In 2008, Starbucks was losing its way. Howard Schultz, its founder, sought advice from several people, among them the man who would soon be named the world’s best-performing CEO in 2009: Steve Jobs. The meeting was brief, uncomfortable, and crystal clear. Here’s what Schultz tells us.
A blunt piece of advice: “Fire your leadership team”
At that time, Starbucks was going through one of the toughest periods in its history. Sales were falling, and the stores had expanded too quickly. The brand had lost part of its identity, and Schultz felt that the soul of coffee had turned into just another business. With the financial crisis deepening and competition gaining ground, he looked for guidance from those who best understood how to rebuild a company from the inside. That’s when he turned to Steve Jobs.
As Schultz later recounted on the Acquired podcast, during a walk where he shared with the Apple CEO his problems and doubts about how to revive his company, Jobs suddenly stopped him and said bluntly: “Go back to Seattle and fire everyone on your leadership team.” Schultz froze. “I just told you. Fire all those people.” Jobs shouted. “I can't fire all these people, who's going to do the work?” he asked, bewildered. Jobs barely reacted: “I promise you in six months, maybe nine, they'll be gone.”
Faced with this highly uncomfortable situation, things ran their course. And in six or nine months, indeed, the entire executive team—except for the general counsel—had left Starbucks.
When Schultz later ran into Jobs at an event, he admitted that Jobs had been right—that his seemingly crazy prediction had come true. Jobs replied, “Well, you're six months, nine months late, think about all the things you could've done.”
Jobs believed that a team only works if it shares the same vision, and that making a decision too late is worse than making a wrong one. When leadership isn’t aligned, the best ideas sink in indecision. And when action comes too late, even the right decisions lose their impact.
At Apple, that idea remains alive: do fewer things, but do them well—focused on what truly matters, without distractions. Their way of working combines intuition, precision, and a constant pursuit of quality. In the end, to lead is to have the courage to cut through the noise and decide with conviction.
As for Starbucks, years later it bought 23 000 iPads for staff training. A gesture of gratitude and recognition that reveals how deeply Apple’s operational vision has influenced the entire industry.
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