Kommissar Katie Taxing the Rich
Seattle, WA – Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has acknowledged that her January 2026 call for a boycott of Starbucks was misguided, following the coffee giant’s decision to add thousands of jobs in Nashville, Tennessee.
In a recent New York Times interview, Wilson, a democratic socialist, conceded the boycott push was “wrong” and “not productive.” The admission comes after Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz cited the city’s business climate—including Wilson’s support for a new 9.9% millionaire tax set to take effect in 2028—as a factor in the company’s expansion outside Washington state.
Wilson had previously rallied with Starbucks baristas’ union and downplayed concerns about wealthy residents and businesses leaving Seattle, famously responding “like, bye” during a Seattle University forum when asked about potential millionaire flight.
Despite shifting thousands of jobs to Nashville, Starbucks plans to maintain its headquarters in Seattle and continues to sponsor a local homeless shelter initiative.The episode has reignited debate over the effectiveness of aggressive tax policies and anti-business rhetoric in retaining major employers in high-tax cities.
