Seattle Democratic Mayor Katie Wilson criticized the presence of Starbucks in her city last year, but after the major coffee chain started moving operations to Nashville, Tennessee, she walked back some of her comments.
Wilson said shortly after being elected in November 2025 that residents should boycott Starbucks, even though the company is headquartered in Seattle and has been a major employer in the area.
“I am not buying Starbucks and you should not either,” Wilson said in remarks delivered at a labor strike, according to a report from Fox Business.
Starbucks recently announced that they are establishing a corporate hub in Nashville, which will hire 2,000 employees.
Concern grew that the major restaurant business would continue moving jobs out of Seattle.
When commenting about her past remarks during a forum at Seattle University, Wilson amended her denouncement of Starbucks, per a report from The New York Times.
SECOND THOUGHTS?
After going viral for saying “like, bye” to wealth leaving Seattle & demonizing big business, including boycotting Starbucks, Seattle Socialist Mayor Katie Wilson is now PRAISING Amazon, Starbucks, Microsoft & big donors for partnerships after many announced… pic.twitter.com/SD4wzVbbF4
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) May 8, 2026
“Those comments were not productive in the sense that they caused more harm than good,” she said.
“I want them here,” she said, “and I believe they want to be here.”
Wilson added that she should try to maintain “a multidimensional relationship” with companies like Starbucks.
But she also argued “the claims that millionaires are going to leave our state are super overblown.”
“And the ones that leave? Like, bye,” she added.
But Rob Saka, a member of the Seattle City Council, told The New York Times that he is “gravely concerned” about the departure of businesses.
Fox Business noted that companies in blue states are increasingly moving to red states like Tennessee, which have more favorable tax and regulatory environments.
Tennessee does not have an income tax, and has right to work laws that provide roadblocks for union formation.
Starbucks leadership has increasingly dealt with unionizing stores across the country.
The New York Times also observed that the median home price of $860,000 in Seattle was nearly double the median price seen in Nashville.
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