• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
LeadershipCEO Daily

Chipotle CEO, AI Salaries, Working With the Flu: CEO Daily for February 14, 2018

By
Andrew Nusca
Andrew Nusca
and
Claire Zillman
Claire Zillman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Andrew Nusca
Andrew Nusca
and
Claire Zillman
Claire Zillman
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 14, 2018, 3:14 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Good morning. Fortune digital editor Andrew Nusca here in place of Alan, who is taking a much-deserved day off.

Chipotle, the popular fast casual food chain, named a new CEO late yesterday. Brian Niccol, CEO of Taco Bell, replaces Chipotle founder Steve Ells, who becomes the company’s executive chairman. Wall Street applauded the news; Chipotle’s slumping stock price shot up by as much as 12% in after-hours trading.

Don’t let the Mexi-inspired commonalities fool you—Ells and Niccol couldn’t be more different. Ells, 51, is the exacting chef-turned-entrepreneur-turned-executive who founded Chipotle in 1993. Niccol, 43, is a corporate fixture who spent a decade managing brands at P&G before six years at Pizza Hut and seven at Taco Bell, two as its CEO. One man brought forth a fast-casual revolution; another crafted a quick-service evolution.

But evolution is exactly what Chipotle needs right now. The chain’s scale—it now has more than 2,400 locations—long ago outran Ells, leading to 2015 and 2017 food safety scares that sullied the brand’s reputation for quality among consumers. Tapping Niccol, who presided over some 7,000 Taco Bell locations and repositioned the brand as a lifestyle choice, is the jolt of operational experience Chipotle needs.

Will Ells give Niccol enough room to revive the burrito purveyor? If he’s a student of business history, he will—founder-CEOs are rare for good reason. Because the only thing worse than a stomach bug that won’t quit is an executive that does the same.

Oh, and one more thing: We are proud to announce that Fortune’s next Global Forum will be held from Oct. 15 to 17 in Toronto. Our long-running Global Forum brings together CEOs and government leaders to discuss key business issues and topics of interest. Expect energy, infrastructure, and technology to feature in our Canadian program.

Today’s news below.

Andrew Nusca
@editorialiste
andrew.nusca@fortune.com

Top News

Midterm Meddling

Russian operatives are already working to interfere with the U.S. midterm elections, according to American intelligence officials, using extensive digital trickery to deepen political divisions in the country. America's not alone, either: European elections are also targeted. New York Times

Still Sweating It

Under Armour’s shares soared Tuesday after better-than-expected fourth-quarter results, but it’s premature to pop the champagne. Its sales still represent a slowdown from explosive growth in the recent past. Plus, it's facing fierce competition in North America—its largest market—from a still-ascendant Adidas, Lululemon Athletics' menswear line, and Dick’s Sporting Goods, a key retail partner that's now pushing its own brands. Fortune

Your Delivery Has Arrived

JD.com, the second-largest Chinese e-commerce company behind Alibaba, has raised $2.5 billion for its logistics arm as it seeks to further bolster its market position in China and abroad. (The unit was valued at $10.9 billion prior to the new funding.) On tap for the retailer, according to CEO Richard Liu: automation, drones and robotics. Reuters

Hollywood Hostilities

Netflix signed 21st Century Fox producer Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story) to a deal reported to last five years and be worth $300 million. It's the latest salvo in a vicious war over talent between Netflix and its more traditional entertainment rivals; the Los Gatos, Calif. company managed to woo Shonda Rhimes (Scandal, Grey's Anatomy) last August. Wall Street Journal

Around the Water Cooler

In the Ballpark 

Artificial intelligence experts are commanding multiyear, seven-figure salaries for one reason: no one's sure how many there are. Montreal startup Element AI estimated in February that there are 22,000 Ph.D.-level computer scientists around the world capable of building AI systems, but in December, Tencent Holdings pegged the number of "AI practitioners and researchers" much higher, in the 200,000 to 300,000 range. Bloomberg

Working Sick

Employers that don't offer paid sick days could be making this year's devastating flu season even worse. Studies show that employees without the benefit are more likely to go to work sick than to stay home and lose a day's pay, which is bad for their own health and the health of their officemates. Washington Post

Pay Up

American Bitcoin investors aren’t in a hurry to tell Uncle Sam what they owe. Early data from one popular tax prep service shows that just .04% of tax filers in the U.S. have reported their cryptocurrency gains and losses to the IRS so far this year. That’s far fewer than the 7% who are estimated to own Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency, and who are likely to owe taxes to the IRS on those investments. Fortune

Cross My Heart

Happy Valentine's Day! Or are you observing Ash Wednesday? Or both? Today is the first time since 1945 that the romantic holiday and the start of Lent have fallen on the same date, which, The New York Times notes, is posing a culinary conundrum for Catholics. New York Times

This edition of CEO Daily was co-edited by Claire Zillman and Andrew Nusca. Find previous editions of CEO Daily here, and sign up for other Fortune newsletters here.

About the Authors
Andrew Nusca
By Andrew NuscaEditorial Director, Brainstorm; author, Fortune Tech
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Andrew Nusca is the editorial director of Brainstorm, Fortune's innovation-obsessed community and event series. He also authors Fortune Tech, Fortune’s flagship tech newsletter.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Claire Zillman
By Claire ZillmanEditor, Leadership
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Claire Zillman is a senior editor at Fortune, overseeing leadership stories. 

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

erik
AIJobs
‘It’s not going away’: The Stanford economist who called the AI entry-level jobs crisis early has the receipts
By Nick LichtenbergJune 27, 2026
2 hours ago
Robert Shiller, professor of economics at Yale University
AIEconomics
Nobel laureate economist warns AI jobs apocalypse fears could become a self-fulfilling prophesy
By Eva RoytburgJune 27, 2026
4 hours ago
dr
Commentarydisruption
The uncertainty paradox: believe it or not, today’s massive uncertainty creates the best conditions for disruptive growth
By James G. Naples, Wendy K. Smith and Scott D. AnthonyJune 27, 2026
4 hours ago
One in 10 Gen Zers want their boss to be replaced by AI—they’re already being polite to ChatGPT just in case
SuccessGen Z
One in 10 Gen Zers want their boss to be replaced by AI—they’re already being polite to ChatGPT just in case
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 27, 2026
5 hours ago
Photo of Elon Musk
C-SuiteElon Musk
‘Don’t look at the résumé’: Elon Musk admits he’s ‘fallen prey’ to flashy credentials and says conversation matters most when hiring
By Jacqueline MunisJune 27, 2026
5 hours ago
young workers talking at their desks
SuccessGen Z
Stop blaming Gen Z for resisting RTO: 71% say they want a hybrid balance—and now they’re quietly leading the office comeback
By Sydney LakeJune 27, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
2 days ago
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
3 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
5 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 26, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 26, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 26, 2026
1 day ago
Ray Dalio says the U.S. just had its 'Suez moment'—and history says what comes next could end an empire
Economy
Ray Dalio says the U.S. just had its 'Suez moment'—and history says what comes next could end an empire
By Nick LichtenbergJune 26, 2026
1 day ago
The bond market knows something about the $39 trillion national debt that Washington doesn’t
Economy
The bond market knows something about the $39 trillion national debt that Washington doesn’t
By Eva RoytburgJune 25, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.