Starbucks Accelerates Turnaround With AI-Powered Technology

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said on Jan. 28 during the company's quarterly earnings call that the 'Back to Starbucks' turnaround is running ahead of schedule after global comparable store sales rose 4% in the quarter ended Dec. 28, 2025. Niccol highlighted first U.S. transaction growth in eight quarters, the hiring of CTO Anand Varadarajan, and scaling of an AI assistant to improve efficiency.