Howard Schultz

Howard Schultz (born 1953) is an American businessman who led Starbucks Corporation as chief executive officer during three separate tenures from 1987 to 2023, expanding the company from 11 Seattle-area stores to over 35,000 locations in more than 80 countries. Raised in a Brooklyn public housing project by parents where his father worked as a truck driver without health benefits after a workplace injury, Schultz attended Northern Michigan University on a sports scholarship and later joined Starbucks in 1982 after being inspired by Italian espresso culture. Under his direction, Starbucks pioneered employee stock ownership and comprehensive health insurance for part-time workers, alongside initiatives for coffee sustainability via the C.A.F.E. Practices program, establishing the brand as a "third place" for social interaction beyond home and work. Schultz's leadership drew scrutiny for resisting unionization efforts among baristas, leading to congressional hearings and allegations of labor interference, though he maintained direct partnerships with employees as superior to union representation. In 2019, he considered an independent presidential candidacy for 2020 but withdrew, arguing it could inadvertently aid a reelection he opposed; his net worth stands at $3.3 billion as of October 2025, derived mainly from Starbucks equity.

Howard Schultz was born on July 19, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York, to parents Fred Schultz, a truck driver, and Elaine Schultz, a receptionist, in a working-class Jewish family facing financial hardship. As the eldest of three siblings, he grew up alongside his sister Ronnie and brother Michael in the Canarsie Bayview Houses, a New York City public housing project, where the family relied on his father's blue-collar employment amid economic instability. Schultz's early experiences, including his father's injury and loss of work without benefits when Schultz was a teenager, profoundly shaped his views on employment security and family support.