Starbucks' Howard Schultz defends union stance before Senate
Longtime Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz insisted the coffee chain hasnโt broken labor laws and is willing to bargain with unionized workers during an often testy, two-hour appearance before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos may step down without stepping away
Amazon announced Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, that Jeff Bezos would step down as CEO later in the year, leaving a role he's had since founding the company nearly 30 years ago. Amazon says Bezos will be replaced in the summer by Jassy, who runs Amazon's cloud business. (Isaac Brekken/AP Images for NFL, File)Even after stepping aside as CEO, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will likely keep identifying new frontiers for the world's dominant e-commerce company. Tuesday's announcement that Bezos will hand off the CEO job this summer came as a surprise. โBeing the CEO of Amazon is a deep responsibility, and itโs consuming," Bezos wrote.
Xi asks Starbucks' Schultz to help repair US-China ties
Xi is asking former CEO Howard Schultz of Starbucks to help repair U.S.-Chinese relations that have plunged to their lowest level in decades amid a tariff war and tension over technology and security. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)BEIJING โ President Xi Jinping is asking former CEO Howard Schultz of Starbucks to help repair U.S.-Chinese relations that have plunged to their lowest level in decades amid a tariff war and tension over technology and security. A letter from Xi to Schultz reported Friday by the official Xinhua News Agency was a rare direct communication from China's paramount leader to a foreign business figure. In a statement issued Friday, Schultz didn't directly address Xi's request to help repair relations, instead saying it was โa great honorโ to receive the letter from China's president. The Cabinet press office didnโt immediately respond to questions about what Xi wanted Schultz to do and whether he contacted other American business leaders.