‘It’s how you thread the needle’: KIRO hosts weigh former Starbucks CEO’s warning that WA is driving out entrepreneurs

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz warned Washington could lose the next generation of entrepreneurs because of higher business taxes, a struggling education system, and economic policies that favor massive technology companies over smaller startups, in a recent op-ed in The Wall Street Journal.

KIRO fill-in host Angela Poe Russell defended Schultz as a credible messenger, arguing his move to Florida actually makes him more trustworthy on the issue.

“I think if he were still here trying to build something, you’d say, ‘Well, you’re a little bit biased.’ At this point, I really do feel like he’s speaking from conviction, whether you agree with him or not,” she said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “I mean, no one can deny we have faced a huge budget crisis in the state, and at the same time, how do you keep encouraging people to build and create here?”

Angela said she wants to believe Schultz’s motives are genuine and not just about avoiding taxes, but added finding the right balance can be challenging.

“I would like to think people like Schultz are not trying to get away from paying more, but it’s how we thread that needle,” she said. “I think it’s how we thread that needle. We got to thread the needle. You got to thread the needle.”

‘There’s truth to what he’s saying’: Ursula says former Starbucks CEO should be heard

KIRO host Ursula Reutin said it would be wrong to ignore what Schultz has to say just because he moved to Florida.

“He still does have a dog in the fight because Starbucks is still here,” she said. “I mean, Starbucks still has a big footprint. I think a lot of the doom and gloom is exaggerated, but it cannot be ignored. I mean, there’s absolute truth to what he’s saying.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.