Golfers’ Association players, the association announced that they are no longer eligible to play in the PGA. The commissioner’s letter is an example of bad news for those who accepted the opportunity from the LIV Golf Invitational Series, a Saudi-backed organization, and it’s an example of persuasive communication for those who might consider doing the same.

In his letter, Commissioner Jay Monahan justifies the decision, using the word “regulations” several times. He mentions that players didn’t get proper releases for the conflict and blames players for making a “choice for their own financial-based reasons.” Monahan also appeals to a wide audience when he writes, “But they can’t demand the same PGA Tour membership benefits, considerations, opportunities and platform as you. That expectation disrespects you, our fans and our partners.”

Monahan uses strong language throughout and calls out specific players at the end of the letter, which players received while they were in the middle of a tournament. He demonstrates courage by facing some backlash, and he demonstrates some vulnerability by acknowledging, “What’s next? Can these players come back?”

The PGA is also holding players accountable, although not everyone agrees. In a statement, LIV Golf calls the decision “vindictive” and promises further action. The brief tweet is a notable counterweight to the PGA’s two-page letter. Students may analyze both in terms of tone, audience focus, content choices, and organization.

A Different Approach to Customer Replies

Squarespace is trying to reduce the volume of customer requests to handle, and I like the approach. I received this email three days after I submitted a ticket on the website.

From: Squarespace Customer Care <customercare@squarespace.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 7, 2022 9:06 AM
To: Amy Newman <amynewman@cornell.edu>
Subject: [Support] Re: Automatic weekly?

##- Please type your reply above this line -##

Hello, this is Squarespace Customer Support. We're writing to confirm that we received your email a few days ago and are still working to respond as soon as possible.

We're currently experiencing a high volume of requests, so it's taking us longer than usual to respond. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes.

If you've resolved your issue since contacting us, please reply with the word "solved" to let us know and we'll close the case on your behalf. You can reopen a closed case at any time by replying to the thread.

If you want to speak to someone directly about your issue, contact us via live chat. Live chat is available Monday - Friday from 4:00 AM to 8:00 PM ET. To start a chat, visit this link, choose a topic, then select Live Chat:

https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/requests/new#choose-topic

I wonder what percentage of customers resolve their own issue before the company can respond. Either way, this message gives customers some control over their fate and may reduce frustration. It worked for me, partly because the declining customer experience is well known and not unique to Squarespace.

It might not work for customers with a serious issue, but they can follow options in the last paragraph. In this sense, the message is a bad-news reply and, like most, it’s also persuasive. Students can analyze how well the writing style and organization work for the audience and purpose.

Airline Customer Service Reps Get Testy

A year ago, customers complained about long wait times on hold for airlines, and that has not changed. Representatives seem to be at their polite limits.

A Delta rep tweeted publicly for a customer to “calm down,” which led to a brief apology. Everyone seems to be stretched, with cancelled flights and staffing shortages a common complaint, exacerbating airline rage. The tweet is quite extraordinary for a service company like Delta—and maybe we need to be more patient. The bare-bones apology reflects this view.

Despite the previous success of tweeting, a Delta executive suggested other channels now that Twitter volume is impossible for stretched social media employees. To increase the chance of a response, a customer-experience consultant also suggests, “The more detailed or the more actionable the question is, the more [airlines] prioritize that.” This follows suggestions for any business communication message: stick to main points, provide enough evidence, and make your request easy to follow. She also warns customers to check their tone. Airline represents don’t want to “set a precedent” by responding to angry tweets, which might elevant others’ anger.

Checking our own character—compassion for airline employees and humility—is a good idea before lobbing a complaint whether in writing or on the phone. Of course, this is difficult when travel plans change and we’re on hold for hours, but airline reps are probably doing the best they can in a tough situation they didn’t cause.

Argument Linking Marijuana to Violence

A Wall Street Journal opinion is a good example of a persuasive argument for business communication students to analyze. The articles uses logical arguments, emotional appeal, and credibility; evidence is stronger for some points than for others.

The author provides research to support increased marijuana use in young people and to link marijuana use to mental illness and hospital visits. Is the evidence linking use to violence strong enough to convince students? The first study referenced studies of teenagers with mood disorders; the second is a meta-study that concludes, “cannabis use appears to be a contributing factor in the perpetration of violence.” Both are from credible sources and illustrate data analysis principles from Chapter 9 in the text.

I find the article title, “Cannabis and the Violent Crime Surge,” a misleading stretch. Coming just days after an elementary school school shooting—and when gun violence is a news mainstay—the WSJ implies a conclusion that I don’t see in the evidence. The author uses an example as evidence: the Uvalde, Texas, shooter apparently had a history of smoking marijuana. In addition, the argument is complicated by the claim that the shooter was NOT smoking at the time. Yet, he could have been experiencing detox, which may include anger and irritability. The author doesn’t include these points.

