A week ago, Starbucks’ new CEO was a ‘messiah’… and then everyone learned about his 1,000-mile private jet supershuttle

a week ago Starbucks the new CEO, Brian Niccolwas described as This “Messiah”. the sick coffee giant searched for.

The simple announcement that Chipotle’s former CEO had a new job sent Starbucks stock up 25% — the biggest increase in the company’s history.

Niccol, who has a successful track record of turning around companies that have hit hard times, including Taco Bell and most recently Chipotle, is set to start at Starbucks on September 9.

So far, so good.

But in recent days, the good news has been overshadowed by a public backlash over perks in his contract that allow him to work remotely from his home in Newport Beach, Calif., and commute to the company’s headquarters in Seattle with a private plane.

In Starbucks’ offer letter to Niccol, the company said, “During your employment with the Company, you will not be required to relocate to the Company’s premises… You agree to commute from your residence to the Company’s premises ( and engage in other business travel. ) as necessary to carry out your duties and responsibilities.”

The document also states that he will be eligible to use the company’s aircraft for “business-related travel” and “travel between (or) city of residence and company headquarters.”

A Starbucks spokesperson clarified to CNBC that its new boss will still be expected to work from Starbucks’ Seattle office at least three days a week, in line with the company’s hybrid work policies.

However, instead of putting out the fire, the announcements only fanned the flames. Until Thursday, the New York Times weighted with a sarcastic title. The BBC even produced a map of his commute.

Niccol’s shuttle had taken on a media life of its own.

“What a bunch of performance hypocrites”

Some consumers have (wrongly) concluded that since Niccol is not required to move to Seattle, he will use the company’s jet to get to work every day.

Although the company denied to the BBC that it expected Niccol to fly back and forth more than 1,000 miles each day, the public went into overdrive, blasting his “hypocritical” shuttle given the company’s recent sustainability commitments. According to a 2021 report by the European Federation for Transport and the Environment, private jets are up to 14 times more polluting, per passenger, than commercial jets and 50 times more polluting than trains.

“Starbucks CEO decided to travel by private jet for work instead of moving. In the meantime, we should save the environment and drink coffee with a paper straw that gets wet in minutes,” wrote one user of the social network on X.

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Another user joked: “Looks like we’re going to have to use a lot more reusable cups and paper straws to ‘offset’ the new Starbucks CEO’s huge carbon footprint.”

“What a bunch of performative hypocrites with their eco-friendly branding. No company that really cares about the climate would agree to this,” said a third.

“If this man regularly commutes in a private jet, don’t let @Starbucks convince you they are environmentally conscious,” wrote another. “They take us commoners for our cars, but things like private jets and yachts do a lot more environmental damage per unit.”

Starbucks has refused to comment on accusations that it is hypocritical by pushing its customers to use paper straws while its CEO has access to the company jet.

“Niccol has proven to be one of the most effective leaders in our industry, generating significant financial returns over many years,” said a company spokesperson. Wealth. “We are confident in his experience and ability to serve as a leader of our global business and brand, delivering long-term and lasting value for our partners, customers and shareholders.”

The public will forget Starbucks’ hypocrisy—its workers won’t

Ben Alalouff, director of strategy at marketing agency Live & Breathe, believes that while the public backlash will explode in a few days, Starbucks workers won’t forget the news so quickly.

“If I was a corporate Starbucks employee and I heard that a huge amount of costs were being used every month (to fuel a private jet) instead of investing in the workforce or investing in benefits or bonuses or whatever, I “I would be pretty upset,” he told Fortune.

In addition to the anger directed at Starbucks from environmentally conscious consumers, others on social media were quick to point out the inconsistency with Starbucks’ decision to require office workers to return to the office at least three days a week.

Unlike Niccol, those who live away from the office (on a fraction of their boss’s salary) will have had to choose between relocating to meet the company’s requirements in the office or finding alternative employment.

It’s probably a nine-day wonder

In the long run, however, Alalouff believes the Starbucks brand will be fine.

“I think it’s too big a brand and it’s too small a problem in the multitude of things that are wrong with the world,” says Alalouff. wealth. “No one is going to change their coffee habits in the long term based on the fact that the CEO is on a jet three days a week.”

“It will be interesting and ridiculous behavior from an executive this week… But I think the concern would be from within,” he adds.

“I fully understand the talent of stretching and adapting that will be transformative for your business. But I think this one probably goes a little too far.”

Niccol’s arrangements are quite common. About 7% of CEOs are back in the office full-time (despite the fact that a quarter of them consider returning to the office full-time a priority).

Unsurprisingly, the double standard does not go unnoticed by employees who often respond to rigid RTO mandates with resignation letters – or stay but put in minimal effort and find ways to break the rules.

In Alalouff’s eyes, Starbucks will have to spend the next six months making the company “look rosy” to gain buy-in from both employees and customers.

“The less this new CEO has a huge impact that is visible both internally and externally, the worse this decision will look,” he concludes.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com