City of Seattle

Tech Moves: Seattle appoints first Smart City Coordinator; Fred Hutch adds to leadership; and more

by Clare McGrane on July 25, 2017July 25, 2017 at 1:48 pm1 Comment

Seattle has long been a hub for innovative technology, and today the city is taking advantage of that technology more than ever with its Smart City program. To lead that… Read More

Event Calendar

Women@Work: A Different Future for Tech

by Todd Bishop on June 19, 2017June 19, 2017 at 10:56 amComment

Please join Redfin for an inspiring afternoon with women technology leaders who are creating change in an industry grappling with how to increase diversity and inclusion. Seattle is developing into… Read More

Tech Moves: Meet Social Venture Partners’ new CEO; Seattle hires new Chief Privacy Officer; and more

by Clare McGrane on July 11, 2017July 18, 2017 at 10:23 amComment

Social Venture Partners isn’t your typical venture fund. It’s a nonprofit, community-focused group that acts as an important hub for social innovation and investment in the Seattle area, and it’s… Read More

Video

Seattle mayor joins Oak View Group in promising to turn KeyArena into world-class sports, music venue

by Kurt Schlosser on June 7, 2017June 7, 2017 at 4:17 pmComment

Updated 4:15 p.m. Wednesday: Promising to build a world-class arena, and with it potentially lure an NBA or NHL team to Seattle, Mayor Ed Murray announced Wednesday that he has selected Oak… Read More

Those big white signs posted on Seattle development projects are getting a makeover

by Nat Levy on May 8, 2017May 8, 2017 at 3:08 pm1 Comment

They’re as much of a symbol of the changing face of Seattle as the hoard of six-story apartment buildings going up and the thousands of blue Amazon badges attached to people… Read More

Judge sides with city of Seattle in legal dispute with Uber over historic driver unionization law

by Nat Levy on March 17, 2017March 17, 2017 at 5:30 pm 2 Comments

A King County judge today rejected a request from Uber subsidiary Rasier to block several key provisions of Seattle’s historic law that lets drivers for ride-hailing companies decide if they want to bargain… Read More

How big data can improve cities and save lives: UW and Seattle brainstorm solutions on education, homelessness, and transportation

by Taylor Soper on January 17, 2017January 17, 2017 at 12:04 pmComment

Using data and analytics to help improve the bottom line is now common practice in the technology and business worlds. But how can city governments use those same techniques and… Read More

How a popular park on an abandoned NYC rail line will influence Seattle’s $700M waterfront makeover

by Nat Levy on January 3, 2017January 3, 2017 at 5:55 am 4 Comments

NEW YORK — It’s a chilly Thursday afternoon, and throngs of people from around the world have come to New York’s Chelsea neighborhood to take a walk on an abandoned… Read More

City of Seattle hosting ‘Let It Snow’ hackathon to get ideas for better storm communication tools

by Kurt Schlosser on December 9, 2016December 9, 2016 at 3:40 pmComment

Seattle experienced its first snowfall of the season on Thursday night and into Friday and now the city’s leaders are calling upon technologically adept folks to do more than just share pictures of… Read More

Uber and Lyft criticize new Seattle proposal to decide which drivers could vote to unionize

by Nat Levy on November 23, 2016November 23, 2016 at 2:30 pm 3 Comments

The city of Seattle Wednesday released a set of proposals that aim to settle some of the toughest questions in the landmark law that would let drivers for ride-hailing companies decide if… Read More

City of Seattle awards $320,000 to programs bringing tech to underserved communities

by Clare McGrane on August 18, 2016August 18, 2016 at 10:29 am 2 Comments

While Seattle is renowned for its role as a global tech hub, many communities in the city still have little or no access to technology. For citizens who are homeless, members of… Read More

Seattle councilmembers spar with city staff over timeline for landmark Uber union law

by Nat Levy on August 17, 2016August 17, 2016 at 6:00 pm 5 Comments

A Seattle City Council committee denied a request from city staff Wednesday for an additional six months to figure out some of the key issues with the landmark ride-hailing unionization law… Read More

Court dismisses U.S. Chamber’s suit over Seattle’s Uber union law — but fight is likely to continue

by Nat Levy on August 9, 2016August 9, 2016 at 7:04 pm 2 Comments

A federal judge on Tuesday threw out the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s lawsuit over the city of Seattle’s landmark Uber unionization law, but the legal fight is likely far from over. The… Read More

Seattle wants six more months to implement landmark Uber union law

by Nat Levy on August 3, 2016August 3, 2016 at 5:30 pm1 Comment

Seattle’s controversial Uber unionization law is the first of its kind in the nation, and the city wants more time to get it right. During a meeting of the Seattle City Council’s Education, Equity and… Read More

City of Seattle and U.S. Chamber face off in hearing over Uber union law

by Nat Levy on July 19, 2016July 19, 2016 at 5:03 pm 5 Comments

Lawyers representing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the City of Seattle met in court Tuesday for the first of what could be many showdowns in a lawsuit over legislation that would allow… Read More

