McDonald's India deleted a series of posts from its verified X account on Sunday that claimed an unpaid intern was owed ₹60,000 and promoted a meme coin. The posts, written in first person, stated the writer had interned at McDonald's India and managed several of the company's Asian social media accounts.
The compromised posts named a manager, Amit Joshi, and contained conflicting information about when payment stopped—initially stating December 2025, then later revising to May. Additional messages alleged the outstanding sum exceeded ₹60,000, roughly $650, and claimed meme coin trading losses had caused financial hardship. Final messages promoted a cryptocurrency token and shared wallet addresses before noting that fees had been claimed.
McDonald's India responded with a meme and a quip: "McD admin right now: If only our actual posts went this viral…" The company has not confirmed whether the account was breached. No individual matching Amit Joshi appears in the company's public leadership roster.
The incident follows similar account takeovers affecting other high-profile X accounts, including Robinhood's CEO account in July and the Saudi Law Conference account last year.
Wall Street Maintains Bullish Stance
McDonald's stock closed Friday at $255.69, marking its weakest level in a year, yet analyst sentiment remains positive. According to TipRanks, 24 analysts covering the stock over the past three months have issued 14 buy ratings, 10 holds, and no sells.
The average 12-month price target stands at $317.18, approximately 24% above Friday's closing price. Target estimates range from a low of $280 to a high of $390.
Fundamentals show McDonald's reported diluted earnings of $3.32 per share in the second quarter, up 6% year-over-year, with global comparable sales rising 1.3%. However, the stock has printed lower highs each month since April and declined 3.5% during the week prior to Friday's close.
