Walmart’s New CEO Details Chain’s Growth Engines

Now in his 33rd year of working at Walmart, John Furner has issued his first letter to shareholders as the retail behemoth’s President and CEO. The letter is contained in Walmart’s just-released 2026 Annual Report, which showed the company experienced revenue growth of 5.1% (to $713 billion) and a profit uptick of 5.4%.

In his missive, Furner touches on the various ways the chain continues to grow and evolve. Here are a few excerpts:

Stores still play a central role: “It wasn’t too long ago that there were questions about whether stores would even be needed in the future. We are proving those critics wrong.  Not only do our stores and clubs serve millions of customers daily, they also serve as critical distribution hubs for quick and accurate deliveries of both groceries and general merchandise from our first-party inventory and marketplace.

He’s all-in for AI: “I am very excited about what’s to come as we lead the new era of retail. We are using AI to power customer experiences. Our AI agent, Sparky, is helping customers save time, create solutions and find the things they want and need at everyday low prices, creating a future for Walmart that is high-speed, convenient and personalized.”

Investing in people is essential: “We are focused on providing our associates the opportunity to grow, learn new skills and have a great career at Walmart. Whether it is one of our new programs to certify our associates as AI proficient, obtain a commercial driver’s license to become a Walmart fleet driver, manage a store, or develop their own solutions using our vibe coding platform, we create opportunities to advance their careers.”