Seattle’s progressive socialist mayor has conceded that her previous stance urging a boycott of Starbucks was misguided, especially as the coffee behemoth contemplates exiting the city.
Katie Wilson, 43, adopted a firm position against the renowned coffee chain upon assuming office in January, encouraging consumers to shun Starbucks despite its status as one of the city’s top revenue-generating employers.
Following her election, Wilson attended a rally supporting unionized baristas, proclaiming, “I’m not buying Starbucks, and neither should you.”
Last month, she stirred further debate when questioned about the potential consequences her high-tax, leftist economic policies might have on Seattle’s fiscal health. She downplayed concerns about wealthy individuals leaving the city, saying such fears were “overblown.”
“To those who decide to leave? Well, goodbye,” she added with a dismissive gesture.
However, in a discussion with the New York Times, Wilson acknowledged that her initial anti-business rhetoric might not have been the most prudent approach at the time of her election.
‘Those comments were not productive in the sense that they caused more harm than good,’ Wilson said.
Her walk-back comes as Starbucks has announced plans to build a new business hub in income-tax-free Nashville, raising fears that the Seattle-based company could move thousands of jobs out of the northwest city.
Seattle’s woke socialist mayor, Katie Wilson, admitted her calls to boycott Starbucks were wrong as the coffee giant threatens to flee her city, conceding that ‘those comments were not productive in the sense that they caused more harm than good’
The Space Needle was blighted by tent encampments when the Daily Mail visited earlier this year. Some fear Wilson’s far-left policies could drive businesses further out of Seattle
Wilson told the Times that, despite her anti-corporation stances, she has a good relationship with Starbucks and was not caught off guard by its plans to move to Tennessee.
She noted that Starbucks will keep its headquarters in Seattle and will continue philanthropic work in the city, including sponsoring the creation of a new homeless shelter.
‘I want them here,’ the socialist mayor said. ‘And I believe they want to be here.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Wilson for comment.
Following her U-turn, others noted that the mayor has also gone silent on her calls to boycott another of Seattle’s most successful businesses, the outdoor retailer REI.
The REI Union was among the first major unions to back Wilson’s campaign for the mayor’s office last year, but she has remained silent as the union moves forward with its contract dispute.
Despite her high-tax views, Wilson has come under scrutiny for admitting that she regularly receives checks from her professor parents to foot her bills.
Her recent remarks come at a tenuous time for the future of Starbucks in Seattle, with many residents fearing her far-left policies could drive the business out of the city entirely.
Last month, Wilson drew backlash after she said that fears millionaires could flee her city were ‘overblown’, and she added ‘and to the ones that leave? Like, bye’ with a wave
Earlier this month, Starbucks tycoon Howard Schultz slammed the Seattle mayor for driving businesses out of the city and destroying its long history of entrepreneurship
Wilson’s ‘like, bye’ moment went viral on social media last month, leading Starbucks tycoon Howard Schultz to write a scathing op-ed in the Wall Street Journal slamming her for ‘fracturing’ the city.
Schultz blamed the mayor for driving business out of the city and destroying its long history of entrepreneurship, saying she was the reason he was shifting much of Starbucks’ corporate base out of Seattle.
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 was a nod to Wilson’s ‘like, bye’ remark, which Schultz said represented a lack of understanding of how her policies could ultimately shrink Seattle’s tax base.
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.’
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, 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
‘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 initiative despite several major companies already moving from Washington as a result.
Starbucks is building its 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 Volunteer State.
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.’
