Howard Schultz and George Soros are not business partners, relatives, or known allies. The one documented link is indirect: American Bridge 21st Century, a super PAC Soros has funded, filed a complaint dated February 13, 2019, with the Federal Election Commission, and the Commission dismissed the allegation against Schultz on November 9, 2021.
Schultz built Starbucks into a global coffee brand, while Soros built a hedge fund fortune and funds the Open Society Foundations. This guide shows what the record proves, what it does not, and how you can check it yourself, with figures current to October 28, 2026.
Howard Schultz and George Soros at a Glance
| Detail | Howard Schultz | George Soros |
| Born | July 19, 1953, Brooklyn, New York | August 12, 1930, Budapest, Hungary |
| Age (October 2026) | 73 | 96 |
| Education | Northern Michigan University | London School of Economics |
| Known for | Building Starbucks | Quantum Fund, Soros Fund Management |
| Philanthropy | Schultz Family Foundation | Open Society Foundations |
| Politics | Explored an independent presidential run in 2019 | Long time Democratic donor |
| Net worth | About $3.4 billion (Forbes real time data, Oct 14, 2026) | $8.6 billion (Forbes, Oct 27, 2026) |
Why Do Howard Schultz and George Soros Appear Together in Search Results?
Most people land on this topic with one of three questions. Did Soros try to stop Schultz from running for president? Are they linked through Starbucks? Are they connected through money? The pairing comes mostly from the 2019 episode, when Schultz was exploring an independent run and a Democratic aligned group challenged him with a federal complaint.
Soros is a major donor to that group, so online posts often jump from “donor” to “he ordered it.” The record is narrower than that jump, and the sections below separate fact from inference.
How Howard Schultz and George Soros Are Connected: What the Record Shows
Claim vs Record
| Claim | What the record shows | Status |
| They are business partners | No joint company or investment found in the sources reviewed | Not established |
| They are related | No documented family tie | Not established |
| Soros has funded American Bridge | FactCheck.org lists him as top donor in 2012 and 2016 | Verified |
| American Bridge filed the complaint | FEC letters name AB PAC (formerly American Bridge 21st Century) as complainant in MUR 7567 | Verified |
| The FEC punished Schultz | The Commission dismissed the allegation and closed the file | Not supported |
| Soros personally ordered the complaint | No source reviewed shows this | Not established |
| Schultz ran for president | He explored a bid but never formally declared | Partly true |
Timeline of the 2019 Episode
| Date | Event |
| January 2019 | Schultz tells 60 Minutes he is exploring an independent run |
| February 2019 | American Bridge files the FEC complaint |
| April 12, 2019 | Schultz’s lawyers file a response with the FEC |
| June 2019 | Schultz pauses his deliberations after back surgeries |
| September 6, 2019 | Schultz ends the exploration |
| November 2019 | American Bridge renames its committee AB PAC |
| November 9, 2021 | FEC dismisses the allegation |
Sources for the key dates: the FEC file lists the 2019 complaint and Schultz’s April 12, 2019 response, and FactCheck.org notes the group changed its name to AB PAC in November 2019.
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Who Is Howard Schultz?
Early Life and Education
Schultz grew up in the Canarsie public housing projects in Brooklyn, and his father Fred was a truck driver. Schultz describes his family as poor, though some childhood contemporaries remember a middle-class home. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Northern Michigan University.
From Starbucks Employee to Owner
Starbucks hired him in 1982 at age 29 as director of retail operations and marketing. He was not a founder. After a trip to Italy, he wanted Starbucks to sell espresso drinks in a cafe setting, left in 1985, and opened his own coffee bar. Of the 242 investors he approached, 217 said no. He later led the group that bought Starbucks in 1987.
Starbucks Leadership: the 1992 IPO and the 2008 Return
Schultz took Starbucks public in 1992 at a $271 million valuation and used that capital to double the store count. He stepped away as CEO in 2000, then returned in 2008 during the financial crisis. That return involved a mass firing of executives and employees and the closing of hundreds of stores. Supporters call it a rescue and critics call it a painful reset, and both views belong in an honest profile.