Showdown over Seattle’s Uber union law: City asks court to toss U.S. Chamber’s lawsuit

by Nat Levy on July 18, 2016July 18, 2016 at 11:11 am 3 Comments

The city of Seattle will ask a federal judge this week to throw out a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over legislation that would allow Uber, Lyft and other… Read More

Retiring Seattle city archivist reflects on history, growth, digital age — and the subway that wasn’t

by Kurt Schlosser on June 22, 2016June 22, 2016 at 9:37 amComment

Scott Cline has a unique perspective on Seattle and the massive changes taking place in the city. As the city archivist with the Seattle Municipal Archives, Cline preserves a wide range of materials… Read More

Google donates $344K for free WiFi in Seattle community centers and affordable housing units

by Taylor Soper on March 30, 2016March 30, 2016 at 11:32 am 8 Comments

Free WiFi is coming to Seattle community centers and affordable housing developments thanks to a $344,000 grant from Google. The tech giant today announced the donation, which is part of Mayor… Read More

Seattle mayor signs new open data policy that makes city information more accessible

by Taylor Soper on February 26, 2016February 26, 2016 at 12:53 pmComment

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray today signed an executive order that instructs city departments to make their data more accessible to the public. The new open data policy was developed by city… Read More

Grass greener, Internet faster? Why Seattle is mapping broadband speeds across the city

by Madeline Vuong on February 15, 2016February 15, 2016 at 1:08 pm 2 Comments

The City of Seattle has announced an online broadband speed test that will create a map of internet speeds and prices across different Seattle neighborhoods. Using the map, city residents will be able compare their… Read More

City of Seattle unveils new privacy program to ‘build public trust’ about use of personal information

by Taylor Soper on October 12, 2015October 12, 2015 at 11:23 amComment

The City of Seattle is moving forward with its commitment to help citizens understand how it uses their personal data both internally and with outside third-party organizations. Representatives from the city’s… Read More

Heads up, Car2Go drivers: The city is coming for your tickets

by Molly Brown on October 9, 2015October 9, 2015 at 11:10 amComment

If you often drive a Car2Go, and have gotten a ticket or two, you might want to just go ahead and pay those. The City of Seattle is coming for… Read More

City of Seattle plans broadband options for low-income residents as part of Obama’s ConnectHome initiative

by James Risley on July 17, 2015July 17, 2015 at 9:33 pmComment

Low-income Seattle residents may be able to access broadband Internet for little or no cost under a nationwide pilot program. As part of President Barack Obama’s ConnectHome initiative announced this… Read More

City of Seattle launches digital privacy initiative aimed at transparency, utilizing new technology

by Taylor Soper on November 3, 2014November 4, 2014 at 12:01 pmComment

The City of Seattle wants to do a better job of showing the public how it collects information, and today it launched a digital privacy initiative to do just that. The… Read More

Tech Moves: Shauna Causey joins EveryMove; Ex-Dropcam exec named to SNUPI board; and more

by John Cook on October 22, 2014January 13, 2015 at 9:41 pmComment

—Startup vet Shauna Causey — a former marketing executive at UP Global and Decide.com — has landed a new gig at Seattle health startup EveryMove. In addition, the company named… Read More

Neighborhood social network Nextdoor teams with the City of Seattle

by Blair Hanley Frank on October 15, 2014October 15, 2014 at 7:02 pmComment

Emerald City users of Nextdoor now have a new away to stay on top of news from the City of Seattle, thanks to a new partnership between the neighborhood-focused social… Read More

Clogged cell networks during big events: Examining potential solutions to a serious problem

by Taylor Soper on September 10, 2014September 10, 2014 at 10:38 pm 5 Comments

After the City of Seattle asked citizens around CenturyLink Field to limit their social media use in the Stadium District last Thursday during the Seahawks opening game festivities, people weren’t too thrilled.… Read More

City of Seattle names Microsoft cloud privacy strategist Michael Mattmiller as new tech chief

by Taylor Soper on June 10, 2014June 10, 2014 at 10:09 amComment

The City of Seattle today named Michael Mattmiller its new Chief Technology Officer, bringing on a former developer to help head up the city’s Department of Information and Technology. Mattmiller replaces interim CTO… Read More

Seattle names veteran government employee as interim technology chief

by Taylor Soper on April 7, 2014April 7, 2014 at 8:15 am1 Comment

The City of Seattle has named Sabra Schneider, who previously served as the City’s Director of Electronic Communications, as its Interim Chief Technology Officer. Schneider will head up the city’s Department… Read More

Seattle’s technology chief Erin Devoto resigns

by Taylor Soper on March 28, 2014March 28, 2014 at 5:53 pmComment

Seattle Chief Technology Officer Erin Devoto resigned today after accepting a job with the City of Kirkland in the Public Works department. Devoto, who replaced former CTO Bill Schrier in… Read More