Civic – Page 23 of 59

Pandemic spells uncertain future for bikes and scooters as mobility services confront new realities

Three years ago, thousands of candy-colored shared bicycles appeared on Seattle streets, rebranding the characteristically gray-green city with a theme… Read More

Washington state reveals contact tracing plan to support phased opening of business

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday that the state’s contact tracing team will be in place by the end of… Read More

Washington state adds hundreds of WiFi hotspots with funding from Microsoft

Washington state is deploying more than 300 “drive-in” WiFi hotspots to help residents who are unable to access the internet… Read More

Tech avoids steepest job losses as US unemployment reaches historic peak of 14.7%

The U.S. unemployment rate soared to a record 14.7% in April according to the Department of Labor. It’s the highest… Read More

Microsoft slams Amazon’s latest protest over Pentagon cloud contract as ‘a way to avoid the consequences of its own bad business decisions’

Amazon is once again challenging the Department of Defense’s decision to award a $10 billion cloud contract to Microsoft. Amazon… Read More

Seattle City Council tables proposed ‘Amazon Tax’ to comply with open meeting rules under shutdown

A proposal to tax Seattle’s largest corporations — including Amazon, Expedia, and other tech companies — will be tabled while… Read More

Federal lawmakers press Bezos on Amazon’s firing of employee activists as antitrust probe looms

Nine Senate Democrats asked Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to explain the rationale for firing four employees who spoke out about… Read More

Amazon engineers sound off on colleague’s resignation as COVID-19 response sparks debate

Two Amazon engineers penned LinkedIn posts this week in reaction to a colleague’s resignation, engaging in an ongoing internal and… Read More

House lawmakers want Jeff Bezos to testify on antitrust issues, claiming deputy mislead Congress

Federal lawmakers are asking Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to testify before Congress about the company’s competitive tactics against third-party sellers… Read More

Washington state unemployment claims jump 75% as startups brace for slowdown

Washington state jobless claims surged last week as federally backed, expanded unemployment benefits became available for the first time. Some… Read More

Amazon faces mounting pressure from workers, officials over pandemic response ahead of May Day

A growing coalition of workers and government officials is putting pressure on Amazon to reform its COVID-19 policies ahead of… Read More

Trump: Postal Service must raise prices on Amazon or ‘I’m not signing anything’ for USPS aid

President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday he wouldn’t authorize coronavirus relief funds to the U.S. Postal Service unless it… Read More

Seattle caps fees that delivery companies charge restaurants at 15% to ease financial duress

Seattle is capping the fees that services like UberEats charge restaurants at 15% in an effort to mitigate the financial… Read More

Big Tech’s reputation is rising as governments tap the industry in coronavirus response

The coronavirus crisis quickly became an unexpected life raft for the technology industry’s image as even its biggest critics enlist… Read More

Seattle tech industry fights proposed ‘Amazon Tax,’ claiming it will delay recovery and cost jobs

Hundreds of business and community leaders are asking Seattle officials to reject a new payroll tax on the city’s highest-paying… Read More

How President Trump’s new immigration restrictions would impact the tech industry

President Donald Trump’s moratorium on a key immigration pathway is sowing fear in the U.S. technology industry, which relies on… Read More

Washington plans 1,500-person contact tracing team as governor outlines re-opening strategy

Washington state plans to have 1,500 people conducting contact tracing by mid-May in an effort to map and control the… Read More

Good news for startups? Congress strikes deal to replenish small business relief fund with $310B

Congressional lawmakers agreed Tuesday to provide $484 billion to refill the coffers of a small business relief fund, expand testing… Read More

Microsoft launches Open Data Campaign to narrow ‘data divide’ as information is consolidated

The U.S., China, and about 100 companies are poised to capture the majority of the world’s data, according to Microsoft.… Read More

Washington state unemployment site buckles under demand as thousands attempt to file jobless claims

Out of work Washingtonians reported frustrating delays over the weekend as they sought to file jobless claims. Washington state opened… Read More

Dispute between Microsoft and Amazon over JEDI cloud contract is delayed

The protracted saga over a $10 billion Defense Department contract that pits Microsoft and Amazon against each other will be… Read More

Amazon CEO claims grocery delivery cuts carbon emissions by 43% compared to traditional shopping

Amid an annual letter dominated by the coronavirus crisis, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos made a bold claim about sustainable shopping… Read More

Federal government’s $350B small business relief fund runs out of money in less than 2 weeks

The $349 billion earmarked to help small businesses stay afloat during the coronavirus crisis ran out of money Thursday, less… Read More

Wash. state gets 150k new unemployment claims; 76% of businesses warn layoffs could be imminent

More than 150,000 people in Washington state filed jobless claims for the first time last week as many businesses buckle… Read More

Amazon ‘bid high and lost’ on JEDI, Microsoft says after release of DoD watchdog report

Microsoft took aim at Amazon in a blog post Wednesday, accusing its rival of seeking an unfair advantage as the… Read More

DoD watchdog affirms JEDI award to Microsoft over Amazon, calls bias claims unfounded

A new report by the Defense Department’s inspector general found no evidence that President Donald Trump improperly influenced the award… Read More

Washington AG sues Facebook for violating state political ad law

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a new lawsuit against Facebook claiming the social network continues to violate state laws… Read More

Amazon fires two employees who called for climate change reform and better warehouse conditions

Amazon fired two highly visible employee activists who regularly criticize the company’s position on climate change and conditions inside its… Read More

Uber, Seattle and U.S. Chamber end dispute over union law as city plans minimum wage for drivers

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Uber, and the City of Seattle have agreed to walk away from a lengthy and… Read More

Washington, Oregon and California to coordinate on plan to re-open economies and fight COVID-19

West Coast states unveiled a unified approach to lifting lockdown orders and combating COVID-19 on Monday. The governors of Washington,… Read More