Walmart’s Choice for New CEO Signals Intent to Expand Digital Footprint

Walmart’s appointment of John Furner as its new CEO signals that the retailer intends to expand its digital footprint, Bloomberg reported Friday (Jan. 30).

Furner, who currently leads Walmart US, will become CEO of Walmart Inc. on Sunday (Feb. 1), replacing current CEO Doug McMillon, who will retire.

Furner is known to be tech savvy, according to the report. He was an early proponent of drones, he chats with artificial intelligence during his commute to work, and he visits companies in Silicon Valley to better understand emerging technologies, per the report.

He will become CEO at a time when Walmart is growing, its shares are up 20% year over year and it is approaching a $1 trillion market valuation, the report said. His challenge will be to maintain that growth at a time when AI is set to cause the biggest disruption in retail since eCommerce, per the report.

When Furner named his team of senior executives earlier this month, he appointed David Guggina to succeed him as CEO of Walmart US. Guggina has been leading Walmart’s eCommerce efforts, and his appointment marks a change from the retailer’s tradition of selecting store or merchandising operators for that position, the report said.

In announcing upcoming leadership changes on Jan. 16, Walmart said of Guggina: “Guggina’s background in eCommerce and supply chain operations uniquely positions him to continue to drive our goal of being America’s favorite place to shop.”

Dan Bartlett, executive vice president of corporate affairs at Walmart, told Bloomberg that Furner is “very curious about what’s around the corner. That feeds his style, as far as pushing the teams to not just manage day-to-day but try to see where things are headed.”

Walmart announced in November 2025 that Furner would become CEO on Feb. 1.

During an earlier leadership change, when Furner was named to lead Walmart U.S. after serving as CEO of Walmart-owned Sam’s Club, McMillon said that Furner “embraces technology and new ways of working.”