Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz slams Seattle's 'hostile' business climate

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz calls out Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz called out Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson in an opinion piece he wrote for the Wall Street Journal.

SEATTLE - Howard Schultz, the man who transformed Starbucks from a local coffee roaster to a global giant, took a shot at Washington state and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson in a recent op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.

What they're saying:

In the opinion piece, titled "Seattle Turns Hostile to the Great Businesses It Made," the former Starbucks CEO criticized the city's relationships with corporations.

"Seattle’s mayor, Katie Wilson, has chosen to cast business as a foil rather than a partner," Schultz wrote. "Her socialist rhetoric vilifies employers, even while she continues to rely on them for revenue."

Schultz goes on to say that Washington has a "fractured" ecosystem of high taxes and anti-business rhetoric that is driving away businesses that built the Pacific Northwest. He encouraged the state to rewrite its tax code, refine public spending, and invest in companies that are creating jobs.

SEATTLE, WA - MARCH 18: Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz speaks during Starbucks annual shareholders meeting March 18, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. Schultz announced a 2-for-1 stock split, the sixth in the company's history, during the meeti

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The backstory:

The 72-year-old billionaire recently moved to Florida, saying he's in the retirement phase of his life, confirming Washington's policies are not the only reason why he left the state. Schultz has also faced public backlash over selling the Seattle SuperSonics, which ended with the NBA team leaving and becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Schultz's comments come as Starbucks recently announced plans to open a major corporate office in Nashville, Tennessee, along with dozens of layoffs to Seattle tech employees.

Dig deeper:

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson famously encouraged a Starbucks boycott in September 2025, joining a workers rally in front of the now-closed Starbucks Reserve Roastery on Capitol Hill.

"I am not buying Starbucks and you should not too," Mayor Wilson said.

Katie Wilson speaks in support of a Starbucks strike in Seattle on November 13, 2025. (FOX 13 Seattle)

As the state legislature hopes the newly introduced "millionaires tax" will help ease a multibillion-dollar budget deficit, local leaders are dismissing fears that it will lead to a "wealth exodus."

Architect of millionaire tax defends new law

State Senator Jamie Pedersen, the primary architect of the Washington millionaire tax, defends the new law as a way to fix a regressive system and discusses the future of a progressive income tax in the state.  

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