Booming

Bellevue, Washington – Seattle's neighbor to the East - is having a bit of an identity crisis. For decades it’s been the younger sibling... trying to get out from under Seattle’s shadow. But now, Bellevue is preparing for a major change. Workers are putting finishing touches on the long-awaited link across Lake Washington. When it’s finished next year, two of the largest ci...

Microsoft is spending $4 billion dollars on workshops, technology, and other initiatives to get artificial intelligence into the hands of millions of people around the world. The company pioneering the AI revolution says it could be bigger than the Internet, bigger than mobile, and that the best comparison is the advent of electricity.  So, what does it mean for all of us? Booming host Monica...

For nearly a century, Washington’s timber industry produced everything from paper to 2x4s to the massive wood beams that hold up the Tacoma dome. But the industry’s been on a long decline since the 1990s.   Now, President Trump wants to reduce foreign competition and increase U.S. logging to bring back those jobs. Could Trump’s strategy revive the timber industry i...

Microsoft’s latest round of layoffs leaves even more tech workers in Washington without a job – and with a new worldview called "cruel optimism." Just a few years ago, a job in tech was considered a straight shot toward economic security and affordability in Seattle. But today, employees are afraid that if they lose their job, they won’t be able to find another one. To understand...

Mayor Bruce Harrell has a big to do list. He’s got to fix bridges, build housing, and spruce the place up for the World Cup next year.  But to make all this happen, he needs federal dollars... money the city could lose. The Trump administration has used executive orders to cut funding for cities that don’t cooperate with its immigration enforcement agenda. And now, Seattle is figh...

Seattle is one of the wealthiest and most expensive cities in the U.S. One out of every fourteen Seattleites is a millionaire.  By some estimates, costs in Seattle have risen more than 20% in just a few years.  On today's episode, we ask more than 300 Seattleites: How much money would it really take to live comfortably in this city of millionaires? And if you can't make enough, what can you d...

Washington state is known for its cherries. We produce more sweet cherries than any other state in the country, and we export them all over the world. But to supply the world with cherries, Washington farmers need a lot of workers to show up for a very short harvesting window. Usually they do, but not this year. High profile ICE raids are keeping migrant workers from the fields. Today, how a cultu...

After years of heated arguments, Seattle just passed a law allowing up to four houses per residential lot -- and six, in some cases.   The hope is that building a lot more homes will keep prices from becoming dramatically more expensive than they are now. But there’s a tradeoff. To gain more housing, we’re going to lose something else people care a lot about: trees. On the la...

Bartell Drugs is a Pacific Northwest icon. But its corporate owner, Rite Aid, is going belly-up — and that’s put the future of Bartell’s in jeopardy.   On today's episode, staying alive is not just a problem for Seattle’s oldest brick and mortar pharmacy. CVS, Walgreens, and independent pharmacies everywhere are struggling to stay afloat. So, what’s making p...

It's graduation season. When today’s grads started college four years ago, an entry-level job in tech was a sure bet. Now, it's anything but. And it's not just tech. Internship openings across the country are the lowest they've been in 6 years. On today's episode, entry-level jobs are supposed to be the first rung of the career ladder. So why is that ladder breaking? And is there anything th...

A lot of people have been wondering if the Port of Seattle is dead. Spoiler alert: the ports haven’t been knocked out by the trade war, but they definitely have whiplash.  The extreme tariffs that the US and China have put on each other – have already had a negative effect on trade. Now, they’re scaling those taxes back – at least for three months.  On today's epi...

In Seattle's Central District, the number of Black homeowners has reached a historic low. And across Seattle, less than half as many Black households own homes as white families. But there's a new law that could help turn that around. The law expands the Covenant Home Ownership program, a state program that helps first-time Black and other marginalized home buyers cover their down payments and clo...

