McDonald's CEO: robots won't replace workers despite tech opportunities

McRobots are not coming to a McDonald's near you just yet, according to Steve Easterbrook, the company's chief executive officer. His comments came two days after one of the fast-food giant's former US chief executives suggested that a minimum wage of 15 an hour could lead to McDonald's replacing its workers with robots. Easterbrook was speaking at the company's annual shareholders' meeting when he said that technology is not likely to lead to "job elimination" at McDonald's. Related: Ex-McDonald's CEO suggests replacing employees with robots amid protests "It's a topic of discussion right now," he said, when asked by one of the shareholders if the higher minimum wage would lead to shift to more automated services. McDonald's is in a service business and "will always have an important human element", Easterbrook said.