Deb Hall Lefevre resigned as Starbucks chief technology officer and planned to retire. Ningyu Chen, formerly senior vice president of global experience technology, was named interim CTO. Starbucks announced a second round of deep corporate role cuts and plans to close underperforming U.S. stores, expecting a roughly 1% decline in company-owned U.S. and Canada locations and several hundred closures by the end of fiscal 2025. The company will eliminate 900 non-retail roles. CEO Brian Niccol is pursuing a tech-led turnaround called Back to Starbucks that includes AI initiatives such as automated inventory counters, an AI barista assistant, a new point-of-sale system, and a queuing algorithm.
"Using AI to revamp how cafes operate The revamp includes an AI-powered automated inventory counter that is in the process of being rolled out to all company-owned stores in North America by the end of September. Other initiatives include an AI assistant for baristas, a new point-of-sales system, and a queuing algorithm meant to help baristas sequence orders during rush hour."
"Lefevre didn't respond to a request for comment Thursday night. On Thursday, the company said it would close underperforming stores in the United States. Its overall company-owned U.S. and Canada store count is expected to drop by 1%, with several hundred stores expected to close by the end of the 2025 fiscal year. It also said 900 non-retail roles would be eliminated, with affected employees being notified Friday."
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