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Steve Esterbrook terminated from CEO position after inappropriate relationship

Steve Easterbrook, the CEO of McDonald’s, has been fired for having an inappropriate relationship with an employee. Easterbrook, who is divorced, acknowledged he exercised “poor judgment” and that the relationship violated McDonald’s company policy.

The McDonald’s board of directors met on Friday and agreed that Easterbrook should be fired. Easterbrook released a statement acknowledging his mistakes and accepting the board’s decision.

“This was a mistake,” Easterbrook wrote. “Given the values of the company, I agree with the board that it is time for me to move on.”

Chris Kempczinski, the President of U.S. McDonald’s, will take Easterbrook’s place.

Jonathan Maze, the editor of the trade publication Restaurant Business, told the New York Times there was “no doubt” Easterbrook had been a good CEO, and that McDonald’s has flourished since he took the position in 2015.

“There’s no question he’s been a very good C.E.O. during his time there,” Maze said. “He really made that organization a lot leaner, they make decisions a lot more quickly…They have gone from a company that was well behind on technology to one that is arguably at the forefront of things like artificial intelligence and delivery.”

McDonald’s has not released any details about who Easterbrook had a relationship with or how it came to the board’s attention.