Introduction
Howard Schultz and George Soros are two of the most recognisable self-made billionaires in the world, yet they made their names in entirely different worlds. Schultz is most closely associated with turning Starbucks into a global coffeehouse brand, while Soros is best known for Soros Fund Management, the Quantum Fund and the Open Society Foundations. Because their names are often searched together, some readers assume they must be business partners or joint founders. That assumption is not supported by the public record.
There is no verified joint venture, shared company or commercial partnership between them, and they are not relatives. What does exist is a narrow, indirect political link from 2019. Soros had previously donated to American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic-aligned political group. In February 2019, that group filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission concerning Schultz as he explored a possible independent run for president in 2020. The named complainants were American Bridge and its president, Bradley Beychok, not Soros himself, and there is no verified evidence that Soros directed or specifically funded that complaint. The commission dismissed the allegation in 2021. This article looks at both lives side by side and explains what each man is actually known for in 2026.
Quick Bio Data Table
| Attribute | Howard Schultz | George Soros |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Howard D. Schultz | George Soros, born György Schwartz |
| Stage Name/Nickname | Not publicly known | The Man Who Broke the Bank of England |
| Date of Birth | July 19, 1953 | August 12, 1930 |
| Age | 73 | 96 |
| Place of Birth | Brooklyn, New York, United States | Budapest, Hungary |
| Profession | Businessman, entrepreneur and author | Investor, hedge fund manager, author and philanthropist |
| Height | Not publicly known | Not publicly known |
| Net Worth (Estimated 2026) | Around 3.5 billion dollars | Around 8.6 billion dollars |
| Relationship Status | Married to Sheri Kersch since 1982 | Married to Tamiko Bolton since 2013 |
| Notable Work/Roles | Former chairman and chief executive of Starbucks; co-founder of Maveron; author | Founder of Soros Fund Management; adviser to the Quantum Fund; founder of the Open Society Foundations |
| Official Social Handles | Not publicly known | Not publicly known |
Early Life
Howard Schultz was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 19, 1953, to Fred and Elaine Schultz. His father worked as a truck driver after serving in the army, and his mother was a homemaker. The family lived in the Bayview Houses, a public housing project in Canarsie, Brooklyn, and money was often tight. Schultz has often described how his father's injury at work, which left him without pay or proper support, shaped his later views on dignity at work. He attended Canarsie High School and graduated from Northern Michigan University in 1975 with a degree in communications, the first person in his family to go to college.
George Soros was born György Schwartz in Budapest on August 12, 1930, into a prosperous, non-observant Jewish family. His father, Tivadar, was a lawyer and author who wrote in Esperanto. Soros was a teenager when Nazi Germany occupied Hungary in 1944 and began persecuting the Jewish population. His family survived, an experience that profoundly shaped his later thinking about open societies and the fragility of freedom. In 1947, at seventeen, he moved to the United Kingdom, studied at the London School of Economics under the influence of philosopher Karl Popper, and earned degrees in philosophy in 1951 and 1954.
Background & Breakthrough
Schultz did not found Starbucks, a common misunderstanding worth correcting. Starbucks was founded in Seattle in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker as a retailer selling whole coffee beans, teas and spices. Schultz joined in 1982 as director of retail operations and marketing. On a buying trip to Milan, Italy, in 1983, he visited espresso bars where customers stood at the counter, talked with baristas and treated coffee as a daily social ritual. The original owners were not persuaded, so he left in 1985, opened his own business, Il Giornale, and in 1987, with backing from local investors, Il Giornale acquired Starbucks. Schultz took the Starbucks name for the combined company and could now build his Milan idea on a much larger scale.
Soros moved to the United States in 1956 and worked in merchant banks and as an analyst. In 1969 he set up his first hedge fund, Double Eagle, and in 1970 he founded Soros Fund Management. The fund that grew from those beginnings became known as the Quantum Fund. Soros developed his theory of reflexivity: investors do not simply observe reality, they also help shape it, because their beliefs affect prices, and prices in turn affect fundamentals. He set out that thinking in The Alchemy of Finance, published in 1987. His defining breakthrough came on September 16, 1992, known as Black Wednesday, when his fund's very large short position against the British pound paid off as Britain was forced to withdraw from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism and the pound fell. The profit was reported at around one billion dollars, earning Soros his famous nickname.
Career Evolution & Major Milestones
Under Schultz, Starbucks grew into a global chain with tens of thousands of stores. He served as chairman and chief executive in several periods, including until 2000, again from 2008 to 2017, and as interim chief executive in 2022 and 2023, leaving the board in 2023. Under Schultz, Starbucks became known for health benefits for part-time workers and stock options for employees, policies he linked to his father's experience after injury. In 1998 he co-founded Maveron, a venture capital firm focused on consumer businesses, with Dan Levitan, investing in companies including Allbirds and Groupon. From 2001 to 2006 he owned the Seattle SuperSonics basketball team. In 2019 he explored running for president as an independent centrist candidate, then announced in September 2019 that he would not run, citing recovery from back surgery.
