Booming
A weekly podcast about the economic forces shaping our lives here in the Pacific Northwest.
The Seattle area's been home to many booms over the years. It’s brought jobs, people, and wealth to the region, but also real growing pains that people here feel every day. In Booming, KUOW economy reporters Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg help listeners make sense of our ever-changing economy. We'll dig into what people are seeing or feeling and unpack the story behind it.
Cover art by Alicia Villa.
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Episodes
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16,000 Amazon employees just lost their jobs. Are we in a tech recession?
It's the latest in a series of tech layoffs over the past few years that have pushed Seattle’s unemployment rate well above the national rate.
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Amazon lays off 16,000 employees in major reduction of force
Amazon told about 16,000 corporate employees they’ll soon be out of a job early Wednesday morning. It’s part two of a 30,000-person layoff the company began in October. Taken together, it’s the largest layoff in the e-commerce giant’s history, and it marks a dramatic shift in the tech industry from a decade-long talent war to the artificial intelligence race.
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Lessons from the state that made child care free
In November, New Mexico became the first state to launch free, universal child care. So what can Washington learn from the state that managed to pull it off?
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How a bad bet built the internet: a short history of bubbles
Sometimes, an economic crash leaves something good behind that we may not appreciate for years. This week, we look at bubbles from the past and ask: When the money burns away, what’s left?
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Austin built a lot of housing fast. Rents fell. What could Seattle learn?
While rents kept rising in many big cities, including Seattle, rents in Austin, Texas, have been on the decline for the last three years. That raises a simple question: Why is Austin an outlier? And is there anything Seattle could copy?
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Housing costs dropped in Austin. How they did the impossible
Over the last few years, Austin's average rent fell. So what is Austin doing right? And what could Seattle learn from it?
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How stores are spying on you (encore)
How AI is being used by some of your favorite retailers to get better at... selling you stuff. This story originally aired in December 2024.
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How does Seattle's cost of living stack up to other cities?
Today, we’re bringing you the best from another KUOW show, Booming. The cost of living is really high in Seattle. Whether it's housing or groceries, this town is a tough place to make ends meet. Joshua McNichols and Monica Nicholsberg of KUOW’s Booming podcast talked to a researcher who sends armies of shoppers to find out why… And he gives some tips for making your dollar stretch as far as possible in this very expensive city.
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The climate migrants seeking refuge in the PNW
The recent flooding in Washington is a reminder of the extreme weather impacts of climate change. But the Northwest has become a destination for people seeking a more livable climate.
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What happens to Seattle if the AI bubble pops?
Companies are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to build the AI infrastructure of the future. But companies are struggling to make a profit on the AI of today. So, is that future real, or just a mirage?
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BONUS: The future of Seattle's highways
Live event recorded at the Seattle Public Library hosted by Joshua McNichols and Ian Coss about the future of Seattle's State Route 99.
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Can the power of a star lower our electric bills?
Electric bills are rising. AI data centers are gobbling up power. In Everett, two fusion companies are racing to invent the world’s first economically viable nuclear fusion reactor. And investors are opening up their wallets to fund it.