John Furner officially became CEO of Walmart in February, inheriting a $1 trillion retail empire that recently ceded the top spot in the Fortune 500 to Amazon. His rise to the helm of the nation’s largest employer, but, began three decades earlier, stocking shelves at a garden center in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Furner’s appointment, following the retirement of Doug McMillon after nearly 12 years, marks a continuation of Walmart’s tradition of promoting from within. McMillon himself started as an hourly associate in 1984 and publicly endorsed Furner as “the right person” to lead the company forward, according to a Walmart statement.
The transition comes at a pivotal moment for the retail giant. Even as Walmart’s revenue has consistently increased over the past 20 years, and shares remain at an all-time high, Amazon surpassed it in 2025 with $716.9 billion in revenue. Furner is now tasked with accelerating Walmart’s transformation from a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer into a tech-driven competitor capable of challenging Amazon’s dominance.
Furner’s connection to Walmart runs deep. His father, Steve Furner, spent 25 years with the company, joining the operations team in 1977 when Walmart operated fewer than 100 stores. Furner has often credited his father with instilling core values that shaped his leadership style. “I heard about respect for the individual, serving customers, and striving for excellence when I was four years old,” Furner recalled in a 2020 interview with Walmart. “I, of course, had no idea what it meant, but totally got to understand over time the power of it.”
That emphasis on people extended beyond lessons on the sales floor. A company historian noted Steve Furner’s personal slogan was “people helping people,” a principle emphasizing kindness and mutual support. This ethos was powerfully demonstrated when Furner’s mother fell ill in 1987, prompting store managers across multiple markets to raise funds for the family, a gesture the Furners hadn’t solicited or anticipated.
Furner’s own career trajectory within Walmart has been marked by a series of increasingly responsible roles. After earning a degree in marketing management from the University of Arkansas, he progressed from store manager and district manager to divisional general manager and VP of global sourcing, including a two-year assignment in Shenzhen, China, overseeing merchandising and marketing. Prior to becoming CEO, he led Walmart U.S. And previously served as CEO of Sam’s Club.
As Walmart U.S. CEO, Furner implemented significant changes to manager compensation. In 2025, the company introduced pay packages for its highest-performing managers ranging from $420,000 to $620,000 annually, with average base pay increasing from $130,000 to $160,000, supplemented by bonuses and stock grants. “What we did last year was make managers perceive like owners,” Furner stated at a retail and consumer conference. “This includes shareholding, which has positively impacted their approach to the company’s profits and losses.”
Furner has also prioritized internal promotion, noting that approximately 75% of Walmart managers begin their careers as hourly associates. The company offers incentive programs to encourage employee retention, recognizing that a stable workforce is crucial to its success.
Looking ahead, Furner is focused on leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance Walmart’s operations and empower its workforce. The company is partnering with Google to provide its 1.6 million employees with access to an eight-hour AI fundamentals course. Furner himself reportedly uses AI daily, encouraging associates to integrate the technology into their workflows. “We’re just trying to help people have a head start and get to the areas that are most impactful really quickly,” he told Fortune magazine.
Despite anxieties surrounding potential job displacement due to AI, Furner expressed confidence that Walmart’s workforce size would remain relatively stable, with AI primarily automating redundant tasks and freeing employees to focus on higher-value activities. This stance aligns with comments from JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, who has emphasized the importance of workforce redeployment in the age of AI. However, other companies, such as Block, have recently implemented layoffs explicitly linked to AI-driven efficiency gains.
Walmart’s online business grew 27% last quarter, and the company announced plans in September to expand its presence in the video streaming market. Furner’s leadership will be critical as Walmart navigates these new ventures and seeks to regain the top position in the Fortune 500.
