Schultz at Starbucks: Coffee, Activism and Controversy After more than three decades managing Starbucks' growth from a tiny local chain into a global coffee giant, and wading into touchy political topics along the way, Howard Schultz is leaving the company. The move is likely to fuel speculation that Schultz is preparing to run for office. Schultz, 64, joined Starbucks as its marketing director in 1982, was inspired to turn it into a community hub after a trip to Italy in 1983, and purchased the chain in 1987. Starbucks now has more than 28,000 stores globally. His departure comes on the heels of Starbucks' shutting down 8,000 U.S. stores for employee anti-bias training in May. Facebook Back on the Defensive, Now Over Data Deals With Device Makers Facebook endured a new wave of criticism from lawmakers and regulators in the United States and Europe on Monday after disclosures that the social media giant had allowed dozens of hardware manufacturers access to its trove of personal user data.