If you've got tariff whiplash, you're not alone.  The Trump administration's on-again, off-again tariffs are meant to protect domestic businesses and bring industry back to the US. So tariffs should be good for the iconic local industries we're so proud of here in the Pacific Northwest...right? On today's episode we'll dig into three of these Northwest industries: salmon, craft breweries, and...

When it comes to the white-collar workforce, alarm bells are starting to go off. The tech industry is seeing widespread layoffs, and a lot of those laid off workers are struggling to find new gigs. Some experts speculate that these are early signs of AI moving into the workforce and replacing jobs.   Microsoft is one company at the center of this debate, so Monica sat down with its presi...

Experts say kids are spinning out online. Can Washington lawmakers help by putting seatbelts on social media? Parents, tech workers and even kids are asking for social media regulation, and there’s a bill moving through the Washington State Legislature that could make it happen. Senate Bill 5708 would block apps like Instagram and Snapchat from using addictive algorithms to keep kids scrolli...

There’s an invisible startup boom happening in Seattle right now. Tons of artificial intelligence companies have cropped up in the area – rivaling sectors like health tech and computer software. Seattle’s secret AI startup scene could transform our economy, but are we in a bubble, or is it here to stay? Joshua sits down with insider Kirby Winfield to find out. Thank you to the su...

For months, Seattle's tech industry has been reeling from layoffs. Microsoft, Amazon, Expedia and Starbucks are just a few of the companies who've recently let corporate employees go. And that's left many tech workers in a tough spot. But could there be a silver lining? With so many people suddenly out of a job, could these layoffs lead to a startup baby boom? On today's episode, Monica sits down...

Skiing has never been cheap, but it used to be accessible to families and casual skiers. Now the slopes seem to have turned into a playground for the rich. Tickets are costly...and large companies are buying out smaller ski hills. On today's episode, why is it so expensive? And is there a way for everyone to access the mountains? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possibl...

Washington's iconic outdoor retailer, REI, has gotten a little too far out over its skis. The member-owned co-op has been losing money for years. And that's put it at odds with its employees who want better wages and benefits. On today's episode, workers in the service industry are organizing at companies that used to seem immune from unionization. So, could the next generation of workers revoluti...

Seattle’s economy relies heavily on trade. So all this talk about tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China? It's got a lot of local companies concerned. But how businesses respond to tariffs may depend on if they’re big companies or small ones. On today's episode, Joshua talks to Seattle outdoor clothing company KAVU to learn more about what they're doing to prepare for potential...

Seattle has one of the worst housing shortages in the country. Nearly half the households in and around Seattle pay more than they can afford for a place to live. That’s why some housing advocates are promoting a big idea – called Social Housing - that would let even people with six-figure incomes qualify for public housing. In February, voters will decide how to pay for it. On this ep...

It’s been a week since Amazon’s corporate employees ditched their slippers for commuter shoes and started heading into the office every day. Amazon says the five-day return to office policy is about strengthening its culture, but some employees and experts have a different theory for why the company is rolling back its pandemic-era work from home policy. On this episode of Booming , wh...

Shopping online can be creepy. Suggested products, targeted ads...it feels like your phone is listening to you. You might be tempted to hit the mall instead. But actually, AI is tracking you there too. Many brick-and-mortar stores depend on holiday sales to stay alive. And increasingly they’re borrowing tricks from the online world to get us to buy stuff – lots of stuff. So in the age...

Tickets to pro sports in Seattle will put a dent in your budget. A seat at a Seahawks game could cost you $260. So why do they cost so much? The ticket selling business is a complex system with lots of players driving up the prices. On this episode of Booming, we’ll find out how the pricing works and hear about ways to see sports games without breaking the bank. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW...

The free trade era that has defined the U.S. economy for decades made clear winners and losers. It tanked the Rust Belt, but sent the Pacific Northwest’s global economy to new heights. Washington state has always benefited from its international companies and the free flow of talent across borders. So what does the potential end of the free trade era mean for our economy? Monica sat down with Univ...