Tim Armstrong — whose tech career included chief roles at Google, AOL and Verizon — told CNBC on Thursday he thinks of Howard Schultz as a mentor and would support the former Starbucks CEO if Schultz were to run for president as a centrist independent in 2020.

"Howard Schultz has been one of my mentors. He's spent a lot of time with me. I really have a tremendous amount of respect for what he's done at Starbucks," said Armstrong, who was one of Google's longest-serving executives before he left for AOL. "Howard is somebody who's done a lot for this country and a lot for the economy."

Late last month, the billionaire Schultz told CBS' "60 Minutes" that he's considering running for president "outside of the two-party system."