The Lesson From the McDonald's CEO Who Couldn't Eat His Own Burger
People are getting very rich selling your kids products they'd never touch.
It was the bite heard round the world: McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski posted a video to Instagram of him trying his company’s new offering, the Big Arch, an ultra-processed sandwich he aptly described as “the product.” He was not lovin’ it. The bite was barely a bite — more of a tentative nibble. “That is so good,” he said — but it did not look so good.
The video went viral. Other fast food companies jumped in, showing their CEOs enthusiastically chowing down on their own “products.” But the McDonald’s moment is an informative one, and a good reminder: The very wealthy corporate leaders who sell you things like McDonald’s hamburgers are not eating that stuff themselves The very wealthy tech entrepreneurs who hawk social media apps and AI tools are not giving their own kids unlimited time online. There is an entire class of hyper-elite who are selling you stuff they know is terrible. The McDonald’s CEO just made it obvious.