Soros reorganised the Quantum Fund in 2000 and later converted Soros Fund Management into a family office. In 1991 his support helped create Central European University, and he built the Open Society Foundations into an international grantmaking network supporting education, human rights, public health, independent media and democratic institutions in more than one hundred countries. In June 2023 he handed control of the foundations to his son Alexander, known as Alex Soros.
Personal Life
Schultz married Sheri Kersch in 1982, the same year he joined Starbucks, and the couple have two grown children, Jordan and Addison. Jordan has worked as a sports journalist and analyst. Together, Howard and Sheri founded the Schultz Family Foundation in 1996, focused on economic opportunity for young people not in school or work, and for veterans and military families moving into civilian life. In 2026 they announced a move from the Seattle area, where they had lived for decades, to South Florida, closer to their children and grandchildren on the East Coast, while the foundation remained headquartered in Seattle.
Soros has been married three times: to Annaliese Witschak from 1960 to 1983, with three children, Robert, Andrea and Jonathan; to Susan Weber from 1983 to 2005, with two sons, Alexander and Gregory; and to Tamiko Bolton, a pharmacist and entrepreneur, since 2013. Alexander Soros now chairs the Open Society Foundations. Soros has lived for many years in New York.
Lifestyle & Public Image
Schultz's public image is that of the earnest founder talking about coffee, workers and opportunity, often photographed in Starbucks stores with baristas and customers. His writing emphasises humility, hard work and gratitude. Critics have questioned Starbucks labour relations, drink prices and the sale of the Seattle SuperSonics, while supporters point to employee benefits, growth and foundation work.
Soros's public image is far more polarised. To admirers, he is a brilliant investor who survived the Holocaust, championed open societies and gave away a historic share of his fortune. In 2020 a major business magazine called him the most generous giver in terms of percentage of net worth, and in January 2025 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for philanthropic work supporting democracy, human rights and open societies. To critics, he has become a symbol of wealthy political influence and the subject of conspiracy theories not supported by evidence.
Estimated Net Worth & Financial Success in 2026
Net worth estimates move with share prices and philanthropic transfers, so any figure is an estimate at a point in time, not a bank balance. For Schultz, widely reported estimates in 2026 put his net worth at around 3.5 billion dollars, largely linked to his Starbucks shareholding and Maveron investments, down from a peak of around 4.9 billion dollars reported in 2021.
For Soros, widely reported estimates in 2026 put his remaining personal net worth at around 8.6 billion dollars, after he donated more than 32 billion dollars to the Open Society Foundations over several decades, including a single transfer of 18 billion dollars announced in 2017. Before those transfers, his fortune had been reported at around 25 billion dollars. The family office that grew from Soros Fund Management manages far larger sums, reported at around 28 billion dollars in assets, but those managed assets are not his personal net worth and include foundation endowments. Soros therefore remains wealthier than Schultz in 2026, even after historic giving, while Schultz remains a multi-billionaire on the strength of one consumer brand.
Recent News & Future Projects
Schultz left the Starbucks board in 2023 after his final period as interim chief executive, and has since focused on family, philanthropy and selective investment work, including a strategic partnership role with a sports-focused production company. His most widely reported recent development is his move with Sheri from Seattle to Miami, Florida, announced in early 2026 after decades in Seattle, which he described as long planned and a chance to be closer to family on the East Coast.
For Soros, recent news has centred on succession and recognition. In June 2023 he handed control of the Open Society Foundations to his son Alex, and in January 2025 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The foundations continue to fund education, human rights, health and democratic institutions, and their future direction will increasingly reflect Alex Soros's leadership.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Howard Schultz and George Soros business partners?
No. There is no verified business partnership, joint venture or shared company between them. They built separate fortunes in coffee retail and financial markets, linked only by a narrow, indirect political episode in 2019, not by a commercial relationship.
How did Howard Schultz make his money?
Primarily through Starbucks. He joined in 1982, acquired it with investors in 1987 after founding Il Giornale, and led its expansion into a global chain. He also co-founded Maveron in 1998 and invested in consumer businesses through that firm.
How did George Soros make his money?
Through investing, above all Soros Fund Management and the Quantum Fund. His most famous trade was the 1992 short position against the British pound on Black Wednesday, reportedly making around one billion dollars. He later gave more than 32 billion dollars to the Open Society Foundations.
What is the connection between Howard Schultz and George Soros?
The only documented connection is indirect and political. Soros had donated to American Bridge 21st Century in earlier election cycles. In February 2019, that group filed a Federal Election Commission complaint concerning Schultz's exploration of an independent presidential run. The commission dismissed it in 2021, Soros was not named as a complainant, and no verified evidence shows he directed it.
Final Verdict / Conclusion
Schultz turned a Milan coffee ritual into a global brand and wrote about opportunity and dignity at work. Soros turned a philosophy of uncertainty into a fortune in currency markets, then gave most of it away to support open societies, education and human rights. In 2026, they should not be merged into a single story. There is no joint venture to uncover and no shared company to invest in. Schultz will be remembered for Starbucks and for the argument that a company can grow while treating workers with respect. Soros will be remembered for the Quantum Fund, for Black Wednesday, and for philanthropy few people in history have matched. That, rather than any invented connection, is the real story of Howard Schultz and George Soros.