The author ends with, “Maybe it’s time that lawmakers and voters rethink their pot-legalization experiment before more young lives are damaged.” Do students agree?

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Another Elon Musk Email: Layoffs

Elon Musk has a unique way of announcing bad news. In an email to employees, which he sent to the New York Times and other news organizations, Musk is brief and direct.

To: Everybody
Subject: Headcount Reduction
Date: Friday, June 3, 2022

Tesla will be reducing salaried headcount by 10% as we have become overstaffed in many areas. Note this does not apply to anyone actually building cars, battery packs or installing solar. Hourly headcount will increase.

Elon

Business communication students can compare this message to principles in Chapter 8 for delivering bad news, particularly about jobs. Musk’s email doesn’t quite measure up. A better example is from Brian Chesky, Airbnb. Chesky tailors the message to his audience, letting them know why the decision was made, how it affects them, and what they can expect. He demonstrates vulnerability and compassion to those leaving—and to those staying.

Elon Musk's Harsh Emails

Elon Musk wants employees to work in the office, and he doesn’t waste words in getting his message across. In two emails, below, to Tesla and SpaceX employees, Musk requires at least 40 hours of work in a company main office.

First email:

Subject: Remote work is no longer acceptble [sic]

Anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean *minimum*) of 40 hours per week or depart Tesla. This is less than we ask of factory workers.

If there are particularly exceptional contributors for whom this is impossible, I will review and approve those exceptions directly.

Moreover, the “office” must be a main Tesla office, not a remote branch office unrelated to the job duties, for example being responsible for Fremont factory human relations, but having your office be in another state.

Thanks,
Elon

Second email:

Subject: To be super clear

Everyone at Tesla is required to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week. Moreover, the office must be where your actual colleagues are located, not some remote pseudo office. If you don’t show up, we will assume you have resigned.

The more senior you are, the more visible must be your presence. That is why I lived in the factory so much – so that those on the line could see me working alongside them. If I had not done that, Tesla would long ago have gone bankrupt.

There are of course companies that don’t require this, but when was the last time they shipped a great new product? It’s been a while.

Tesla has and will create and actually manufacture the most exciting and meaningful products of any company on Earth. This will not happen by phoning it in.

Thanks,
Elon///

In case it wasn’t clear, Musk tweeted consequences for employees who fail to follow his rules: “They should pretend to work somewhere else.” Musk is known for being demanding and direct. I refer to his emails as “harsh,” but not everyone will agree.

Musk has reasons for his decision, but he doesn’t include them. His strategy is coercion (implied, and then explicit in his tweet). He will get compliance, but I wonder how motivated and satisfied employees will be to work long hours in an office after having the flexibility to work from home.

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Walmart Apologizes for Commercializing Juneteenth

Walmart is facing backlash for using the Juneteenth holiday to market its products. The new U.S. federal holiday on June 19 commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans. Walmart took the opportunity to promote clothing, books, and food.

A particularly painful example is a container of red-velvet ice cream showing the Pan-African flag with the text, “Share and celebrate African-American culture, emancipation, and enduring hope.” Twitter users point to a similar ice cream at the Black-owned company Creamalicious. As one Twitter user wrote, “Walmart could have used this opportunity to highlight this brand instead of making a cheap copycat for OUR Independence Day.”

Walmart published a statement to several news organizations:

"Juneteenth holiday marks a commemoration and celebration of freedom and independence. However, we received feedback that a few items caused concern for some of our customers and we sincerely apologize. We are reviewing our assortment and will remove items as appropriate."

Does the statement meet criteria for a “good” apology: express regret, explain what went wrong, acknowledge responsibility, declare repentance, offer reparation, and request forgiveness? I would say only minimally. It does use the word “apologize,” acknowledge what went wrong, and promise to take action, but the statement doesn’t identify why the promotion might “cause concern.” Notice a glaring logical leap between the first and second sentences. Leaders could demonstrate more humility and accountability by explaining how the decision fell short and what damage it caused.

FDA Communications About Baby Formula

In the midst of the baby formula shortage, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has compiled resources for companies and parents.

A website provides “information about additional products headed to the U.S.” I find the language rather jargony and apparently targeted to companies seeking “enforcement discretion,” a technical term. The audience doesn’t seem to be parents.

A statement about the organization’s work sounds defensive and, again, not audience focused:

“We have made tremendous progress, including notable steps in just the past week, which will allow us to immediately begin bringing specialty and infant formula products into the U.S. as quickly as possible,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. “We continue to work closely with our U.S. government partners and domestic and international manufacturers to identify additional formula product that will be available to parents and caregivers in the weeks and months ahead. It is our goal to ensure that hospitals, specialty pharmacies, and retail store shelves will begin seeing adequate supplies again in the coming weeks.”

