No, Anheuser-Busch’s CEO didn’t resign because of plummeting sales

Claim:

The CEO of Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Budweiser beer, resigned in early April 2023 after Bud Light sales fell to a record low due to a controversial advertising campaign.

Evaluation:

On April 6, 2023, the Dunning-Kruger Times website published a Article alleging that the CEO of Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Budweiser beer, has resigned because Bud Light sales have plummeted:

Anheuser Busch CEO resigns as Bud Light sales plummet to record low

The Anheuser Busch convulsion continues in the wake of what was perhaps the stupidest thing a company could ever do. CEO Augustus Anheuser III left corporate headquarters in shame after handing in his resignation.

“The whole thing is ultimately my fault,” said Anheuser, “I should never have approved this campaign.”

Despite being widely shared on social media, the story is false. The Dunning-Kruger Times is part of a network of websites and social media accounts called America’s Last Line of Defense, which describes its content as satirical and fictional:

Everything on this website is fiction. It’s not a lie and it’s not fake news because it’s not real. If you think it’s real, you should have your head examined. Any resemblance between the pure imagination of this website and actual people, places and events is purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical.

The story about the resignation of Anheuser-Busch’s CEO was a continuation of an earlier story in Dunning-Kruger’s day which reported – again incorrectly – that Anheuser-Busch had fired its entire marketing team. These satirical articles were prompted by controversy about the company’s partnership with the transgender TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney to promote Bud Light’s March Madness contest.

As a background here why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

Sources