America’s housing crisis is a nationwide problem, but it’s especially acute in San Francisco and Seattle, home to the country’s largest technology industries. The “terrible twins,” as New York Times… Read More
— Not many people can say they’ve traveled to space. Not many can say they were also the original developer of software so prevalent today that most people wouldn’t be… Read More
Amazon’s tax bill has become a lightning rod in a nationwide debate over economic inequity and Seattle is on the front lines. An ambitious new proposal by Seattle City Councilmember… Read More
Officials in Seattle and Washington state are wrestling over a proposed tax on companies like Amazon and Microsoft that would raise millions to address the homelessness crisis gripping the region.… Read More
The Seattle-area business community is throwing its weight behind a proposal to tax high-paying companies in the region to fund housing and services for the homeless. Amazon, Alaska Airlines, Expedia,… Read More
Washington state lawmakers are considering a new regional tax that would raise an estimated $121 million a year from some of the Seattle area’s biggest employers, including tech giants Microsoft… Read More
Microsoft is increasing its spending on affordable housing and homelessness philanthropy in the Seattle area by 50 percent. The company announced it will spend an additional $250 million on the… Read More
Raven stoops on a bench tranquilly flint-knapping an obsidian arrowhead by an I-5 overpass in North Seattle. His 10-man tent holds his guitar, banjo, art supplies and essentials. It would… Read More
The tent cities that spring up in the shadows of some of the world’s wealthiest tech companies landed on “60 Minutes” on Sunday night after CBS News anchor Anderson Cooper… Read More
For years, fast-growing tech companies have drawn criticism for housing crises that have swelled in Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay Area, alongside booming technology industries. Big tech companies are… Read More
Big tech companies are spending big money to address the affordable housing shortage plaguing their communities. The latest is Facebook, which announced a $1 billion multi-pronged approach to the issue… Read More
AT&T is donating a total of $1.1 million to Seattle-area nonprofits focused on tackling homelessness, food insecurity, and equity. The telecom giant is launching Believe Seattle at a kickoff event… Read More
Skyrocketing housing prices, crippling traffic, and widening income inequality are making U.S. cities difficult places for everyday Americans to live. And in cities with booming tech economies, the industry driving… Read More
A new campaign to build affordable housing for Seattle residents experiencing homelessness received a big boost from the tech industry. Microsoft, Amazon, Steve and Connie Ballmer, and other organizations in… Read More
Amazon is donating a total of $8 million across Seattle and Arlington, Va., to non-profits that provide housing for people experiencing homelessness. In its original headquarters town, Seattle, Amazon will… Read More
Tableau is launching a new initiative to tackle homelessness in the latest example of the tech industry taking on the housing crisis plaguing cities across the country. The Seattle company… Read More
As two of the world’s most valuable companies, Amazon and Microsoft have created mind-boggling wealth and economic vitality in the Seattle region. But around them, housing prices have skyrocketed and… Read More
Big tech companies are stepping in to help solve the housing crunch in the face of mounting frustration from their communities, where big increases in home prices and homelessness are… Read More
Over the past decade, the Seattle area has been adding jobs much faster than housing, resulting in much more demand than supply. The market, as Microsoft President Brad Smith sees… Read More
Microsoft President Brad Smith formally announced the company’s unprecedented $500 million commitment to support affordable housing development in the Seattle region at an event Thursday. “Every day for 40 years,… Read More
Microsoft is dedicating $500 million to fund construction of affordable homes and homeless services in the Seattle region in an effort to alleviate a growing housing crisis driven by the city’s… Read More
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
Imagine if rather than threatening to slow down operations in Seattle when faced with a tax on big business, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos championed the legislation. Would the controversial “head… Read More
Seattle’s tech industry titans are joining forces to advise the city on some of the pressing challenges that have arisen as a result of booming growth. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan… Read More
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is tapping problem solvers in the tech industry to develop solutions to some of the city’s greatest challenges. She plans to sign an executive order creating… Read More
It was quite a week for controversial news. First up: Would you let a facial recognition program track your kids at school? One tech dad is making the technology a… Read More
The fight over taxing big businesses in Seattle took a dramatic turn this week. The Seattle City Council voted to repeal the Head Tax, sometimes called the ‘Amazon Tax,’ less… Read More
The dramatic defeat of a new business tax designed to alleviate Seattle’s dire homelessness crisis was seen as a victory by many in the business community. Reactions ranged from measured… Read More
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Whatever bridge existed between Amazon and Seattle government has been slowly burning for weeks as the debate over a new tax on the city’s top-grossing companies raged on. The City… Read More