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John Mackey

28 statements across 4 episodes · 8 bullish · 4 bearish · 3 people on the record · first statement May 15, 2017 by John Mackey · said 43 times in 9 episodes since 2017 · across every show →

On the record as a speaker too: John Mackey's record, appearances and statements → this page counts the times other people say the name.

Mentions by year

brought up most by Guy Raz (21), Matt O'Hayer (13), Kip Tindell (5), Miguel Garza (4)

tap a year for its mentions
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0122017201820192020202120222023202420252026episodes it came up in
001513022017201820192020202120222023202420252026episodesmentions per episode
2026 26 mentions in 1 episode
2024 6 mentions in 1 episode
2022 1 mention in 1 episode
2021 4 mentions in 1 episode
2020 1 mention in 1 episode
2018 2 mentions in 2 episodes 1 per episode
2017 3 mentions in 2 episodes 2 per episode

every mention, scene by scene, with the transcript →

Everything said about John Mackey, oldest first

May 15, 2017 negative
Insight
Mackey Compares VCs to Hitchhikers With Credit Cards Who Hijack Cars
“Venture capitalists are like hitchhikers, hitchhikers with credit cards. And as long as you take them to where they want to go, they will help you pay for the gas. But if you don't take them where they want to go, they will try to hijack the car, and they will…”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 28:46 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017
Assertion Supported
Mackey Launched SaferWay With $45,000, Including $10,000 Borrowed From Father
“We thought we needed 50,000 dollars to start the store, and we can only come up with 45, but we decided we could make do with it. And my initial stake was 10,000 dollars. That's the most I ever owned of the company, and 10 of the 45,000, and I borrowed all of …”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 7:52 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017
Assertion Supported
Mackey's First Store SaferWay Refused to Sell Sugar or Meat
“We didn't sell sugar. We didn't sell meat. We were selling real foods. We were selling bulk foods and produce”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 9:14 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mackey's Mother Urged Him on Her Deathbed to Leave Grocery Business
“The very last conversation I ever had with my mother in 1987 was on her deathbed, and she asked me to go back to school and make something of myself, and I was a grocer, I was a hippie grocer, and I, she said, you know, you have a fine mind, John, why are you …”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 5:49 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mackey's First Store SaferWay Lost $23,000 in Its First Year
“We actually lost half of it in the first year. We lost 23,000 dollars the first year.”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 10:22 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mackey Accumulated 120 Hours of Electives Instead of Finishing College Degree
“So I ended up with a 120 hours of electives that were just courses I was interested in.”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 5:10 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017 negative
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Whole Foods Went Public in 1992 to Prevent VCs Taking Control
“Yeah, but venture capitalists didn't want us to go public. They wanted us to do another round of venture financing, but I was determined not to do another round of venture financing because that would have given them control of the company, and I just didn't t…”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 28:28 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017
Insight
Mackey: Building a Startup Either Bonds Founders or Breaks Them Apart
“And doing a startup business together either brings you closer together or rips you apart.”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 24:57 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017 neutral
Assertion Not publicly verifiable
Co-Founders Required Selling Meat and Alcohol to Merge With Mackey
“One of the Craig's and Mark's conditions is we have to make this a real store. We have to sell meat, and we have to sell beer and wine, and we have to sell coffee. We can't just be completely a vegetarian idealistic store.”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 16:16 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017 positive
Assertion Not checkable as stated
VC Who Passed on Whole Foods Later Called It Worst Decision
“Yeah, he apologized to me about 10 years later, said it was the worst decision he ever made.”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 27:19 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017
Assertion Supported
Mackey's Natural Food Awakening Began at Austin Co-op Prana House
“My food consciousness awakening really occurred when I was about 23, and I moved into this vegetarian co-op in Austin called Prana House.”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 3:43 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mackey Rescued $100,000 in Cash From Store Safe During 1981 Flood
“More than half our money back then was just in cash. I mean, I think we had about a 100,000 dollars, and I'd put it all in this grocery bag”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 20:51 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017
Assertion Supported
Whole Foods Sold 34% at an $8.5 Million Valuation in 1980s
“We sold 34% of the business for an eight and a half million dollar valuation. So about eight times our earnings or about I don't know, 20%, 15% of our sales.”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 27:59 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017 positive
