DM

Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

This is a team sport; nothing happens through the work of just an individual. We all do this together, whether in a startup or a big company.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

I've learned that sometimes decisions just need to be made quickly, especially during times of high uncertainty like the pandemic.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

Life is short, so enjoy every day. Faith and family are what really matter and keep me grounded.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

When I moved into the CEO role, I had to be clear on our purpose and the values and culture we wanted to instill in the organization.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

We need to be clear on what needs to change and what should stay the same to maintain our company's purpose and values.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

We believe in servant leadership, looking for altruistic people who can put others first, and that culture must be reflected in our daily behavior.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

Raising wages for associates has been one of my best days as CEO, and I want to keep doing that while also maintaining low prices for customers.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

Walmart is both a brick-and-mortar retailer and an e-commerce company, and we are focused on integrating both to support our supply chain.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

We care about what happens in our supply chain and want to ensure our customers do not pay higher prices due to rising costs.

DM

Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

We manage our relationships with suppliers by collaborating to solve challenges and ensuring they can invest in their operations while providing value to our customers.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

At Walmart, we have 120,000 items in an average Supercenter and hundreds of millions of items online, many of which are first-party inventory that we own.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

We continuously identify and eliminate wasteful practices that don't add value for customers, such as optimizing trailer space to reduce costs.

DM

Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

When I feel uncertain, I consult the category buyers, who often have creative solutions to navigate challenges, which helps me feel more secure.

DM

Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

I'm excited about saving customers more time, like with our home delivery service that brings groceries directly into their kitchens or garages.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

We've been using algorithms to recommend entire shopping baskets to customers, allowing them to save time and effort in their shopping experience.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

Money is important, but so is time; we aim to make shopping more delightful by saving customers time.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

Short-form video and live streaming are growing trends in retail, and we're leveraging social commerce to fulfill orders through social media platforms.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

Every company today is a tech company; we are integrating AI and robotics into our operations to enhance efficiency and customer experience.

DM

Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

During the pandemic, we learned the importance of speed in decision-making, which allowed us to adapt quickly and effectively to challenges.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

I believe in being comfortable with criticism; our customers clearly wanted e-commerce, and I had the conviction to push for it despite challenges.

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Doug McMillon

04/24/25

@ Stanford Graduate School of Business

We didn't quit during the Jet.com integration, and despite initial criticism, we built a strong e-commerce platform that is now a dominant player.

View From The Top with Doug McMillon, President and CEO of Walmart

Takeaways