Employee Benefits and Labor Criticism
Starbucks became known for treating baristas as “partners.” It was the first U.S. company to offer healthcare coverage to part-time workers, and in 2014 it launched a college program with Arizona State University. The Bean Stock program gave eligible workers company shares. The same company has faced labor disputes.
The National Labor Relations Board charged Starbucks with hundreds of labor law violations. In his March 2023 Senate testimony, Schultz said the company has not broken labor laws and does not need a union. Starbucks Workers United has pushed back publicly, so the benefits record and the union fight both matter.
Schultz After Starbucks: Interim CEO and Foundation Work
Schultz returned as interim CEO in 2022. Laxman Narasimhan took over about two weeks early, on March 20, 2023. Schultz then left the Starbucks board in September 2023, a move the company called a planned transition.
He and his wife Sheri founded the Schultz Family Foundation in 1996, which backs Onward Youth for young people not in school or working and Onward Veterans for military veterans. In 2024, the foundation gave $1 million to Northern Michigan University.
Who Is George Soros?
Early Life, Wartime Hungary and the London School of Economics
Soros was born György Schwartz in Budapest in 1930, and his family evaded capture when Nazi Germany invaded Hungary in 1944. He left Hungary in 1947 for England and studied at the London School of Economics, where the philosopher Karl Popper deeply shaped his thinking. He moved to the United States in 1956.
Soros Fund Management and the Quantum Fund
In 1970, Soros founded a hedge fund with investor Jim Rogers, which became the Quantum Fund. Since 2011, Soros Fund Management has operated as a family office with about $28 billion under management.
Why the 1992 Sterling Crisis Matters
On Black Wednesday, September 16, 1992, Soros sold short more than $10 billion worth of pounds, and Britain was forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. His profit is reported at about $1 billion, which earned him the nickname “the man who broke the Bank of England.” One trade did not make his fortune, though, because decades of investing did.
Reflexivity Explained Simply
Reflexivity is the idea that investors’ perceptions influence market prices, while prices in turn influence perceptions. If traders believe a stock will rise and buy it, the rising price attracts more buyers, which can push prices away from underlying value until the loop breaks. It is a way of thinking about markets, not a guarantee of profit.
Open Society Foundations and Giving
Soros has been a philanthropist since 1979 and built foundations active in more than 50 countries. He has donated more than $32 billion to the Open Society Foundations. His son Alex Soros has taken over the family’s philanthropic empire.
Their Different Paths to Wealth
| Factor | Howard Schultz | George Soros |
| Model | Operating company with stores, staff and supply chains | Investing and trading across markets |
| Main risk | Competition, labor costs, consumer demand | Market swings and wrong bets |
| Main wealth source | Starbucks shares and Maveron investments | Soros Fund Management |
| How he is judged | Jobs, growth, workplace conditions | Returns, market impact, political giving |
Schultz’s fortune tracks Starbucks’ stock, but Starbucks’ total market value is not his net worth because he owns only a slice. Soros’s fortune works the other way. Bloomberg estimates his personal share by subtracting about $18.3 billion of foundation money from the $28 billion family office, leaving about $9.7 billion.
Howard Schultz vs. George Soros Net Worth (Updated October 2026)
| Source | Schultz | Soros |
| Forbes 400 (Oct 2024) | $3.2 billion | Not applicable |
| Forbes real time | About $3.4 billion (Oct 14, 2026, via tracker using Forbes data) | $8.6 billion, as of Oct 27, 2026 |
| Bloomberg | Not checked | $9.70 billion |
The Schultz figure comes from a tracker that says it uses Forbes real-time data, so confirm it on Forbes before quoting it. Different outlets disagree because private assets and foundation money are hard to separate from personal wealth. On Forbes numbers, Soros is worth roughly two and a half times Schultz. Both figures move daily.
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Their Political Activity
Schultz’s Independent Presidential Exploration
In January 2019, Schultz told 60 Minutes he would explore a run as a centrist independent. Democratic activists pushed back, fearing an independent would give Donald Trump an easier path to re-election.
