Howard Schultz, who built a small Seattle coffee shop into the global powerhouse Starbucks, has announced he was retiring from the company.
The move has fueled speculation he may run for president as a Democrat in 2020.
Schultz, 64, has been serving as executive chairman of Starbucks since stepping down as chief executive in April.
He will leave the company at the end of the month and will take on the title of chairman emeritus, Starbucks said in a statement.
Schultz's announcement triggered immediate speculation that he may consider entering politics - including running for president in 2020.
He told The New York Times that he hadn't decided on his next move yet, but "for some time now, I have been deeply concerned about our country - the growing division at home and our standing in the world."
Schultz, who has been openly critical of President Donald Trump, said "one of the things I want to do in my next chapter is to figure out if there is a role I can play in giving back."
"I intend to think about a range of options, and that could include public service," he added, when asked if he was weighing a presidential run. But I'm a long way from making any decisions about the future," he added.
Schultz took the Seattle-based company from 11 cafes to more than 28,000 in 77 countries and brewing up outsized gains for many investors.
He stepped down as CEO in 2000, but retook the helm in 2008 after the US housing crisis sent Starbucks, which had been on an expansion tear, spiraling.
Schultz, who closed hundreds of stores and turned the company around, remained hands-on after transferring the CEO job in April 2017.
He was heavily involved in steering the company through an anti-bias training programme last month.
That effort came after a Starbucks cafe manager's call to Philadelphia police in April resulted in the arrests of two black men who were waiting for a friend - leading to protests and accusations of racial profiling at the chain.
Schultz was also overseeing the opening of upscale Reserve stores and massive Roastery showrooms as part of an effort to shore up Starbucks' coffee leadership.
