PODCAST · news
Booming
by KUOW News and Information
Booming is 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.
Episodes
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A sobering reality for Washington's wine and beer industries
Anyone who’s been to a bar or wedding lately has probably noticed that people just aren’t drinking like they used to. A Gallup poll from last year found alcohol consumption in the U.S. is at an all-time low. And that's sobering news for some of Washington’s most important business sectors. On...
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What will it take to save our favorite small cinemas?
Attendance at the big movie theater chains has been slowly creeping back up since it dropped off a cliff during the pandemic. But a lot of smaller, neighborhood movie theaters are still struggling to survive -- the kind with just a few screens and show a lot of independent or low-budget films. On...
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Fake humans. Real products. Advertising embraces AI influencers
People getting other people to buy stuff is one of the oldest businesses in the world. It's called advertising... or these days, influencing. But more and more, the people selling everything from makeup to testosterone supplements aren't even real. They're AI-generated, virtual influencers…
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Does AI belong in the classroom?
For decades, big tech has been pushing for more technology in schools. By the end of the pandemic, the takeover was complete: 96 percent of public schools in America reported giving laptops or tablets to students. But new research suggests bringing devices into the classroom may not have been the...
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Microsoft's stern warning for AI frontier labs
Things in San Francisco are starting to feel very sci-fi, and it seems like every day we’re learning more about artificial intelligence agents gone wild. Calls are increasingly mounting for someone to rein in this technology before it’s too late. On today's episode, how worried should we be about...
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Is San Francisco leaving Seattle behind?
For years, people have been comparing Seattle to San Francisco. We've both got the water, the hills... and of course, the tech workers and the exploding real estate prices. The general consensus has been that whatever happens in San Francisco, will eventually happen in Seattle. But now, the AI…
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Where have all the diners gone? The disappearing middle class economy (encore)
We’re working hard on some exciting upcoming episodes and we’ve got some busy weeks ahead, so here's one of our favorite episodes from this past year. It's about why companies that cater to the middle class are disappearing, and what that means for the businesses we love. This episode originally...
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Copper theft is surging. Can anything be done about it?
The Pacific Northwest has a copper theft problem. Seattle police say this type of crime has increased 300% in the city since 2016. And it's hitting Seattle's mom and pop shops especially hard, because often they're the target of these robberies. We're in the midst of a big shift from a fossil...
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Will Seattle ever star in its own movies again?
Between state ferries, Pike Place Market, and the Space Needle, there are a lot of reasons Hollywood directors love to cast Seattle. But today, most feature films set in the city aren't actually shot here. That's pushed Seattle to find other ways of capitalizing on its unique on-screen charms....
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AI supercharged scammers. Here's how to protect yourself
The United States has always been full of scammers, from snake oil salesmen promising miracle cures, to stockbrokers selling Ponzi schemes. But now, swindlers and thieves have a new tool in their toolbox: AI. The FBI says cybercrimes involving AI stole nearly a billion dollars from 22,000…
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How bots took over our national parks
It's not your imagination. Booking popular experiences in our national parks can feel impossible if you're a mere mortal. Going for a permit to backpack The Enchantments or a campsite on Diablo Lake is kind of like buying a lottery ticket these days. The reason our parks are starting to feel like...
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Buy now, worry later? How 'Doom Spending' is taking over the economy
Economic anxiety has reached a fever pitch. Mortgage rates are creeping back up, there’s a war on, and companies seem more focused on investing in AI than hiring people. Many Americans are worried about their finances, but still splurging more than they’re saving, especially the youngest...
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Matchmaking is booming. Could it solve the relationship recession?
App fatigue is causing more and more singles to break up with online dating. Instead of swiping, people are turning to matchmakers and other ways to find love I-R-L... often spending thousands of dollars in the process. Seattle is becoming a city of singles. And that’s turned one of the world’s...
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Is Xbox's big reboot a new dawn, or its last life?
When it comes to its Xbox, Microsoft is doing a hard reset. The company is reducing its gaming division by about 20 percent. Microsoft calls it “the most significant restructuring in Xbox history.” Most of those layoffs are spread out across the country. But what happens in gaming matters...
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Did the US Congress just save affordable housing?
Statewide, Washington needs to build 55,000 new homes per year to house new residents. The state is currently producing just 75% of that. That makes housing expensive... and it’s not just Washington state facing a long-term housing shortage. For years, Americans have been begging politicians to…
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From Control F: Does shopping at Costco actually save you money?
