• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

2

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

3

Current price of oil as of June 18, 2026

1

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

2

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

3

Current price of oil as of June 18, 2026
Featurescorporate apologies

CEOs saying sorry: The art of the corporate apology

By
Ben Geier
Ben Geier
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Ben Geier
Ben Geier
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 13, 2014, 1:35 PM ET
Photo courtesy: Simon Dawson — Bloomberg/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Earlier this week, Shake Shack apologized for taking the ridges off their French fries.

That’s right, the crinkles are back, and after waiting in line for a few hours you’ll be able to enjoy them as you did before. Although CEO Randy Garutti never quite said “I’m sorry” for taking them away in the first place, he did note that Shake Shack “never fully heard the legions of fans that loved our classic crinkle.”

Corporate apologies are nothing new. Even the greatest companies have to issue a mea culpa from time to time. Remember Steve Jobs of Apple’s apology to users of the iPhone 4 who experienced antenna problems? He said Apple would “work its butt off” to correct it and offered customers a case to fix the flaw.

Here are a few other classic apologies from corporate giants:

General Motors

GM's CEO Mary Barra.

GM’s new CEO Mary Barra seems to spend a great deal of her time apologizing since she took over at the embattled automaker in January of this year. She stepped into a storm at the Detroit company, which has been plagued by costly recalls this year involving millions of vehicles and a number of deaths. She's done a solid job of it, repeatedly expressing remorse for lives lost and people hurt because of faulty ignition switches in GM's cars.

Netflix

In the fall of 2011, Netflix’s CEO Reed Hastings had to make two big apologies: First, for jacking up prices; and then another for trying to rename the DVD delivery service “Qwikster.” Customers hated both ideas, and Hastings admitted his mistakes very publicly — and Netflix’s (NFLX) stock price has rebounded nicely in subsequent years.

Chobani

Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani.

Chobani, makers of everyone's favorite Greek yogurt, had packaging a few years ago that offended scientists. The top of the company's yogurt cups read: "Nature got us to 100 calories, not scientists. #howmatters." There was a backlash from the scientific community, of course, which led Chobani to tweet that the company's marketers were "too clever for their own good." That's kind of an apology, right?

News Corp.

After a phone hacking scandal engulfed his UK media empire, Rupert Murdoch apologized to the British public, placing full-page advertisements in several national newspapers. He also appeared before a committee of the British Parliament to discuss the hacking scandal and called it “the most humble day of [his] life.” Many thought it humanized the Australian tycoon.

Facebook

In 2006, Mark Zuckerberg issued a statement apologizing for security problems in Facebook's latest update. Zuck said Facebook "really messed this one up." That was when Facebook was in its relative infancy, but it set a tone for the social media network CEO's future interactions with users.

Apple

Apple's CEO Tim Cook was always going to have trouble living up to the legacy of his predecessor Steve Jobs. It didn't help when he had to apologize for glitches in Apple's new Maps app in 2012. The app gave bad directions; locations were labeled improperly, and roads were unmapped. The app was also criticized for not including the same features as its rival Google Maps. Cook said the company had messed up and would try to fix it.

BP

Former BP CEO Tony Hayward

BP’s CEO Tony Hayward really put his foot in it when, after his company’s devastation of the Gulf of Mexico due to an offshore drilling explosion in 2010, he first apologized for the spill, and then complained about the effect of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on his personal life, saying: “I would like my life back” (he had to apologize for that too).

Toyota

Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corporation, speaks at the debut of the new Toyota Prius vehicles at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan.

Toyota went through its own recall scandal a few years ago, which saw the automaker issue a massive worldwide safety recall over acceleration and brake problems involving millions of cars. The carmaker’s clumsy and hesitant response to the crisis had only made matters worse, especially as it played out in the media. Eventually, Toyota’s CEO Akio Toyoda made a public apology before U.S. Congress for his company’s errors.

LA Clippers

Donald Sterling

Former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling came under pressure to sell the team in April after the release of recorded conversations in which he made racist comments, prompting outrage from fans and NBA players. Sterling tried to apologize for his remarks in a CNN interview, but it didn't work. He still lost his team.

About the Author
By Ben Geier
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Features

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Features

Photo of young woman with a photo of a pizza
SuccessThe Interview Playbook
Gen Z grad landed an internship by wearing her university baseball cap to her pizza joint job. Now she works at Cisco
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 14, 2026
5 days ago
Anduril CEO Brian Schimpf
MagazineDefense
Inside Anduril: Meet the quiet engineer-CEO building America’s $31 billion weapons startup
By Allie GarfinkleMay 6, 2026
1 month ago
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
MagazineData centers
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
By Sharon GoldmanMay 6, 2026
1 month ago
The American Express CEO defied haters who said he’d never have the top job—winning with millennials and Gen Z and trouncing the competition
MagazineAmerican Express
The American Express CEO defied haters who said he’d never have the top job—winning with millennials and Gen Z and trouncing the competition
By Shawn TullyMay 6, 2026
1 month ago
Photo of Marc Benioff
Magazinecommunication
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff turned his earnings call into a vodcast. Why other Fortune 500 CEOs might follow
By Rachel VentrescaMay 6, 2026
1 month ago
Intel Chief Exec, Lip-Bu Tan, on stage
EuropeIntel
Intel’s share price just blew the doors off. One man thinks he knows the reason why
By Kamal AhmedApril 27, 2026
2 months ago

Most Popular

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
Success
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
20 hours ago
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
Economy
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
By Jacqueline MunisJune 17, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 18, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 18, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 18, 2026
15 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 17, 2026
2 days ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
3 days ago
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
Success
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
By Preston ForeJune 17, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.