Steve Easterbrook has been fired from his role as chief executive of McDonald’s, the fast-food chain announced on Sunday, after he engaged in a consensual relationship with an employee that violated company policy. In a statement announcing the firing, McDonald’s said the company’s board had determined that Mr. Easterbrook had “demonstrated poor judgment.”“I engaged in a recent consensual relationship with an employee, which violated McDonald’s policy,” Mr. Easterbrook, who became the chief executive in March 2015, wrote in an email to McDonald’s employees. “This was a mistake. Given the values of the company, I agree with the board that it is time for me to move on.”Mr. Easterbrook had been widely credited with turning around McDonald’s after it posted one of its worst financial performances in years, in 2015. He emphasized technological innovation, striking food-delivery deals with the third-party apps Uber Eats and DoorDash and acquiring smaller companies that specialize in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Source: New York Times November 03, 2019 21:22 UTC