The following paragraph is a good one for business students to revise. If this were intended for worried parents, how could the segment be more reassuring? What is most important to parents? (Hint: When will products be available?)

On Tuesday, the FDA announced that it informed Kendal Nutricare that the agency is exercising enforcement discretion for the importation of certain infant formula under the Kendamil brand. Under the agency’s recent increased flexibilities regarding importation of certain infant formula products, the company initially estimates that about 2 million cans of infant formula (over 50 million full-size, 8-ounce bottles) are expected to land on U.S. store shelves beginning in June. Kendal Nutricare also currently has over 40,000 cans in stock for immediate dispatch. The FDA also announced that it is not objecting to the release of about 300,000 cans of EleCare amino acid-based infant formula previously produced at Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, Michigan, facility to individuals needing urgent, life-sustaining supplies of this specialty formula on a case-by-case basis. These products will undergo enhanced microbiological testing before release.

Argument for Public Health Approach to Reduce Shootings

After the tragic shooting at a Texas elementary school, pundits are proposing ways to finally reduce gun deaths. A New York Times opinion article, with graphics, describes a public health approach, which is different from what Nicholas Kristof calls the “liberal approach” of gun control.

The article is a good example of persuasive communication with descriptive message titles and infographics to illustrate each main point. Kristof summarizes his ideas in a 3 X 3 matrix.

In addition to his mix of text of graphics, Kristof uses strong language throughout, including the ending: “So let’s not just shed tears for the dead, give somber speeches and lower flags. Let’s get started and save lives.” I find the balance of logical argument, emotional appeal, credibility (logos, pathos, ethos) appropriate, but others might disagree.

Questions for business communication students might be, does Kristof demonstrate both courage and compassion, and how well do the graphics illustrate the main points of Kristof’s argument?

Spirit Airlines Appeals to Shareholders

Spirit Airlines is trying to persuade shareholders to approve a merger with Frontier Airlines (and reject a hostile takeover bid from JetBlue). Communications on the website, evenmoreultralowfares.com, don’t mention JetBlue’s bid at all:

• Website

• Slide deck

• FAQs

• Infographic

These messages illustrate adapting information to different genres. As we read each, we see clear, repeated main points—more cost savings for customers and value for shareholders. The company also promises promises more career opportunities and greater job stability for team members. In short, “Everyone wins.” The slide deck is a particularly good example for business communication students to analyze.

In a press release, Spirit confirms the plan with Frontier and encourages shareholders to reject JetBlue’s bid. But the messages on the website, above, remain unchanged. I was expecting to see a clearer comparison, but Spirit’s approach seems to be offensive rather than defensive.

JetBlue's Persuasive Appeal to Spirit Shareholders

Having lost bids to purchase Spirit Airlines, JetBlue is trying a hostile takeover, which includes appealing directly to Spirit shareholders. The letter and website, JetBlueOffersMore.com, are examples of persuasive messages.

On the website, the company uses a simple visual to compare, side-by-side, JetBlue’s offer and Spirit’s plan, which is to merge with Frontier Airlines. A fact sheet promotes the “JetBlue Effect,” which the company describes as lowering fares. In another document, JetBlue counters Spirit’s claim that the takeover would face regulatory challenges.

JetBlue uses strong language and message titles to present its main arguments, for example, “JetBlue’s All-Cash Superior Proposal Offers Greater Value and Closing Certainty.” Business communication students will find more examples of how the company uses persuasive communication principles in these messages.

Netflix's New "Culture Guidelines" Push Back on Employees

Netflix is letting employees know—before they’re hired—that they might find some content “harmful.” In the website “Jobs” section, the company writes “Culture Guidelines” to promote its culture and help applicants see whether the company is a fit.

Recently, Netflix added a new section called Artistic Expression. As a Wall Street Journal article explains, the company faces pressure that all technologies face and had a recent reckoning with comedian Dave Chappelle’s “The Closer,” which caused employee protests (and the CEO to regret his handling of the situation). Netflix is also facing subscription cancellations and increasing competition, so maybe the leadership team believes it can’t afford to censor content that maintains current and attracts new users.

The language, below, is probably innocuous enough, although “harmful” is a strong word. Trouble ensues when specific situations arise. How the company handles those in the future will be interesting to see.

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Artistic Expression

Entertaining the world is an amazing opportunity and also a challenge because viewers have very different tastes and points of view. So we offer a wide variety of TV shows and movies, some of which can be provocative. To help members make informed choices about what to watch, we offer ratings, content warnings and easy to use parental controls.

