Whole Foods CEO John Mackey is Global Warming Skeptic

(MoneyWatch)  It's not news that Whole Foods CEO and co-founder John Mackey is a bit bizarre, but a nearly 10,000-word profile in the New Yorker has provided some juicy details. For example, Mackey remains unconvinced that global warming was caused by humans, and he originally embraced "alternative life styles" in part to meet girls.

Mackey is stepping down as chairman, the company recently announced, but he's staying on as CEO. It's a small move, considering that many have been calling for his head. As one Seeking Alpha writer put it, Mackey "has survived multiple episodes which would have cost virtually any other CEO their job."

Mackey's biggest scandal came when he was caught posting anonymous comments on financial forums about not only Whole Foods but also the rival it was looking to buy. Then, last summer, Mackey inspired outrage among his company's liberal customer base when he published an op-ed piece against proposed health care reform.

Given that the piece led some Whole Foods shoppers to boycott the store, one can only imagine how they'll react to Mackey using the phrase "hysteria about global warming," and adding that he hopes it won't lead us "to raise taxes and increase regulation, and in turn lower our standard of living and lead to an increase in poverty."

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