NYC Council grills Amazon over HQ2: ‘You’re worth $1 trillion. Why do you need our $3 billion?’ Amazon got a healthy dose of New York brashness Wednesday as city councilmembers grilled company executives and their economic development… Read More
Can a climate change candidate win in 2020? Washington Gov. Jay Inslee thinks so “We defeated fascism. We went to the moon. We can beat climate change. I fundamentally believe that.” Speaking like a… Read More
Play Podcast Interview: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on privacy, regulating Big Tech and his presidential ambitions Play Lawmakers in Washington D.C. are debating how to regulate the tech industry, but the other Washington may beat them to… Read More
Could ‘1984’ become reality by 2024? Microsoft’s Brad Smith calls for regulation of facial recognition Microsoft President Brad Smith is optimistic about the potential of facial recognition technology to solve a range of societal issues, like… Read More
Play Podcast Can numbers unite the U.S.? Our quest to get Ann Coulter and her critics to put data before party Play LOS ANGELES — America is deeply divided. People talk about finding common ground, but it seems to rarely happen. In fact, a… Read More
Seattle mayor moves to reduce tax burden on small businesses and startups Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan signed an executive order Friday in the hopes of removing burdens and barriers on the city’s… Read More
Washington state affirms rule requiring Facebook and Google to make political ad disclosures Washington state officials doubled down on rules requiring companies like Facebook to disclose information about the political ads they sell,… Read More
Washington state to roll out broad new paid leave policy: What workers and employers should know On Jan. 1, Washington state will begin implementing one of the most generous paid family and medical leave programs in… Read More
Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Washington STEM Summit: ‘There’s an opportunity deficit’ This year, the Washington STEM Summit brought together more than 300 leaders in government, education, community and business — including… Read More
Wealthy tech tycoons funnel gains into low-income ‘Opportunity Zones’ under new tax law When Congress enacted sweeping changes to the tax code in 2017, Allen Alley paid close attention. The technology investor and former… Read More
Washington state Democrats to push for controversial non-compete legislation again The Washington state legislature plans to take up one of the tech industry’s most hot-button issues next session: non-compete agreements.… Read More
Democracy Live raises $4.5M to grow cloud-based ballot platform Nov. 6 was a big day for Seattle startup Democracy Live. While the company was busy deploying cloud-based ballots and… Read More
In New York and Washington D.C., Amazon is moving into President Trump’s stomping grounds NEW YORK — Amazon’s plan to move at least 25,000 employees with annual salaries averaging $150,000 into skyscrapers in Long… Read More
Play Podcast New Yorkers protest Amazon HQ2: ‘We should be investing in housing … not in helicopters’ Play NEW YORK — Shawn Dixon’s life changed overnight. On Tuesday he was surprised to learn that Amazon plans to build… Read More
HQ2 incentives revealed: Here’s what NYC and Virginia gave up to get Amazon’s new headquarters One of the most controversial aspects of Amazon’s year-long search for a second headquarters was the request for government incentives… Read More
After midterm power shift, White House officials say tech transformation will go on In the wake of Tuesday’s power-shifting midterm elections, the White House plans to stay the course in tech policy and… Read More
With Dems in control of the House, now is the time for states to pressure Congress to act on privacy Editor’s note: Alex Alben is the Chief Privacy Officer for the State of Washington. He discussed privacy, data, and smart… Read More
Oregon senator proposes privacy regulations with prison and revenue penalties for data misuse Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, introduced a privacy bill Thursday that would level hefty penalties against technology companies… Read More
Top 3 voter concerns are Trump, immigration and racism, poll from Ballmer’s USAFacts reveals The most common concern among voters, as they prepare to cast their ballots Tuesday, is President Donald Trump, according to… Read More
6 ways your vote could be hacked during the midterms We know every vote counts, but will your vote actually be counted? Or will it be hacked? I’ve spent the… Read More
Twitter teams up with Tagboard to help newscasters surface political tweets Twitter is partnering with Seattle-area startup Tagboard to help video news producers highlight tweets tied to political issues and races… Read More
Microsoft defends bid for $10B Pentagon cloud contract amid criticism over government use of technology Microsoft will not pull out of the competition for a $10 billion cloud contract for the Department of Defense, despite… Read More
Bezos and other Amazon execs back Colorado Republican’s Senate re-election campaign Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and other executives donated thousands of dollars to the re-election campaign of Sen. Cory Gardner, a… Read More
This Seattle startup is giving Election Day off to its 300 employees to vote and celebrate democracy Update Nov. 5: Outreach will no longer host the Democracy Day event due to low RSVP numbers. Employees will still have… Read More
Space Force plan moves forward amid heightened talk about final-frontier fights The National Space Council today pushed forward recommendations to raise the profile of military space activities, at first through a… Read More
Amazon ramps up lobbying to record levels ahead of HQ2 announcement Amazon has been steadily increasing its lobbying budget and taking a more central position on the national political stage while… Read More
Will San Francisco’s business tax for homeless relief succeed where Seattle’s failed? This tech billionaire is fighting for it Imagine if rather than threatening to slow down operations in Seattle when faced with a tax on big business, Amazon… Read More
TLDR: IRL Glasses block out TV & computer screens Today’s featured stories Want to live ‘in real life’ and block out screens? These glasses on Kickstarter may do the… Read More
Washington Gov. Inslee says state is ready for Trump attack on net neutrality law: ‘Bring it on’ Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has raised his national profile in recent months by taking aim at President Donald Trump, fueling… Read More
Rep. Suzan DelBene and colleagues push for U.S. data privacy regulation Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) is adding her voice to a growing chorus of U.S. lawmakers calling for stronger consumer protections online.… Read More
