Juul’s CEO Kevin Burns Steps Down

Posted on by Natalia Barreau, DI

Juul Labs’ CEO Kevin Burns will be stepping down from his position and replaced with a tobacco company executive.

What We Know:

  • Juul Labs, a large e-cigarette company, has announced that their chief executive officer Kevin Burns will be resigning. The company’s replacement, K.C. Crosthwaite, will be taking his place. Crosthwaite is an executive at Altria, a massive cigarette company. He also bought a 35-percent share in the company last December for $12.8 billion.
  • There is currently a national debate on the use of the e-cigarette also known as “vaping”. Supporters believe that the device can save many lives as a healthy alternative to actual cigarettes. However, skeptics are unsure because not enough is known about the long-term health effects.
  • The e-cigarette is also facing criticism from the U.S. government. On September 10, 2019, Donald Trump and the health and human services secretary Alex M. Azar II decided to issue a proposed ban on most of the flavored e-cigarettes. Following the news that some states banned the product, China rejected the company from selling in their country and India placed a ban on the product as well.
  • According to the New York Times, some believe the company struggled to adapt to the quick change of perceptions, from a company that was providing an alternative to smoking to one that had been discredited. The new CEO of the company released an interesting video yesterday that has received controversy.

When compared to the tobacco industry, the success of the e-cigarette is inferior, but will having someone who has experience dealing with the deadly product be what the company needs?

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