10% of Office Buildings Are Killing the Entire Market | Ep 28

Powered by HqO - Learn more and join the Quantum City Initiative here: https://www.hqo.com/the-future-of-cities-begins-now/ If you've been watching office vacancy hit record highs while office leasing also hits record highs and wondering what is going on, this one's for you. Episode 28. We're back. And we have a lot to catch up on. The Microsoft-Chevron deal just told you everything you need to know about where big tech is heading. Behind the meter power, 2.5 gigawatts in West Texas, and a very clear signal that energy is the new supply chain bottleneck. The companies that figure out verticalization first are going to own the next decade. And no, this is not a bubble. The demand is real. The infrastructure just isn't there yet. JLL dropped their Q1 2026 Office Market Dynamics report and the numbers are hard to ignore. 10% of buildings are carrying 60% of national vacancy. Trophy and Class A leasing is 13% above pre-pandemic levels. 120 million square feet signed in a single quarter, the highest total since 2018. This was never a demand problem. It's a product problem. And the market is done waiting for landlords to catch up. Boston gets a full Quantum City scorecard breakdown and the grades are not pretty. A city with MIT, Harvard, and Whoop in its backyard sitting at a C overall is a problem worth talking about. Tim Cook stepping down, SL Green hitting 100% occupancy, AI companies accounting for 25% of Manhattan office leases, and one very brave guy hitting an eagle on 18 next to a 12-foot alligator. Sponsored by HqO - the leading tenant experience platform for commercial real estate.   TIMESTAMPS: 00:31 Microsoft Chevron Deal: Big Tech Meets Energy  01:43 Behind The Meter Power Explained  04:03 AI Is Breaking The Energy Grid  07:00 Big Tech Verticalizes Into Energy  09:15 Why AI Is Not The Dot Com Bubble  13:16 Real Estate Developers And The Energy Opportunity  16:01 JLL Q1 2026: The Office Experience Gap  18:06 Why Office Class Labels Are Dead  23:31 Office Leasing Rebound: What The Data Says  26:20 Commercial Real Estate Distress Is Accelerating  27:00 Boston Office Market Reality Check  28:10 Boston Quantum City Scorecard  28:51 Bad Leadership Kills Economic Momentum  30:21 Massachusetts AI Coalition vs The UAE  33:02 Can Whoop Put Boston On Its Back  35:00 Office Vacancy vs Leasing: Q1 2026 Numbers  36:48 AI Companies Now Drive Manhattan Office Leasing  38:21 Tim Cook Steps Down: Good Run Or Not  41:16 Mayor Wu, Ken Griffin And City Politics  42:09 Podcast Numbers And The Hair Update  43:37 Eagle On 18 Next To A 12-Foot Alligator  45:12 What Is Coming Next On The Quantum City Show