Whole Foods CEO reveals $13.7 billion Amazon deal came to him in a dream
"About a year and a half ago, I dreamed that we merged with Amazon. I woke up, and I told my wife about it. And she said, 'That's crazy,'" John Mackey said at a town hall meeting on Friday, after Amazon announced it was buying Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. "And I said, 'I know. That's really weird, isn't it?'"
In the discussion, Mackey said the deal was analogous to an old-fashioned marriage.
"It's been a whirlwind courtship. Because - little over six weeks after we met on this blind date, we're - we're f - officially engaged," he said. "But like an old traditional marriage, where there are all kinds of rules and chaperones, we can't consummate the marriage, until we're actually officially hooked up. This is not - this is not a Tinder relationship."
The line, according to the transcript, garnered laughter from employees in the room.
According to Bloomberg, Amazon plans to cut jobs at Whole Foods when it takes over. In December, the tech giant unveiled plans for futuristic grocery stores that don't staff cashiers.
Mackey said there will be cost-cutting in Whole Foods' future.
"We're gonna evolve. So I can't say there's not gonna ever be any changes," he said. "We're gonna take $300 million out of our cost structure."
He also said there will be leadership changes at the company.