The co-founder and retired CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey, built a grocery store empire by embracing what he calls "conscious capitalism"—a management style that focuses on the higher purpose of a business and how it creates value not just for shareholders but for customers, employees, and other "stakeholders." Mackey has appeared in Reason's pages many times, including a landmark 2005 debate with Nobel laureate Milton Friedman and Cypress Semiconductor founder T.J. Rodgers about the social responsibility of business. For more on the ways that debate has evolved, check out Samuel Gregg's "Rise of the Stakeholders" (page 32).
In July, Reason's Nick Gillespie caught up with Mackey at FreedomFest 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada, not long before Mackey's retirement.
