Starbucks has used its chief operating officer role as a training ground for future chief executives, and Culver was seen as a potential candidate for the top job. However, Schultz said in June that the company is looking externally for a new chief executive, who is expected to be announced in the fall.
“Given the moment we find ourselves in with our Reinvention underway, this is the right decision as we chart the course and the future path for Starbucks,” Culver wrote in a letter to employees on Thursday.
