Author: Monica Nickelsburg

Monica Nickelsburg is GeekWire’s Civic Innovation Editor, covering technology-driven solutions to urban challenges and the intersection of tech and politics. Before joining GeekWire, she worked for The Week, Forbes, and NBC. Monica holds a BA in journalism and history from New York University. Follow her @mnickelsburg

GeekWire’s HQ2 tour: 5 takeaways from the front lines of Amazon’s ambitious headquarters experiment

In New York and Washington D.C., Amazon is moving into President Trump’s stomping grounds
New Yorkers protest Amazon HQ2: ‘We should be investing in housing … not in helicopters’
Virginia forms new neighborhood for Amazon, bracing for radical change in a sleepy DC suburb

Latest from Monica Nickelsburg

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GeekWire’s HQ2 tour: 5 takeaways from the front lines of Amazon’s ambitious headquarters experiment

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 17, 2018November 17, 2018 at 10:08 amComment

NEW YORK — Beginning in 2019, Amazon employees will be traveling between the company’s original Seattle home and its two new headquarters, in the New York and Washington D.C. regions. This… Read More

In New York and Washington D.C., Amazon is moving into President Trump’s stomping grounds

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 15, 2018November 15, 2018 at 1:30 pmComment

NEW YORK — Amazon’s plan to move at least 25,000 employees with annual salaries averaging $150,000 into skyscrapers in Long Island City cemented the Seattle-based tech titan as one of… Read More

New Yorkers protest Amazon HQ2: ‘We should be investing in housing … not in helicopters’

NEW YORK — Shawn Dixon’s life changed overnight. On Tuesday he was surprised to learn that Amazon plans to build a giant campus with room for thousands of high-paid workers… Read More

Virginia forms new neighborhood for Amazon, bracing for radical change in a sleepy DC suburb

ARLINGTON, Va. — Tell residents of this city that Amazon is moving into their National Landing neighborhood, and they’ll have no idea what you’re talking about, because it didn’t exist… Read More

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HQ2 incentives revealed: Here’s what NYC and Virginia gave up to get Amazon’s new headquarters

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 13, 2018November 13, 2018 at 6:57 pmComment

One of the most controversial aspects of Amazon’s year-long search for a second headquarters was the request for government incentives in exchange for creating thousands of jobs and investing billions… Read More

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Amazon announces HQ2 cities, splitting second headquarters as extraordinary contest concludes

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 13, 2018November 13, 2018 at 8:26 am 3 Comments

ARLINGTON, Va. — After more than a year of reconnaissance, frenzied speculation, and non-stop media coverage, Amazon’s remarkable “HQ2” search is over. But the high-stakes project really is just beginning,… Read More

Amazon’s second home? GeekWire treks from Seattle to Virginia for new insights into HQ2 search

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 12, 2018November 14, 2018 at 6:53 am1 Comment

ARLINGTON, Va. — Why not? What if? It’s hard not to read those words, emblazoned on a piece of street art concealing a construction project in Arlington’s Crystal City, as… Read More

Comcast heads to trial with Washington state over consumer protection dispute

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 9, 2018November 10, 2018 at 10:42 am 2 Comments

Lawyers from Comcast and the State of Washington met in King County Superior Court Friday to debate evidence in a rare consumer protection lawsuit headed for trial. The case involves… Read More

Ford reportedly buying Spin as big transportation companies seek new mobility toehold

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 7, 2018November 7, 2018 at 2:05 pmComment

Ford is acquiring scooter startup Spin, according to a report from Axios citing anonymous sources. The deal, which one source puts at around $40 million, would help Ford compete with… Read More

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Why San Francisco’s big business tax for homeless relief succeeded after Seattle’s crumbled

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 7, 2018November 8, 2018 at 8:45 am 4 Comments

Two tech hubs, two crises of homelessness, two taxes on big business, two very different outcomes. San Francisco voters on Tuesday approved a new tax on the city’s top-grossing companies to… Read More

Urbanist Richard Florida on what splitting Amazon HQ2 means for cities: ‘It never was about a second headquarters’

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 7, 2018November 7, 2018 at 10:14 am1 Comment

In many ways, reports that Amazon will split its ballyhooed second headquarters between two cities came as a shock this week. But the change of plans actually fits one narrative… Read More

