How Starbucks’ CEO is revamping the brand

Masters of Scale

WaitWhat

Entrepreneurship, Business, Management, Reid Hoffman, Mindset, Diversity & Inclusion, Jeff Berman, Bob Safian, Startups

4.6 • 4.4K Ratings

🗓️ 16 July 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol made waves this week by announcing a new Return-to-Office mandate for corporate workers. It’s the latest in a string of changes the coffee company is making to restore its position in the US and global marketplace. Hear Niccol explain his revamped brand strategy in this conversation from February of 2025. He shares insights about evolving Starbucks’ business model, tackling the Chinese market, and how AI and tariffs are poised to shape the brand’s future.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey folks, Jeff Berman here. We are gathering the leaders who are building what's next at the Masters of Scale Summit. You'll see visionaries like Chabani's Hamdi Ulukaya, restaurant tour David Chang, Patagonia's Ryan Gallert, promises Fadra Ellis Lampkins, the National Women's Soccer League's Jessica Berman. The list goes on and on. Please join us
0:22.5	October 7 to 9th in San Francisco. The room is filling up fast. So apply now at masters ofscale.com
0:29.8	slash apply 25. That's masters of scale.com slash apply 25.
0:41.1	The phase we're in is we got to get things turned around.
0:46.0	We got to get what I would call the soul of the business back and this connection back.
0:49.1	We are having to reintroduce the brand to people.
0:54.7	We got to change the conversation of what the Starbucks coffee company stands for.
0:58.1	You know, if people just call us a corporation, I'm not doing my job.
1:20.7	And, you know, we're going to use marketing to do that, and we're going to use experiences in the store to do that. That's Brian Nickel, the CEO of Starbucks. Before taking the helm in September,
1:26.8	Brian was CEO of Chipotle, doubling revenue and taking the fast casual brand to new heights.
1:29.5	At Starbucks, Brian's taking on a business in a reputational decline with sales waning and customers dissatisfied by long wait times and high
1:36.2	prices. Brian is pushing a so-called back to Starbucks plan, stripping the business to its core
1:42.3	and prioritizing human connection.
1:45.1	Brian shares insights for leaders everywhere about the power of small details and simple
1:50.0	strategy.
1:51.1	He also explains why mobile ordering is the business's biggest pain point, his solutions
1:56.3	for union unrest, how AI is impacting operations, the potential impact of Trump's tariffs and more.
2:03.9	It's a full cup, so let's get to it.
2:07.0	I'm Bob Safian, and this is Rapid Response.
2:14.4	I'm Bob Safian. I'm here with Brian Nicholl, CEO of Starbucks.
2:18.5	Brian, thanks for joining us.
2:20.5	Yeah, great to be here, Bob.
	...

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