Tag: Howard Schultz

Democratic Senator Kamala Harris kicks off her presidential campaign by touting programs like 'Medicare for all' and universal pre-K; reaction and analysis from Karl Rove, Fox News contributor and former White House deputy chief of staff. FOX News Channel (FNC)…

Howard Schultz thinks politics are broken, and may run for president as an independent. Before there was Jill Stein, there was Ralph Nader. All argued that the Republican Party and the Democratic Party were basically the same, and the only way to make real change was to ditch them both. Yet here comes Howard Schultz, a billionaire who feels that he might be the answer to American politics, and that he’d run for president as an independent. What’s his value proposition for America? Schultz, a lifelong Democrat, would run under the theory that the answer to the political division in the country right now is moving away from party politics. Schultz would have to persuade millions of them to abandon the party to vote for him, while drawing enough Democratic votes away from a party that is energized and excited about taking out the president. For the past year, Schultz has been investing in burnishing his image and strategizing by hiring a number of experienced consultants, most prominently Steve Schmidt, the 2008 campaign manager for John McCain. Tina Podlodowski, the Washington State Democratic chair, blasted the idea of Schultz running as an independent in the press last week. Kristol wrote that he sees a silver lining to a run that doesn’t seem to be the billionaire’s intention: “For 2019 at least, the fact that serious people like Howard Schultz are considering an independent race might help bring home to more voters, including independents and some Republicans, how important it is to replace Trump.

Yet, one wonders whether leading corporations results in great preparation for the world of politics and policy making. The obvious pitfalls and challenges have been illustrated by a number of the business leaders who have taken the lead in government. Tillerson was trained to understand operational efficiency from the standpoint of engineering. Second, unlike running a business, a model of leadership based on meeting the interests of a small list of stakeholders, policy leadership involves building a coalition of often competing interests while serving the needs of a large number of constituents. After making their announcement, the coalition lagged in finding a leader and rounding up additional support among the fractious constituencies in health care policy and politics. A third challenge for transitioning business leaders involves the notion of risk. Risk is not a value in policy, however. Certainly, the often-cited poster child of the American CEO politician is former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has managed to avoid most of these pitfalls. His leadership in New York City, while not without critics, was widely considered a success. D. Christopher Kayes is a professor of management at the George Washington University School of Business.

NEW YORK — Howard Schultz sounds a lot like a guy running for office. The outgoing Starbucks Corp. chairman — who has thrust the coffee chain into thorny social issues in recent years and took thinly veiled jabs at President Trump during the 2016 election season — laid out a centrist vision for the United States during a television appearance on Tuesday, adding to speculation that he’ll mount a run for the White House in 2020. The Trump administration’s tax cut was “reckless” in the context of rising national debt, he said on CNBC, while also knocking the “vitriolic behavior” from the White House. Schultz raised concerns about the brewing trade battle with China and called for a ideology-free approach to tackling the issues facing the United States. “We need to do things that restore the promise of the country and our standing around the world,” Schultz said in an interview on CNBC. “We have to move the ideology out and do what’s best for the American people.” Schultz, 64, announced late Monday that he’d be stepping down from Starbucks later this month, fueling speculation that he’s mulling a political career. In the memo announcing his exit, Schultz said that he is “thinking about a range of options for myself, from philanthropy to public service, but I’m a long way from knowing what the future holds.” The entrepreneur turned a local Seattle coffee chain into a global giant with more than 28,000 stores in 77 countries. Schultz, who declined to be “nailed down” on a potential run for office, said the partisan unrest dividing the country is a serious threat. While criticizing the Trump administration, and the divisiveness that has infused US politics, Schultz also lamented that “some Democrats” had moved too far to the left. He said that tough problems like immigration reform, gun control, and spending on programs like Medicare and Medicaid need to be fixed with a centrist focus on domestic issues.

Tim Cook wants to make the United States a better place. And I don't love the political machine in the background, regardless of which party is where." Cook has used his position as one of the highest profile CEOs in the world to advocate around big issues like equal rights, climate change and immigration reform. Other impassioned CEOs have gone the political route, including former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. However, Cook doesn't see politics in his own future. "I'm not political," he said. "As a country we should have a goal of having the smartest people in the world here," Cook said. "That's what is great for America. "That is the DNA of this company, that Apple should always be trying to change the world, and change means make it better." Cook said the company's support of LGBTQ rights are just part of the larger Apple philosophy to treat "everyone with dignity and respect."

Starbucks chairman and founder Howard Schultz tells CNN's Poppy Harlow the closing of 8,000 stores across the US for employee anti-bias training is the beginning of a new chapter for the company.