Insiders reveal why Starbucks' former CEO is willing to ruin his life to run for president
Filed under: Finance, Business, Companies
- Starbucks' former CEO Howard Schultz has met waves of backlash since announcing he is "seriously considering" running for president as a centrist independent.
- Coming from humble beginnings and achieving revolutionary success at Starbucks, Schultz is driven by a conviction that he is called to save the world, people who have worked with him say.
- According to some who spent time with Schultz at Starbucks and during his disastrous tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics, this conviction can be dangerous and verge on arrogance.
- "He has convinced himself he is our savior," said a former Starbucks employee who worked closely with Schultz for almost a decade. "He wants to be our gentle, gentle savior," the person continued, adding that Schultz thinks "he knows best for all of us."
For years, rumors of presidential ambitions have followed Howard Schultz. From Starbucks baristas gossiping on Reddit to his penchant for spearheading progressive social projects, the longtime Starbucks leader's interest in politics is well known.
Schultz's humble beginnings
Starbucks' core of progressivism
'Uncle Howard'
The dark side of Starbucks' Schultz worship
Schultz versus skeptics
Schultz's political awakening
The Trump tipping point
Schultz 2020
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