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The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents

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Current price of oil as of July 13, 2026

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TechMcDonald's

Meet the Tech King of McDonald’s

Michal Lev-Ram
By
Michal Lev-Ram
Michal Lev-Ram
Special Correspondent
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Michal Lev-Ram
By
Michal Lev-Ram
Michal Lev-Ram
Special Correspondent
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March 29, 2016, 1:00 PM ET
Photograph by Benjamin Rasumssen for Fortune
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Age: 42

He’s lovin’ it: Rafiq left Amazon two years ago to become the fast-food chain’s (MCD) first chief digital officer. His mission? Transform its business with technology. “We know where we have strength and what people know us for. We’re not trying to get into something that’s foreign to us.”

Special Sauce: The former Kindle Direct Publishing chief built a digital unit from scratch, recruiting hundreds of techies from Google (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), and others. He also sparked partnerships with Silicon Valley players like Postmates, which will deliver McNuggets straight to your McHome.

New ways to love: Recent initiatives include hands-free payments and automated kiosks where customers can order their food. “We’re constantly looking at major trends.”

Supersized: Rafiq’s rapidly expanding team now includes offices in Chicago, San Francisco, and other major cities.

He believes in magic: In March, Rafiq created a virtual-reality experience that let people step into a Happy Meal. “VR is relevant to us.”

A version of this article appears in the April 1, 2016 issue of Fortune with the headline “Atif Rafiq, Chief Digital Officer, McDonald’s.”

About the Author
Michal Lev-Ram
By Michal Lev-RamSpecial Correspondent
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Michal Lev-Ram is a special correspondent covering the technology and entertainment sectors for Fortune, writing analysis and longform reporting.

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