Starbucks Corp. is making a stronger play toward being a technology company, not just a purveyor of coffee, according to CNNMoney. Starbucks also announced it has hired Kevin Johnson, former CEO of Juniper Networks and a veteran of Microsoft Corp. and IBM Inc., to be its new chief operating officer. This is a clear sign that Starbucks is serious about becoming a mobile payment giant that can compete with the likes of Apple Inc., PayPal, Google Inc. and former Starbucks partner Square.