Artificial intelligence is becoming more advanced with each passing day. It is changing how people work, as AI agents are being used by more and more people in their daily workflows. On the other hand, companies are laying off employees in entry-level positions after automating these positions. Not just small companies but big American companies like Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon are also laying off people.
Interestingly, until now, everyone was of the opinion that AI is going to first take away jobs of the entry-level workers. Only then will it gradually go vertical for senior-level positions. However, recently Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey and Walmart CEO Doug McMillon both have stepped down from their roles, claiming a shift driven by AI. This ultimately proves that AI is impacting jobs across all levels.
What did the Coca-Cola CEO say while stepping down?
James Quincey, who has led Coca-Cola since 2017, claimed that his decision to vacate his role as CEO was partly influenced by a shift driven by AI. He told CNBC, “I concluded that, actually, it was time to put someone else on the field for the next wave of growth.”
Quincey insisted that Coca-Cola has made good progress in a “pre-gen AI mode”; however, it was time for “someone with the energy to pursue a completely new transformation of the enterprise.” He will be succeeded by current COO Henrique Braun at the end of this month.
What did the Walmart CEO say while stepping down?
Doug McMillon, who has served as Walmart’s CEO since 2014, shared similar views to his Coca-Cola counterpart. Walmart, which also owns Indian e-commerce platform Flipkart, is the world’s largest retailer. And Dough believes that AI will transform the way we shop completely.
He told CNBC, “With what’s happening with AI, I could start this next big set of transformations with AI, but I couldn’t finish.” Particularly, Doug insisted that agentic AI will play a major role in the retail space.
This led to the Walmart chief ultimately deciding that he needed to put someone else in charge. He added, “I started thinking about everything that needs to happen over the next few years, and it really caused me to think that now was the right time [to step down].” McMillon handed over leadership to John Furner, former head of Walmart US, on February 1, 2026.
Will AI replace CEOs too?
The decisions by James Quincey and Doug McMillon reflect a broader trend among executives facing the challenges posed by AI. While these two leaders decided to step down, some are experimenting more with AI.
Amidst all of this, Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg is reported to be testing his own CEO AI agent that can do things on his behalf. Previously, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman insisted that in the future, AI may be able to do a much better job as CEO of a company.