Overview
- Starbucks plans a new Nashville corporate hub projected to staff about 2,000 people, with roughly 400 roles slated to transfer from Seattle to Tennessee.
- The company has cut Seattle corporate headcount repeatedly since 2025 and reported several hundred recent layoffs in the city's offices.
- Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has publicly softened earlier anti‑Starbucks remarks this week and says she wants to maintain a working relationship with the company.
- Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka said he is concerned about job losses and plans to meet Starbucks executives next week to discuss impacts on local workers.
- Local business groups and some officials link the departures to recent Washington and Seattle tax measures and political rhetoric, raising questions about the city's ability to retain employers and office work.