Walmart CEO Retires, US Head to Lead Retailer Into AI Age (2)

Walmart Inc. Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon, who over a decade ushered the big-box behemoth into the Internet age, will retire in February. He’ll be replaced by US head John Furner— long viewed as the heir apparent.

Furner, 51, takes over as Walmart faces a fast-moving shift toward artificial intelligence, an uneven US economy, and a rapidly changing global workforce. The company recently inked a partnership with OpenAI, which will allow shoppers to directly make purchases through ChatGPT. The retailer has said automation has helped it keep headcount steady at about 2 million employees globally.

Investors were initially ...