When news hit that Chipotle’s CEO, Brian Niccol, was leaving the company for Starbucks, my wife’s immediate reaction was, "Does that mean Chipotle’s gonna suck now?" And honestly, even though she barely knows what a stock is, it’s a fair concern. Anytime a successful CEO departs, it brings uncertainty and is kinda like when your favorite team trades their star player, it usually doesn’t end well.

Just ask General Electric. After Jack Welch stepped down, GE’s stock nosedived, losing nearly 80% over the next two decades. Or take JCPenney, which spiraled after Ron Johnson’s failed transformation. Even Yahoo! struggled after Terry Semel’s exit, eventually selling to Verizon as a shadow of its former self.

Niccol absolutely transformed Chipotle from the start. Under his leadership, the stock surged by an impressive 775% over six years. That kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident.

(Source: Beyond High Street)

But before you toss your Chipotle stock like a soggy burrito, here’s why there’s still hope. Enter Scott Boatwright, the guy stepping in as interim CEO. He’s been Chipotle’s Chief Operating Officer since 2017, and he’s no rookie. Boatwright helped turn things around after those norovirus nightmares, and he’s the brains behind the digital ordering system that now accounts for a fat chunk of revenue. So while Niccol’s departure stings, Chipotle’s not exactly lost in the sauce, as the kids would say.

And there’s another reason to be excited. Big news dropped today that Chipotle’s secret weapon, the Autocado, is finally rolling out for testing in two California stores. That’s right, the guac-prepping robot we’ve been hearing about for months is here, and it’s fast. We’re talking 26 seconds to slice, core, and peel an avocado. 

Considering Chipotle churns through 5.2 million cases of avocados a year, if this robot works out, you won’t even care that Brian left in the first place. Less time smashing avocados means less time paying employees to do it, and that’s a win for the bottom line.

Chipotle’s also rolling out its Augmented Makeline—basically a salad and bowl-building machine designed to stop your burrito bowl from looking like a sad, uneven mess. It guarantees perfect portions every time, especially for online orders where we all know the struggle is real (too much sour cream, not enough guac, the list goes on). This thing adjusts portions based on your order, so you’re not left with a burrito bowl soup. And yeah, it saves time.

(Source: Chipotle)

Financially, Chipotle’s still cruising. They pulled in $5.7 billion in revenue in the first half of the year, a 17% jump, with net income rising 29% to $815 million. And even though CEO Brian Niccol is peacing out to Starbucks, interim CEO Scott Boatwright and long-time CFO Jack Hartung are holding it down to keep things steady.

P.S. Our Stocks.News premium members recently scored a massive 96% gain on Friday, and guess what? We’ve just released an urgent alert on a stock primed for a potential SQUEEZE. The borrow rate to short is skyrocketing over 200%, and Fintel shows there are zero shares left to borrow. 

This setup could ignite a squeeze at any moment. Don’t wait—click here immediately for all the details before it’s too late.

Stock.News has positions in Starbucks, General Electric, and Verizon.