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Seattle’s Socialist Mayor Taunts the Rich as Rift With Starbucks Widens
Anna Griffin, Emily Cochrane May 17, 2026
Seattle voters elected Mayor Katie Wilson as tensions rose over wealth inequality, but as Starbucks, one of the city’s most iconic companies, expands in Nashville, she is finding her limits.
Seattle’s mayor, Katie Wilson, gave a long, thoughtful response a few weeks ago when conversation at a Seattle University forum turned to the current economic climate and her support for higher taxes on wealthy residents and large businesses.
Then Ms. Wilson, a democratic socialist in her first year in office, went off the cuff: “I think the claims that millionaires are going to leave our state are super overblown,” she said. “And the ones that leave? Like, bye.”
Ms. Wilson’s comments generated applause and laughter in the room. But outside, the remarks drew a swift reaction and highlighted how political leaders and business executives are increasingly uneasy about Seattle’s changing relationship with the companies that helped transform the city into a global hub for entrepreneurial innovation. Her “like, bye,” and the wave she gave with it, also pulled Seattle into a broader debate in liberal cities about how to solve rising housing prices and economic disparity without driving away investment, employers and affluent residents.
In Seattle, the current debate centers on one company at the heart of its modern identity, Starbucks, which recently announced plans to create a 2,000-employee corporate hub in Nashville. Even before Ms. Wilson’s comments, anxiety was rising that the coffee giant — or at least more of its operations — could drift away from its hometown.
...
Ms. Wilson’s comments have drawn national attention to the worry among business leaders that Seattle doesn’t appreciate them, first from right-wing influencers, then mainstream outlets...
...executives like Starbucks’ Brian Niccol, who has no ties to Seattle but was hired in 2024 to pull the company out of a post-pandemic malaise. Under his leadership, the company has seen earnings rise but has also cut around 2,000 jobs, including 300 corporate positions Starbucks announced it would be trimming last week as part of an ongoing restructuring effort.
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The Mayor and business leaders get along, with some tension as happens in many cities throughout America. It's not unusual. Long before the Mayor was elected, there were signs that Starbucks might not keep many operations in the state. But we have rightwing "influencers" and others spinning narratives that sell.
Anna Griffin, Emily Cochrane May 17, 2026
Seattle voters elected Mayor Katie Wilson as tensions rose over wealth inequality, but as Starbucks, one of the city’s most iconic companies, expands in Nashville, she is finding her limits.
Seattle’s mayor, Katie Wilson, gave a long, thoughtful response a few weeks ago when conversation at a Seattle University forum turned to the current economic climate and her support for higher taxes on wealthy residents and large businesses.
Then Ms. Wilson, a democratic socialist in her first year in office, went off the cuff: “I think the claims that millionaires are going to leave our state are super overblown,” she said. “And the ones that leave? Like, bye.”
Ms. Wilson’s comments generated applause and laughter in the room. But outside, the remarks drew a swift reaction and highlighted how political leaders and business executives are increasingly uneasy about Seattle’s changing relationship with the companies that helped transform the city into a global hub for entrepreneurial innovation. Her “like, bye,” and the wave she gave with it, also pulled Seattle into a broader debate in liberal cities about how to solve rising housing prices and economic disparity without driving away investment, employers and affluent residents.
In Seattle, the current debate centers on one company at the heart of its modern identity, Starbucks, which recently announced plans to create a 2,000-employee corporate hub in Nashville. Even before Ms. Wilson’s comments, anxiety was rising that the coffee giant — or at least more of its operations — could drift away from its hometown.
...
Ms. Wilson’s comments have drawn national attention to the worry among business leaders that Seattle doesn’t appreciate them, first from right-wing influencers, then mainstream outlets...
...executives like Starbucks’ Brian Niccol, who has no ties to Seattle but was hired in 2024 to pull the company out of a post-pandemic malaise. Under his leadership, the company has seen earnings rise but has also cut around 2,000 jobs, including 300 corporate positions Starbucks announced it would be trimming last week as part of an ongoing restructuring effort.
------------------------
The Mayor and business leaders get along, with some tension as happens in many cities throughout America. It's not unusual. Long before the Mayor was elected, there were signs that Starbucks might not keep many operations in the state. But we have rightwing "influencers" and others spinning narratives that sell.
