Starbucks CEO writes open letter to employees slamming the 'epic, unseemly' election
(Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz.AP/Elaine Thompson)
In the final days before voters head to the polls to select the next US president, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz wrote an open letter to his employees slamming the "epic, unseemly" election.
"Let's each embrace the universal virtues of respect and dignity, refusing to allow the hatred on cable news, the ugliness of our politics, and the lack of political role models for our kids to define us and to dictate how we treat each other," Schultz wrote, according to CNN Money, which obtained a copy of the letter on Sunday.
He told employees that he feels "anxious" about the election and asked them to share "kindness, compassion, empathy" and love, according to CNN Money.
Schultz endorsed Hillary Clinton for president in September, but he didn't outright ask his employees to vote for a specific candidate.
"I think it's obvious that Hillary Clinton needs to be the next president," Schultz said in an interview with CNN's Poppy Harlow in September. "On the other side, we've seen such vitriolic display of bigotry and hate and divisiveness, and that is not the leadership we need for the future of the country."
Schultz said backing Clinton was not "a perfect situation, but I think it's the right choice."
Schultz has long been outspoken about his political and social views.
Rumors surfaced last year that he was considering launching his own campaign for the White House.
He put an end to the speculation with an op-ed in The New York Times in August 2015 announcing he wouldn't run. However, in the September interview, he hinted that politics may be in his future.
"My own life experience has given me a unique perspective on the plight of working-class American people," he said. "I'm a young man who has a lot of time in the future. ... I would never say never — but this is not the right time."
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