Starbucks CEO debuts website to help break economic 'cycle of fear'

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz gained national attention earlier this month for political comments he made to The New York Times and in letters to his own employees and national business leaders.

By Melissa Allison
Seattle Times business reporter

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said more than 100 business leaders support his pledge to break an economic "cycle of fear and uncertainty." He listed 25 of them, including the chief executive of AOL and the chairman of Intuit, in another letter Wednesday.

He also announced the debut of a website, www.UpwardSpiral2011.org, and its Facebook counterpart to "connect voices and ideas across the country." The sites were created by POP, a Seattle digital agency.

Schultz gained national attention this month for political comments he made to The New York Times and in letters to his own employees and national business leaders.

He is calling for a halt to campaign contributions for incumbents in Washington, D.C., until they reach a long-term debt deal, and for business leaders to accelerate employment.

(More here. His letter to other CEOs outlining the pledge is here.)