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mackey Claims First Whole Foods Store Was Successful by 3 PM
“And the store was an immediate success. People sometimes ask, how long did it take the first Whole Foods Market to be successful? And the answer, true answer is, it took till about three o'clock in the afternoon on the first day.”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 18:04 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017 negative
Opinion
Mackey Calls Modern Startup Valuations Ridiculous Compared to Late 1980s
“It was, it's ridiculous the kind of valuations people get today compared to what we could get back in the late 19 eighties.”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 28:14 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017 neutral
Disclosure
Mackey Refuses to Publicly Discuss Politics, Religion, Sex, or GMOs
“I've learned that there are like four topics I just don't talk about in public anymore. What are they? I don't talk about politics, religion, sex, or GMOs.”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 33:06 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
May 15, 2017 positive
Assertion Supported
Whole Foods Reopened 30 Days After 1981 Flood With Stakeholder Support
“There was a benefit held for the store, and the team members, they worked for free. Our bank loaned us money. On my signature, which was worthless. And the investors decided to kick in more cash. So we were able to reopen 30 days later.”
John Mackey May 15, 2017 ▶ 23:08 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
Nov 19, 2018
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mackey: Whole Foods predecessor SaferWay launched with $45,000 in seed capital
“We thought we needed 50,000 dollars to start the store, and we could only come up with 45, but we decided we could make do with it. And my initial stake was 10,000 dollars. That's the most I ever owned of the company, and 10 of the 45,000, and I borrowed all o…”
John Mackey Nov 19, 2018 ▶ 7:37 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey (2018)
Nov 19, 2018 neutral
Disclosure
John Mackey avoids public discussion of politics, religion, sex, and GMOs
“I don't talk about politics, religion, sex, or GMOs.”
John Mackey Nov 19, 2018 ▶ 32:54 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey (2018)
Nov 19, 2018 positive
Assertion Supported
Mackey: Whole Foods Reopened 30 Days Post-Flood with Free Labor and Loans
“There was a benefit held for the store, and the team members, they worked for free. Our bank loaned us money, On my signature, which was worthless. And the investors decided to kick in more cash. So we were able to reopen 30 days later.”
John Mackey Nov 19, 2018 ▶ 22:49 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey (2018)
Nov 19, 2018
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mackey: SaferWay reached profitability in year two with a $5,000 profit
“And we did make a small 5000 dollar profit in our second year.”
John Mackey Nov 19, 2018 ▶ 10:37 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey (2018)
Nov 19, 2018 neutral
Assertion Supported
Mackey: Whole Foods Sold 34% of Business at $8.5M Valuation in 1988
“We sold 34% of the business for an eight and a half million dollar valuation.”
John Mackey Nov 19, 2018 ▶ 27:40 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey (2018)
Nov 19, 2018 negative
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mackey: Animal rights activists' accusations against Whole Foods were fundamentally correct
“That the accusations that the animal rights people had made about what we were doing were fundamentally correct.”
John Mackey Nov 19, 2018 ▶ 36:02 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey (2018)
Nov 19, 2018
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mackey: SaferWay lost $23,000 of its $45,000 initial capital in year one
“We actually lost half of it in the first year. We lost 23,000 dollars the first year.”
John Mackey Nov 19, 2018 ▶ 10:07 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey (2018)
Nov 19, 2018 positive
Assertion Not publicly verifiable
Co-founders required selling meat and alcohol to form Whole Foods
“One of the Craig's and Mark's conditions is we have to make this a real store. We have to sell meat, and we have to sell beer and wine, and we have to sell coffee. We can't just be completely a vegetarian idealistic store.”
John Mackey Nov 19, 2018 ▶ 16:01 Whole Foods Market: John Mackey (2018)
Dec 23, 2024 positive
Assertion Supported
John Mackey Was Kip Tindell's College Roommate in Austin
“And one of my college roommates, the, my wacky friend, John Mackey, the founder of Whole Foods.”
Kip Tindell Dec 23, 2024 ▶ 6:44 The Container Store: Kip and Sharon Tindell
Mar 23, 2026 positive
Disclosure
O'Hayer: John Mackey's Conscious Capitalism essay inspired his future business model
“I'd read this essay that had been written by John Mackey called Conscious Capitalism... It described that, you know, businesses need to have a deeper purpose besides just making money... What Whole Foods did is for their five stakeholders, which is the custome…”
Matt O'Hayer Mar 23, 2026 ▶ 28:52 Vital Farms: Matt O’Hayer. How a serial entrepreneur re-branded the egg
Mar 23, 2026 positive
Insight
O'Hayer: Scalable pasture-raised eggs require a franchise contract model
“Farmers aren't going to give you the consistency you want. You need to have consistent rules, and you need to create what I would call like a franchise model. An upside-down franchise, and I had the experience in franchise, like, how would you do it? And I sai…”
Matt O'Hayer Mar 23, 2026 ▶ 33:13 Vital Farms: Matt O’Hayer. How a serial entrepreneur re-branded the egg
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