Not everyone will like—or agree with—everything on our service. While every title is different, we approach them based on the same set of principles: we support the artistic expression of the creators we choose to work with; we program for a diversity of audiences and tastes; and we let viewers decide what’s appropriate for them, versus having Netflix censor specific artists or voices,

As employees we support the principle that Netflix offers a diversity of stories, even if we find some titles counter to our own personal values. Depending on your role, you may need to work on titles you perceive to be harmful. If you’d find it hard to support our content breadth, Netflix may not be the best place for you.

Twitter's New Privacy Notice

Like most people, I ignore privacy notices, those jumbles of legalese in small print with too few headings. But Twitter’s latest is well designed and written in an authentic voice with conversational language. I can’t say whether previous notices were similar, but this one covers what users might care about and walks the reader through each part.

The notice starts with an engaging introduction that speaks to the reader: “Before you scroll, read this.” Six main points are up front, and each section leads with a user’s question, for example, “Seriously — what happens with my data?”

I wish more companies would write privacy notices this way. But then, people might actually read them.

Comm Tech Advice for New Grads

A Wall Street Journal article offers good advice for new grads to navigate the many communication tools available at work. Here are a few recommendations:

• Don’t text your bosses unless they text you first.

• Don’t ask 10 questions in 10 separate communiqués—batch them together before approaching your manager.

• On video calls, arrive early and stay late.

• Find out which [virtual meeting platform] is deployed by your company and download the apps for your desktop and mobile device in advance, then try a test meeting.

• Turn [your] camera on in meetings by default to build connections with colleagues.

• Don’t type anything you wouldn’t want your employer to see on Slack or any other company communication tool.

• Start with a summary and your main point or request up top [of emails].

All good advice for new hires—and others—to make a good impression at work.

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Starbucks CEO Letter to Partners

After his first month back as CEO, Howard Schultz posted a letter to employees, promising changes. As Starbucks faces labor shortages and more unionized stores, Schultz is doing his best to quell further unrest—and to return to the HR practices, such as benefits for part-time employees back in 1988, that gave the company the reputation as a good employer.

I wonder how this letter “lands” with employees. Is it specific enough? Does it address their bottom-line needs, like enough pay to buy gas and keep up with rent? For example, what does a $1 billion investment mean for the average worker? Also, although not explicit here, reports say that pay increases will apply only to nonunion stores, which has raised legal questions.

These questions also raise issues of leadership character. Is Schultz demonstrating integrity, particularly transparency, in his letter? Otherwise, this is a typical positive-news letter. He demonstrates compassion and empathy and conveys hope. A feel-good video shows Schultz with partners and their ideas for the future.

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Dear Partners:

Over the past month, I’ve traveled the country and met with thousands of you from our retail stores and all five roasting plants as we embark on co-creating the future of Starbucks.

The conversations we had were both humbling and inspiring. I heard about the challenges and frustrations you have faced. I heard how hard it has been during the pandemic, and the strain caused by accelerating demand and customer behaviors that have changed. I heard how your experience doesn’t always feel like the Starbucks you used to know or thought it would be.

You also voiced a great deal of hope: hope that meaningful change is possible; hope that Starbucks will restore our leadership in offering new and innovative investments that truly make a difference in your lives; and hope that we will reintroduce joy and connection back into the partner experience and make you proud.

The most important thing we must do in this moment is affirm unequivocally that to be a partner means:

• You have the pay, benefits, and stability you need, so you can focus on your aspirations

• You have everything you need to have the best shift, every shift

• You are recognized and celebrated for who you are

• You are part of co-creating the future of Starbucks. You have a voice, you feel heard, you can make a difference

As a direct result of your feedback, we are now making additional investments to lift up Starbucks partners and the store experience, contributing to the $1 billion in investments we are committing to the partner and store experience this year alone. Some of the new and more immediate changes you can expect are:

• Doubling training hours in our stores

• Pay increases that will apply to all U.S. store partners while recognizing and rewarding tenure

• Reintroduction of the Black Aprons, Coffee Master program and Leadership in Origin trips to our coffee farm at Hacienda Alsacia

• New collaboration tools and programs, including a new partner app for easier access to communication, information and resources

That’s just the start. We are also prioritizing and accelerating investments in equipment and technology, enhancements to digital tipping, a financial stability toolkit benefit, and recognition and career development, all with your input. Our history shows that working together is always the best way to transform and elevate the experience we deliver to you, to our customers and to the communities we serve.

As I shared with you last month, love and responsibility are what brought me back to Starbucks: my love of the company and my deep responsibility to our partners and shareholders. Hearing from so many of you since my return has only deepened my commitment and affirmed the need to take bold action to restore your trust and belief in Starbucks. I could not be more optimistic or confident in our next chapter that is now underway.

Onward with gratitude,

Howard