{"id":148039,"date":"2025-09-02T11:46:39","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T09:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?p=148039"},"modified":"2025-09-02T11:46:40","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T09:46:40","slug":"nestle-finally-finds-a-scandal-it-cant-tolerate-romance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?p=148039","title":{"rendered":"Nestl\u00e9 Finally Finds a Scandal It Can\u2019t Tolerate: Romance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s play a little game called <em>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/nestle-ceo-laurent-freixe-fired-employee-relationship-b2818267.html\">What Does It Take to Get Fired at Nestl\u00e9?\u201d<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"922\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2025-09-02-at-12.38.54.png?resize=922%2C534&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-148040\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2025-09-02-at-12.38.54.png?w=922&amp;ssl=1 922w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2025-09-02-at-12.38.54.png?resize=768%2C445&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2025-09-02-at-12.38.54.png?resize=920%2C533&amp;ssl=1 920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 922px) 100vw, 922px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Because history shows it\u2019s no<a href=\"https:\/\/utopia.org\/guide\/crime-controversy-nestles-5-biggest-scandals-explained\/\">t child labor. <\/a>Not<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Controversies_of_Nestl%C3%A9\"> killing babies<\/a> with formula marketing. Not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global\/2018\/oct\/04\/ontario-six-nations-nestle-running-water\">stealing water fr<\/a>om drought-stricken communities.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cyvn3qe0jpgo\"> Not covering up contamination in Perrier.<\/a> Nope\u2014none of those made the cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What finally crossed the line?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Falling in love.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, in August 2025, Nestl\u00e9\u2019s CEO was sacked for an <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c1mpm9ee9p9o\">\u201cundisclosed romantic<\/a> relationship\u201d<\/em> with a subordinate. And honestly, it\u2019s refreshing to see Nestl\u00e9 finally fire someone for something. It\u2019s just\u2026 hilarious that <em>this<\/em> is the hill they chose to die on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nestl\u00e9\u2019s Resume of Horror (That Didn\u2019t Get Anyone Fired)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/voxdev.org\/topic\/health\/deadly-toll-marketing-infant-formula-low-and-middle-income-countries\">Baby Formula Scandal (1970s\u2013now)<\/a>:<\/strong> Misled poor mothers into abandoning breastfeeding. Result: diluted formula, malnutrition, infant deaths. Response? <em>Global outrage, boycotts\u2026 but not a single exec ousted.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ch<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/graphics\/2019\/business\/hershey-nestle-mars-chocolate-child-labor-west-africa\/\">ild Labor in Cocoa Farms (2000s\u2013now):<\/a><\/strong> Lawsuits, expos\u00e9s, NGOs pointing at child slavery. Nestl\u00e9 promised fixes year after year. Still happening. Executives? <em>Kept their jobs, kept their bonuses.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lakotalaw.org\/news\/2018-06-13\/the-case-against-nestle\">Water Theft in California (2010s)<\/a>:<\/strong> Pumped water from drought zones with expired permits. Sold it back at 300,000% markup. Public fury. Executives? <em>Untouched.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/may\/19\/perrier-owner-scrutinised-after-france-reportedly-covered-up-water-filter-treatment\">Perrier Contamination Cover-up (2024):<\/a><\/strong> Filters slapped on to hide pesticide and bacteria. Government inquiry. Executives? <em>Still employed.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>But romance in the office? <em>Good heavens, no!<\/em> Out comes the guillotine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Corporate Morality, Nestl\u00e9-Style<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Apparently Nestl\u00e9 can shrug off:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Exploiting children.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Starving infants.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Depleting ecosystems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lying about contamination.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>But if you dare to mix business with pleasure, that\u2019s the real crime. That\u2019s the one that \u201cdamages trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the corporate equivalent of Hannibal Lecter being acquitted of cannibalism but jailed for jaywalking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why? Because PR &gt; People<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The truth is, scandals don\u2019t get you fired at Nestl\u00e9. <em>Bad optics<\/em> do. Exploiting kids? Complex issue. Killing babies? \u201cA matter of perspective.\u201d Water theft? \u201cDebatable.\u201d But a consensual workplace romance? That\u2019s messy, public, and can\u2019t be spun into a sustainability campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So out goes the CEO. Not for crimes against humanity. Not for corruption. But for love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>And that, ladies and gentlemen, is Nestl\u00e9 in a nutshell:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A company that can survive boycotts, lawsuits, and moral outrage for decades.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>But can\u2019t survive a human relationship without hitting the eject button.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Because at Nestl\u00e9, water, forests, and children are all negotiable. But HR paperwork? That\u2019s sacred.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Let\u2019s play a little game called \u201cWhat Does It Take to Get Fired at Nestl\u00e9?\u201d Because history shows it\u2019s not child labor. Not killing babies with formula marketing. Not stealing water from drought-stricken communities. Not covering up contamination in Perrier. Nope\u2014none of those made the cut. What finally crossed the line? Falling in love. Yes, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[3653,3941,4236,4237,4168],"class_list":["post-148039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all-other-stuff","tag-corporate","tag-corporate-greed","tag-nestle","tag-nestle-ceo-getting-fired","tag-scandals"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10711,"url":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?p=10711","url_meta":{"origin":148039,"position":0},"title":"Nestl\u00e9 KitKat: Vuvuzela","author":"thebrainbehind","date":"12\/07\/2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Now that the Mundial is over ....:-) Great work by JWT, Brussels, Belgium for Nestl\u00e9 KitKat via I believe in advertising","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ads&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ads","link":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ibelieveinadv.com\/commons\/KitKat_vuvuzela.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ibelieveinadv.com\/commons\/KitKat_vuvuzela.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ibelieveinadv.com\/commons\/KitKat_vuvuzela.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":803,"url":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?p=803","url_meta":{"origin":148039,"position":1},"title":"Nestl\u00e9 | Club","author":"thebrainbehind","date":"28\/05\/2009","format":false,"excerpt":"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Hfnt0l6WvcU Choreographs of liquid chocolate! 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