In June, he paused, citing health concerns, and on September 6, 2019, he ended it, also citing a back injury that required three surgeries. He had planned to spend more than $100 million on the bid and said he would instead support groups promoting civility in politics. He never formally declared his candidacy.
Soros’s Political Giving
Forbes reports that Soros gave more than $200 million to candidates and PACs over the past decade. He spent an estimated $27 million trying to defeat George W. Bush in 2004. Supporters see this as civic engagement, while critics argue one billionaire should not shape politics so heavily. Both views are common in the debate over large donors.
American Bridge 21st Century and the FEC Complaint (MUR 7567)
David Brock founded American Bridge in 2010 as an opposition research super PAC for Democrats. FactCheck.org’s records show Soros’s giving to it: he was the largest donor in the 2012 cycle at $1 million, the largest donor in 2016 at $2 million, and gave $300,000 in the 2018 cycle. The complaint alleged Schultz failed to register and report as a federal candidate, and the Commission dismissed it on November 9, 2021.
Was George Soros Behind the Complaint Against Schultz?
No source I reviewed shows that Soros personally directed or knew about it. A donation shows support for an organization, not control over each of its decisions. Note also that the 2018 cycle is the latest giving figure I could verify, and the complaint came a few months later.
Philanthropy Compared
| Factor | Schultz Family Foundation | Open Society Foundations |
| Started | 1996 | Soros giving began 1979 |
| Focus | Youth jobs and veterans in the U.S. | Human rights, justice, education, media |
| Reach | Mainly United States | More than 50 countries |
| Scale | Not comparable in size | More than $32 billion transferred by Soros |
Soros also gave $100 million to Human Rights Watch in 2010. Judge the two foundations on their own work.
Public Influence and Criticism: What Is Documented and What Is Rumor
Schultz’s influence ran through a company, so scrutiny focuses on layoffs, benefits and union fights. Soros’s influence runs through philanthropy and donations, so scrutiny focuses on political spending.
Separately, Soros is a frequent target of antisemitic conspiracy theories in right-wing media, and some observers describe many theories about his work that way. Treat any viral claim linking him to Schultz with caution until you find a document.
How to check it yourself: open the FEC’s MUR 7567 page for the complaint, response and closing letters. Read FactCheck.org’s American Bridge profile for donor figures. Compare live net worth on Forbes and Bloomberg, and check dates before trusting any number.
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What Entrepreneurs and Investors Can Learn
Schultz shows how a consistent customer experience and employee benefits can build a brand, and also that benefits do not end labor disputes. Soros shows how deep research and conviction can create outsized returns, and that big bets carry big risk. Both show that a fortune can be redirected into giving. None of this promises your results will match theirs.
FAQ’s
Are Howard Schultz and George Soros related?
No documented family relationship exists.
Are they business partners?
No joint business was found in the sources reviewed.
Did George Soros file the complaint against Schultz?
No. American Bridge, through Bradley Beychok, filed it. Soros has funded that group.
Did the FEC find that Schultz broke the law?
No. It dismissed the allegation and closed the file.
Did Howard Schultz run for president?
He explored an independent run but never formally declared and ended it on September 6, 2019.
Did Soros invest in Starbucks?
I found no reporting linking them through Starbucks. SEC 13F filings show Soros Fund Management’s holdings by quarter, so check them for any specific date.
Who is richer?
Soros, according to Forbes and Bloomberg figures.
Is Schultz still at Starbucks?
No. He left the CEO role in March 2023 and the board in September 2023.
I’m Elyon Marwood, the voice behind BlessWithUs. Writing has always been more than just words for me; it’s a way to share faith, spread hope, and bring light into someone’s day. Through heartfelt blessings, meaningful prayers, and uplifting messages, I create moments that help you slow down, feel at peace, and reconnect with what truly matters. Every piece I write carries a purpose to comfort your heart, strengthen your faith, and remind you that even in the quietest moments, you are deeply guided, loved, and blessed.
