“A lot of times we say loyalty in retail is the absence of something better. So we have to be the organization that is always thinking about how we get to better and best for the customer.”
Masters of Scale · Startups & Venture · November 2026
Context
Jeff Berman asked what Walmart has done in eight months to reorient for the AI era. Furner describes customers asking in plain English for things like a gluten-free taco dinner for four, matched against a huge catalog and delivered fast. This line is why Walmart treats AI as a way to stay ahead of competitors.
Transcript
…them to do something. In leadership, you can be frustrated when you get pushback, but it's not pushback. They're doing what we've asked them to do. So, you know, providing context, providing understanding, maintaining alignment is just a really critical part of landing change in a big organization.
…on in the world. I have a little bit about that. I don't think we necessarily think about Walmart as a tech-forward company, notwithstanding your size and everything that you do from a technological perspective. What have you done eight months in in the job to reorient the company for this AI era?
Well, what's great about the company is we have a strong purpose that our founder left us with, to save people money, help people live better. That's been true for a long time. And for years, Jeff, if you would ask me, can you tell me about what it's like being a part of Walmart? What does Walmart do? I think my response had been, well, how much time do you have? Because it's big, it's complex. And we had to really tighten down how we describe the company. And what we landed on, I love the way it came out. It's people-led, tech-powered, and omni-channel retail. Omni-channel retail, just a representation of we want to be really flexible to serve customers however they want to be served, at the counter, at the curb, at their home, in their refrigerator. And tech powered is important. We think of technology as an enabler of making our people be the most successful they can be in the shortest amount of time. And that goes back all the way to the 70s and the 80s. We're early…
Probably doesn't hurt to have Sarah Fryer on your board also, helping steer. John, you mentioned at the press of a button. That's how those of us here for the last 20 years plus, we've been thinking about it. But now, with the rise of Muse and Insight and all these other personal agents, say…
Yeah, it's a great question. We're thinking about the connection from the screen to the physical world. And I don't want to step past understanding how we listen to the 275 million or so customers we serve every week and understand them at the individual level, think about what it is they're trying…
And that's a big announcement and a big step forward for Walmart, for your customers. And, you know, I've got two kids in college as well, and I can see the benefit for me there, and I appreciate it. At the same time, Rabbi Sharon Brouse will be on our stage later in the summit. She wrote a…
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