Hammer blow for woke Seattle mayor as Starbucks founder blasts her for speeding up decline of city where he founded iconic coffee giant that's now moving HQ staff to Tennessee

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 13:37, 12 May 2026 | Updated: 13:42, 12 May 2026 Starbucks tycoon Howard Schultz slammed woke Seattle mayor Katie Wilson for driving businesses out of the city and destroying its long history of entrepreneurship.  Schultz shared a scathing op-ed in the Wall Street Journal explaining why he has shifted much of Starbucks' corporate base to Tennessee, blaming Wilson for 'fracturing' Seattle's business culture.  He condemned the socialist mayor's open hostility to businesses despite leading a city where major corporations including Starbucks, Amazon and Microsoft were born, arguing she will drive out jobs created by innovation.  'Wilson has chosen to cast business as a foil rather than a partner,' said Schultz. Starbucks opened its first store in Seattle in 1971, with Schultz buying the firm in 1987. He stepped down from Starbucks' board in 2023.  'Her socialist rhetoric vilifies employers, even while she continues to rely on them for revenue. She has encouraged residents who disagree with her policies to leave.'  The line appeared to be a nod at Wilson's recent flippant remark at millionaires fleeing her city after she implemented a new wealth tax, where she told a town hall she believed it would be 'overblown' to worry about it.  Wilson then added, 'And to the ones that leave, 'bye!'' as she waved her right hand - a comment that drew backlash to those concerned that her far-left policies will shrink Seattle's tax base and drive away business.  Schultz, a billionaire who would have been targeted by Wilson's wealth tax, said in his op-ed that the socialist has got her understanding of how businesses thrive backwards. He recently moved to Florida and also used his op-ed to bemoan the decline of public education and safety in Seattle as progressive policies maintain their iron grip on the city.  Starbucks founder Howard Schultz slammed woke Seattle mayor Katie Wilson for driving businesses out of the city and destroying its long history of entrepreneurship The Starbucks founder vilified Wilson for her 'socialist rhetoric' against entrepreneurship, saying the far-left politician made a mistake when she 'encouraged residents who disagree with her policies to leave' The Starbucks founder scathed that Wilson and far-left lawmakers in Washington state's legislature are making a mistake by 'emphasizing taxation rather than reform or performance management.' 'The theory appears to be that prosperity can be mandated through redistribution rather than generated through growth,' he writes.  'Washington has a broken tax system.'  In March, Washington introduced a millionaire's tax of 9.9 percent on all earnings over $1 million, which will take effect in 2028.  Wilson was a staunch supporter of the move, despite several major companies already making their move away from Washington as a result.  Starbucks is building a new corporate hub in Tennessee and is moving thousands of jobs out of Washington, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos uprooted his huge fortune out of the state to take advantage of Florida's lower taxes.  Starbucks has insisted it will maintain its Seattle headquarters, but many locals fear the coffee giant will eventually shift its base to the more business-friendly state of Tennessee.   Fisher Investments, a money management firm with over 6,000 employees, also moved out of Washington in 2024 after the state introduced a new capital gains tax.  Schultz wrote in his op-ed that he is not surprised by the movement away from the northwest and its sky-high tax rates, but said he was sad to see Seattle lose its status as a hub for business and innovation.  'These companies imported global talent at scale for decades, anchoring an interconnected system of suppliers and startups,' he wrote.  'As those businesses reduce their local role, Seattle has no clear answer to the question of what will provide the next set of jobs and revenue growth.'  Schultz, a billionaire who would have been targeted by Wilson's wealth tax, said in his op-ed that the socialist has got her understanding of how businesses thrive backwards Seattle's iconic Space Needle and Museum of Pop Culture were blighted by tent encampments when the Daily Mail visited earlier this year Schultz shared a scathing op-ed in the Wall Street Journal explaining why he has shifted much of Starbucks' corporate base to Tennessee, blaming Wilson for 'fracturing' Seattle's business culture Schultz warned that the effects of Wilson's far-left, business-killing policies will not be immediate, and said the city must reverse course and invite entrepreneurs back in before it is too late.  'Cities and states don’t decline overnight,' he cautioned.  'They drift when public safety, fiscal stability and economic vitality deteriorate together. Downtown vacancies reduce foot traffic. Declining foot traffic weakens small businesses. Employment falls. Revenue shrinks. Services erode. Confidence—something that’s hard to build and easy to lose—begins to evaporate.' Schultz said he was sad to see Washington's decline in stature on America's business stage, saying that other states have a much better idea for how to build their long-term futures.  'Across the country, other states are competing for capital and talent by simplifying regulation, reforming tax systems and investing in workforce development,' he said.  'Washington once embodied the future of the U.S. economy, and it can again.  'But the current government needs to learn that future entrepreneurs won’t be attracted by ineffective public systems, especially when joined with policy and political rhetoric that demonize businesses.'  Wilson, 43, was inaugurated earlier this year. She came under fire after it emerged her parents still foot her childcare bills.   The Daily Mail has contacted Wilson for comment.   The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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