3 min read
CEO Visions: What the Leaders of Big Nicotine Say—and What They Really Mean
PMI's CEO says the company is building a smoke-free future. BAT's CEO says the same. The visions are partly genuine, partly strategic. Reading between the lines reveals the real trajectory of the industry's transformation.
'We are committed to a smoke-free future.' Every nicotine CEO says it. The statement is true—the companies are investing in reduced-risk products. It's also incomplete—the companies continue to sell cigarettes and to fight regulations that would accelerate their decline. **CEO visions are corporate communications: designed to reassure investors, regulators, and the public. They contain truths and omissions. The truth is the investment. The omission is the continued cigarette sales.**
