Starbucks CEO (SBUX) Howard Schultz said the coffee giant isn’t actively trying to be political.
On Jan. 29, Schultz sent out a company-wide letter following President Donald Trump’s decision to sign an executive order temporarily halted citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen from entering the US. (That order has been stymied in court. Earlier this month, Trump signed a new travel ban executive order that excludes Iraq.)
In the letter, Schultz detailed plans to hire 10,000 refugees in the 75 countries where the coffee chain operates by 2022. This was met with backlash on social media, with some users calling for a boycott of Starbucks.
“Let me explain that if I can,” Schultz said Yahoo Finance on Wednesday. “First off, the history of the company has not been taking on things that are political that people are trying to politicize. We were not trying to do anything that was against the president or the administration. And what we’re trying to do is maintain our principles and core values.”
Starbucks has a history of hiring people in demographics that are often in need of an opportunity, including military and military spouses.
“So hiring of veterans, opportunity youth, free college for our partners, and now the hiring of 10,000 refugees globally are all things that we believe are highly principled and consistent with the humanity of the company. And from time to time if we think it’s important we will speak out, but Kevin [Johnson] is the CEO on April 3rd, and that will be up to him.”
When asked about what Schultz will do next, he reiterated that he has a full-time job at the company. He also plans to use his platform for good.
“I want to do everything I can to help Kevin, but at the same time build these roasteries globally and extend the new Starbucks Reserve brand,” Schultz said. “And then I want to use the platform I have for good, working with like-minded CEOs, elected officials, to try and do everything I can, as a private citizen, to help those people who don’t have a voice, to help those people who are being left behind, and to try and elevate the conscience of the country, and I think, I would hope that we would become a more compassionate society and the government becomes more compassionate.”
Schultz wouldn’t comment on President Trump when asked about what a business person would bring to the White House and what they might lack.
“What I would say is what the country does need is authentic leadership and I think truthfulness, and above all else I think we’re longing for a level of trust and confidence in all of our leaders, not only in Washington but in business.”
Schultz will step down as CEO on April 3. Kevin Johnson, the company’s president and COO, will take the helm, while Schultz will remain executive chairman.
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Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.
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