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Amazon commits $100M to Bellevue to ‘accelerate’ production of affordable housing

Amazon announced that it is giving $100 million to support affordable housing efforts in Bellevue, Wash. The contribution is part… Read More

Tesla retains advantage in Washington state as effort stalls to expand direct EV sales

The third time was not the charm for a coalition that was pushing to level the playing field for electric… Read More

Lawmakers take aim at Uber and Lyft with bill targeting surge pricing after big events

After a big sporting event or arena concert, fans flood city streets in search of a Lyft or Uber ride.… Read More

Airbnb pushes back on new bill that would tax short-term rentals to fund housing in Washington

Opponents rallied at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia on Tuesday to voice their displeasure for a bill being considered… Read More

Seattle mayor says he has ‘grave concerns’ about Trump administration

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell expressed optimism for the city’s future while addressing concerns about the Trump administration in his annual… Read More

Trump layoffs hit Pacific Northwest engineers and researchers at PNNL, Hanford cleanup, elsewhere

The Trump administration’s government-wide layoffs are hitting engineers and researchers at agencies in Washington state including the Pacific Northwest National… Read More

In step with what officials want to see, Amazon helped Seattle worker foot traffic jump in January

Amazon’s return to office five days per week has had an immediate impact on worker foot traffic in downtown Seattle… Read More

‘Downtown runs on people’: Seattle officials bullish on impact of Amazon’s return to office

Seattle city leaders have not been shy about cheering Amazon and CEO Andy Jassy’s mandate that put people back at… Read More

City of Seattle workers file class action suit against city alleging payroll errors after new system install

A class action lawsuit filed against the City of Seattle last week alleges that a new payroll system implemented last… Read More

Initial election results show support for Seattle social housing tax opposed by Amazon, Microsoft

Seattle voters are showing support for a new tax on big business that would fund a social housing developer. More… Read More

What’s at stake for Washington’s flagship research institutions in the legal battle over NIH funding

The fight now unfolding over the Trump administration’s sudden limit on National Institutes of Health grant funding could have deep… Read More

‘Layoffs and pain’: Frozen federal funding batters clean energy and climate efforts

President Trump’s Unleashing American Energy executive order puzzles David Funk. The order targets clean energy efforts, pausing the distribution of… Read More

Amid AI boom, Gov. Ferguson creates workgroup to study impact of data centers in Washington state

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson announced that he’s forming a workgroup to dig into the impacts of data centers in the… Read More

Tesla could lose its big EV sales advantage in Washington state if lawmakers pass new rules

Tesla could soon lose its electric vehicle sales advantage as Washington state lawmakers are taking their third shot at legislation… Read More

Costco, Amazon, Microsoft chart their own DEI paths as Trump targets diversity efforts

As President Trump issues directives to scuttle every federal government initiative that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion, tech giants and… Read More

Meet the ‘technological optimist’ helping set Washington state’s tech, energy, and climate policy

State Sen. Sharon Shewmake is taking over as chair of the Senate’s Environment, Energy and Technology Committee, a wide-ranging clearinghouse… Read More

Biden’s executive order on AI data centers could benefit Amazon and Microsoft

President Joe Biden this week issued one of his last executive orders, addressing the race to build domestic data centers… Read More

New bills aim to create framework for AI transparency in Washington state

A pair of proposed laws in Washington state seek to establish ground rules around the creation and consumption of generative… Read More

Instacart and Uber file appeal in driver deactivation lawsuit against City of Seattle

Instacart and Uber aren’t letting up in their fight against a new law in Seattle. The companies filed an appeal… Read More

Proposed law would restrict phone usage in Washington public schools

School districts in Washington state would be required to enforce policies that restrict student use of phones under a new… Read More

Amazon and Seattle: Mayor Bruce Harrell on tech giant’s full return to office, and relationship with city

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is threading the needle with Amazon. In an interview with GeekWire this week, Harrell explained how… Read More

Judge denies Uber’s motion to block new Seattle law regulating the driver deactivation process

A federal judge denied Uber’s effort to stop the enforcement of a new Seattle law that establishes labor standards for… Read More

Downtown Seattle leader calls Amazon’s return-to-office mandate ‘influential’ as 5-day policy begins

Will other companies follow Amazon’s lead? That’s a key question for the future of downtown Seattle as the tech giant… Read More

Instacart joins Uber in lawsuit against Seattle over driver deactivation law

Instacart is joining Uber in an attempt to block a new ordinance in Seattle that regulates how companies can deactivate… Read More

Nick Hanauer, critic of income inequality, calls proposed Washington wealth tax ‘impractical’

Seattle venture capitalist Nick Hanauer was a vocal supporter of implementing Washington’s capital gains tax, which passed in 2021 and… Read More

Uber sues Seattle over new law regulating how delivery platforms boot drivers off their apps

Uber is suing the City of Seattle over a new law, set to take effect in January, that regulates how… Read More

Wealth tax proposal in Washington state reignites debate over taxes and tech talent migration

Follow-up: Nick Hanauer, critic of income inequality, calls proposed Washington wealth tax ‘impractical’ Do taxes that target wealthy residents drive… Read More

Plans for high-speed train running from Vancouver, B.C., to Portland gets nearly $50M for next phase

The idea of building a high-speed rail line that could carry people from Vancouver, B.C., to Portland, Ore., in roughly… Read More

Washington governor proposes 1% wealth tax on residents and higher tax rate for some businesses

Follow-up: Wealth tax proposal in Washington state reignites debate over taxes and tech talent migration A wealth tax is back… Read More

Washington state getting $57M to boost digital equity initiatives, add zero-emission school buses

A number of grants announced this week by the Washington State Dept. of Commerce and Sen. Maria Cantwell’s office total… Read More