Seattle mayor celebrates reports that Amazon may split HQ2: ‘I’d call those branch offices’

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 6, 2018November 6, 2018 at 10:20 am 3 Comments

Amazon’s desire to see other cities — revealed by its search for a second headquarters home — hasn’t always cast Seattle in the most flattering light over the past year.… Read More

Dual Amazon HQ2s would depart from original promise of ‘full equal’ second headquarters

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 5, 2018November 6, 2018 at 7:07 am1 Comment

When Jeff Bezos revealed his plans to open a second Amazon headquarters last September, he said, “we expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters.” The announcement… Read More

Two HQ2s? Amazon reportedly plans to divide its second headquarters between two cities

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 5, 2018November 6, 2018 at 7:02 am 4 Comments

Amazon plans to split its second headquarters evenly between two cities, an anonymous source familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. It’s the latest twist in the company’s… Read More

Unhappy with Washington Post’s Khashoggi coverage, some Saudis seek Amazon boycott

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 5, 2018November 5, 2018 at 9:29 amComment

A campaign to boycott Amazon is picking up steam in Saudi Arabia on Twitter among people unhappy with The Washington Post’s coverage of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The… Read More

Amazon exec slams HQ2 leaker: ‘You’re not doing Crystal City, VA any favors’

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 3, 2018November 3, 2018 at 3:07 pm 25 Comments

Amazon officials are notoriously private, declining to give interviews or comments to the press without express consent from the Seattle e-commerce giant. But Mike Grella, Amazon’s director of economic development… Read More

Oregon senator proposes privacy regulations with prison and revenue penalties for data misuse

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 1, 2018November 1, 2018 at 4:38 pmComment

Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, introduced a privacy bill Thursday that would level hefty penalties against technology companies that misuse consumer data. The Consumer Data Protection Act would… Read More

Top 3 voter concerns are Trump, immigration and racism, poll from Ballmer’s USAFacts reveals

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 1, 2018November 1, 2018 at 12:55 pm 3 Comments

The most common concern among voters, as they prepare to cast their ballots Tuesday, is President Donald Trump, according to a poll conducted on behalf of USAFacts, the non-partisan government data… Read More

Will Amazon HQ2 mean relief for Seattle’s frenzied housing market? Redfin thinks so

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 31, 2018October 31, 2018 at 10:28 am 4 Comments

Seattle home prices have been soaring for years, pitting buyers against each other in fierce competition as the city’s tech boom drove the housing market to seemingly limitless heights. But… Read More

Lime pulls electric scooters after learning of defect that can cause batteries to catch fire

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 31, 2018October 31, 2018 at 9:14 amComment

Over the summer, Lime quietly removed scooters from circulation in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Lake Tahoe after learning a small percentage had batteries that could smolder or catch fire.… Read More

Lime pursues car sharing in Seattle, breaking new ground for the bike and scooter startup

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 30, 2018October 30, 2018 at 7:22 amComment

Lime wants to add cars to its Seattle mobility fleet, expanding beyond the bright green, rentable bikes the company currently operates in the city. The Bay Area mobility startup applied… Read More

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Twitter teams up with Tagboard to help newscasters surface political tweets

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 30, 2018October 29, 2018 at 3:14 pmComment

Twitter is partnering with Seattle-area startup Tagboard to help video news producers highlight tweets tied to political issues and races in live broadcasts. Today the two tech companies launched Tagboard… Read More

With Amazon HQ2 pick imminent, past comments show Jeff Bezos repeatedly making the case for an urban campus

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 29, 2018October 29, 2018 at 7:13 am 4 Comments

The grand reveal of the city where Amazon will build its second headquarters is expected any day, and some prognosticators are betting Northern Virginia will take home the massive economic… Read More

Microsoft defends bid for $10B Pentagon cloud contract amid criticism over government use of technology

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 26, 2018October 26, 2018 at 11:24 am1 Comment

Microsoft will not pull out of the competition for a $10 billion cloud contract for the Department of Defense, despite growing concerns about private companies selling new technologies to the… Read More

While some Amazon HQ2 candidates get second dates, other cities are waiting by the phone

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 25, 2018October 25, 2018 at 3:41 pm 3 Comments

