On November 3, 2019, McDonald’s announced that its board had removed CEO Steve Easterbrook. He had had a consensual relationship with an employee. The board said he had “demonstrated poor judgment” and broken company policy. The policy bars employees who have a direct or indirect reporting relationship to each other from dating.
Easterbrook wrote to staff: “This was a mistake. Given the values of the company, I agree with the board that it is time for me to move on.”