Starbucks uses AI to cut software costs

$SBUX is reportedly using AI to build internal software that could replace parts of its existing $MSFT inventory systems and $ORCL point-of-sale stack.
The push comes as Starbucks targets roughly $2 billion in cost reductions.
CTO Anand Varadarajan reportedly told employees there are clear opportunities to reduce software spending.
For $SBUX, the bigger signal is that AI is becoming a direct cost-cutting tool, not just a customer-facing experiment.
If the company can replace expensive third-party systems with reliable in-house software, margin improvement could become a stronger part of the turnaround story.