Reports of Amazon officials revisiting select regions in the running for the company’s second headquarters are trickling in, leaving some cities wondering if they’re still in the game. Earlier this… Read More

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UPS launches cargo e-bike delivery in Seattle, returning to bicycle courier origins a century later

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 25, 2018October 25, 2018 at 11:24 am 8 Comments

More than a century ago, the company now known as UPS started as a simple courier service in Seattle. A handful of messengers would deliver packages by bicycle and by… Read More

Bezos and other Amazon execs back Colorado Republican’s Senate re-election campaign

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 24, 2018October 24, 2018 at 3:58 pm1 Comment

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and other executives donated thousands of dollars to the re-election campaign of Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican from Colorado, during the third quarter of this year.… Read More

This Seattle startup is giving Election Day off to its 300 employees to vote and celebrate democracy

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 24, 2018November 5, 2018 at 3:07 pm 2 Comments

Update Nov. 5: Outreach will no longer host the Democracy Day event due to low RSVP numbers. Employees will still have the day off to vote and volunteer. Every election year,… Read More

Amazon ramps up lobbying to record levels ahead of HQ2 announcement

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 23, 2018October 23, 2018 at 11:48 amComment

Amazon has been steadily increasing its lobbying budget and taking a more central position on the national political stage while simultaneously searching for a city to plant its second headquarters.… Read More

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Entrepreneurs from around the world pitch their startups in Seattle for the chance to present in D.C.

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 22, 2018October 23, 2018 at 12:46 pmComment

An international group of entrepreneurs gathered at Seattle City Hall Friday afternoon to pitch companies they’re building around the world from Cyprus to Slovakia. The 10 startup founders who presented… Read More

Articles by Monica Nickelsburg

Top Stories from Monica Nickelsburg

GeekWire’s HQ2 tour: 5 takeaways from the front lines of Amazon’s ambitious headquarters experiment

Latest from Monica Nickelsburg

GeekWire’s HQ2 tour: 5 takeaways from the front lines of Amazon’s ambitious headquarters experiment

In New York and Washington D.C., Amazon is moving into President Trump’s stomping grounds

New Yorkers protest Amazon HQ2: ‘We should be investing in housing … not in helicopters’

Virginia forms new neighborhood for Amazon, bracing for radical change in a sleepy DC suburb

HQ2 incentives revealed: Here’s what NYC and Virginia gave up to get Amazon’s new headquarters

Amazon announces HQ2 cities, splitting second headquarters as extraordinary contest concludes

Amazon’s second home? GeekWire treks from Seattle to Virginia for new insights into HQ2 search

Comcast heads to trial with Washington state over consumer protection dispute

Ford reportedly buying Spin as big transportation companies seek new mobility toehold

Why San Francisco’s big business tax for homeless relief succeeded after Seattle’s crumbled

Urbanist Richard Florida on what splitting Amazon HQ2 means for cities: ‘It never was about a second headquarters’

Seattle mayor celebrates reports that Amazon may split HQ2: ‘I’d call those branch offices’

Dual Amazon HQ2s would depart from original promise of ‘full equal’ second headquarters

Two HQ2s? Amazon reportedly plans to divide its second headquarters between two cities

Unhappy with Washington Post’s Khashoggi coverage, some Saudis seek Amazon boycott

Amazon exec slams HQ2 leaker: ‘You’re not doing Crystal City, VA any favors’

Oregon senator proposes privacy regulations with prison and revenue penalties for data misuse

Top 3 voter concerns are Trump, immigration and racism, poll from Ballmer’s USAFacts reveals

Will Amazon HQ2 mean relief for Seattle’s frenzied housing market? Redfin thinks so

Lime pulls electric scooters after learning of defect that can cause batteries to catch fire

With Amazon HQ2 pick imminent, past comments show Jeff Bezos repeatedly making the case for an urban campus

While some Amazon HQ2 candidates get second dates, other cities are waiting by the phone

UPS launches cargo e-bike delivery in Seattle, returning to bicycle courier origins a century later

Bezos and other Amazon execs back Colorado Republican’s Senate re-election campaign

This Seattle startup is giving Election Day off to its 300 employees to vote and celebrate democracy

Amazon ramps up lobbying to record levels ahead of HQ2 announcement

Entrepreneurs from around the world pitch their startups in Seattle for the chance to present in D.C.

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