McDonald’s has had a rough couple of years. The Oakbrook-based company has been in the middle of multiple controversies and the ouster of its CEO is just the latest. Don Thompson’s rise through the ranks of the fast-food company makes for an inspiring story. He started as an engineer designing components for french fry machines back in 1990, and by 2012 he was promoted as company’s first African-American CEO. But in late January, McDonald’s announced that it experienced its first annual decline in 30 years and shortly after, Thompson announced his resignation from the Golden Arches. March 1st will be his last day. Ben Austen details the rise and fall of Thompson in his Chicago Magazine article “The Company Man” and he joins us in studio.