--- description: Find out why John Furner is one of the 100 most influential people of 2026. title: John Furner: The 100 Most Influential People of 2026 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6a2b9f692cbe2365/69d7cf58320fd1eb3f4d6ed0/T100-2026-Web-John-Furner.JPG?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Apr 15, 2026 # John Furner by Brian Niccol  Courtesy of Walmart Inc John Furner understands what makes a great retail experience because he has lived it at every level. From his early days as an hourly associate to his new role as [Walmart’s](https://time.com/collections/time100-companies-2025/7289640/walmart/ "undefined") CEO, he has never lost sight of what it takes to serve customers well and support the employees who make it possible. He is known for steady judgment, clarity in tough moments, and an ability to focus teams on what matters most. From my seat on the Walmart board, I’ve watched John push the business forward in digital and AI innovation while strengthening e-commerce and improving supply-chain performance, helping drive the company to a $1 trillion market value in February. He listens first, understands what his teams need, and then acts with intention. What stands out most is how John leads people. He creates focus and brings stability when it counts. He never loses the human element. And his work is shaping the future of retail in ways that will define the industry for years to come. _Niccol is chair and CEO of Starbucks_ John Furner Is on the 2026 TIME100 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/john-furner/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/john-furner/"},"headline":"John Furner","datePublished":"2026-04-15T11:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:21:48.879Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/john-furner/","keywords":["TIME 100","list","franchise","Accolades"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6a2b9f692cbe2365/69d7cf58320fd1eb3f4d6ed0/T100-2026-Web-John-Furner.JPG?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Brian Niccol"}],"creator":"Brian Niccol","articleSection":"TIME100","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6a2b9f692cbe2365/69d7cf58320fd1eb3f4d6ed0/T100-2026-Web-John-Furner.JPG?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/time100/","name":"TIME100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-100/","name":"TIME 100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/john-furner/","name":"John Furner"}}]}] ```