After Starbucks fired Laxman Narasimhan, old video of ex-CEO saying he never worked beyond 6 pm goes viral

Soon after Starbucks reportedly fired Indian-origin Laxman Narasimhan from the position of Chief Executive Officer, a recent interview of him saying he 'almost never' worked past 6 pm has been making rounds on various social media platforms.

"I am very disciplined about balance. If there's anything after 6 pm and I am in town, it's got to be a pretty high bar to keep me away from the family. Anybody who gets a minute of time after that better be sure that it's important... Because if not it will just wait for another day," Narasimhan said in an interivew to Fortune.

Starbucks on Tuesday announced that Chipotle Mexican Grill's head, Brian Niccol, will replace Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Laxman Narasimhan.




The coffee chain has been under pressure from activist investor Elliott Investment Management, which owns a sizable stake and has been pushing it to improve its performance and stock price.

Narasimhan, who was appointed as the company's head in September 2022, is stepping down from his role as CEO and as a member of the board with immediate effect.

Starbucks tapped Chipotle Mexican Grill's head Brian Niccol on Tuesday to lead the coffee giant known for its pricey lattes amid pressure from activist investors and declining sales in the U.S. and China.

Who is Starbuck's new top boss?
Niccol has been the CEO at Chipotle since March 2018 and took on the additional role of chairman from March 2020.

He was CEO of Taco Bell, a division of Yum Brands, from 2015 to early 2018 and before that had held positions at Pizza Hut, another banner under Yum.

Before his stint at Yum, Niccol spent 10 years at consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble.

Currently, he is on the board of big-box retailer Walmart and has previously served on the boards of homebuilder KB Home and bike maker Harley-Davidson.

Niccol graduated from Miami University and has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

(with agency inputs)