Levi’s Ex-Brand President Says ‘Woke Capitalism’ Driving Policies of Firms Wanting to ‘Profit Off Gen Z Activism’

Jennifer Sey, on the right, is seen at the Levi's Times Square Store opening in New York City, on Nov. 15, 2018. Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Levis

Jennifer Sey, the former brand president of clothes maker Levi’s, has condemned “wokeness” and says it is now driving company policies in corporate boardrooms, thanks in part to the kids of Generation Z.

Sey spoke about “woke capitalism” in her new book, “Levi’s Unbuttoned,” an excerpt of which was published in the New York Post.

“First, you’ve got CEOs and executives who want to distance themselves from the greedy image of past business leaders,” Sey wrote. “They want you to know that they are not like the ruthless banking moguls and oil tycoons from years gone by. They aren’t destroying the planet, and they aren’t taking advantage of consumers with subprime mortgages. They aren’t stealing or grifting, they’re helping! They aren’t in it for themselves, they care about you!”

“Corporate leaders want us to believe that they are do-gooders, not money grubbers,” she continued. “They’ll get rich, too, but they don’t want you to think that is their mission.”

Sey cited billionaires like Bill Gates and Starbucks interim CEO Howard Schultz in her book, stating that “business executives would have us believe that they are our saviors.”

“Bill Gates is eliminating malaria and saving the children in Africa. Howard Schultz is running for president to save our democracy. Elon Musk is not only saving the planet with electric vehicles, he is exploring new frontiers in space and defending free speech for the masses,” she wrote.

“Somehow, some way, despite all the evidence of greed and corruption, business leaders have managed to re-brand themselves as altruists,” Sey added.

‘Ideological Terrorists’

Explaining why she believes “woke capitalism” has seeped into major companies, Sey, who is also a former national champion gymnast, says it has been driven by companies aiming to “profit off millennial and Gen Z activism.”

“It exploits social-justice politics and transforms it into social-justice consumerism—and, ultimately, investor profit,” she wrote. “Companies purporting to care about ‘progressive values’ are really doing nothing more than striking a superficial pose meant to signal virtue while distracting from any company’s true motive: financial gain for shareholders.”

The businesswoman also noted that many business leaders are often influenced by their Gen Z kids, whom she called “ideological terrorists,” and a desire to win their approval.

Sey said in February this year that she had quit Levi’s in order to “be free,” in part due to her differing views with the company on the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly school closures.

The former executive had been outspoken against school closures due to the pandemic when speaking to various local media outlets. Levi’s management, however, took a different position and allegedly condemned her for the move, asking her to “pipe down.”

“I refused to stop talking. I kept calling out hypocritical and unproven policies. I met with the mayor’s office, and eventually uprooted my entire life in California—I’d lived there for over 30 years—and moved my family to Denver so that my kindergartner could finally experience real school,” she wrote in a Substack newsletter.

Sey added that she had declined a $1 million severance package that the company had offered her if she agreed to sign a nondisclosure agreement stating why she'd been pushed out of the company.

Levi’s has not publically spoken about Sey’s claims, except to announce her replacement by  Seth Ellison on an interim basis.

The Epoch Times has contacted Levi’s for comment.