Costco is a beloved brand, famous for its bulk deals and $1.50 hot dogs. But can shopping there really save you money? On this special episode of Booming brought to us by our friends at Control F: How much money are you really saving when you shop at Costco? The surprising ways that wholesale...
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The $6,000 shortcut to driving electric
Washington is one of 17 states trying to break up with gasoline. It wants every new car sold here to be electric by 2035. But so far, drivers have been slow to adopt electric vehicles. Nationally, only one in ten new cars sold each year is electric. That’s because EVs are expensive, and finding a...
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Big Tech is bankrolling the clean energy transition...while emitting more than ever
Big Tech is bankrolling massive clean energy projects in the Pacific Northwest to power the data centers of the future. These carbon-free energy gambles are being built here for a reason: Washington and Oregon have some of the most aggressive mandates to ditch fossil fuels on the books. But…
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Seattle banned data centers. Now what?
Seattle’s city council just approved a one-year moratorium on data centers within city limits – making the city the biggest in the country to ban them. The move comes after several big developers proposed data center projects that could use up to a third of the power that Seattle uses on an…
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4-day work week or brain fry? How AI will change work
CEOs have been making some bold claims about how artificial intelligence will change work—that in the future, the work week will shrink to four days or fewer, or that a job will be as optional as growing vegetables at home instead of buying them from the grocery store. Whether AI makes us work…
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Would you buy a house with friends? Meet some people who did
Recent data show a record number of Americans are now sharing a home with people they’re not related to. Most of these roommates are renting, because living alone has gotten really expensive. But what if we made it easier for friends to own a place together instead? Could it be the game changer...
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From tech to the trades: One laid off worker's big career pivot
It’s a weird time to work in tech. Last year's tech layoffs in Washington state were the second highest in the country. That has some tech workers turning to fields they see as AI-proof. We sat down with Brett Burden, a laid off tech worker who did what a lot of people are advising: went into the...
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Where's my tariff refund?
For the last year and a half, tariffs have been harder to predict than the weather in Seattle. And that’s created a volatile climate for businesses. Now that the Supreme Court has overturned some of President Trump's tariffs, there’s a storm front looming between companies and their customers…
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What will it take to break Seattle's real estate standoff?
There’s a scene that shows up in just about every spaghetti Western movie: the showdown. Two guys at opposite ends of a dusty street... their hands are hovering near their holsters... but neither one wants to draw first. Welcome to Seattle's housing market. What does this standoff mean if you’re...
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Is big business souring on Seattle?
There’s a lot of debate in Seattle right now over whether it's still a good place to do business. It's hard to tell whether recent high profile moves by companies are signs of a wider exodus, or if they’re outliers -- but there may be lessons from the past that provide clues to what the future…
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How indie bookstores escaped Amazon's shadow
Remember when bookstores were an endangered species? Well not anymore. Thousands of independent bookstores across the country just celebrated Independent Bookstore Day. Brick-and-mortar places like Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle didn't just survive the e-commerce revolution. They’re thriving...
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Will federal research cuts kill the innovation economy?
People everywhere followed along as Artemis astronauts made their historic mission around the moon. But what made that possible was research -- and that kind of scientific discovery is in jeopardy after ongoing cuts to federal research funding. For decades, the University of Washington has…
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Live: The risks and realities of AI chatbots
Warning: this episode mentions suicide. Artificial intelligence powered chatbots have become unavoidable. We use them to search, get advice, and even for companionship. But getting close to an AI comes with real and serious risks. Washington state leaders want to do something about that. Two new...
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Planet Money and the hidden laws that run our economy
Planet Money has been making economic news fun since 2008. And now it's the start of a new chapter for the beloved podcast... a whole book’s worth of chapters in fact. Their new book is called Planet Money: A guide to the economic forces that shape your life. On today's episode, Monica and Joshua...
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Where have all the diners gone? The disappearing middle class economy
The middle class economy is quintessentially American. It’s a whole range of businesses that cropped up to serve the growing middle class after World War II. Think coffee and apple pie at your neighborhood diner. Or back-to- school shopping at Sears. But companies that cater to the middle class…
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Could light rail across Lake Washington turn Seattle into the new Copenhagen?
It’s taken 10 years and almost $4 billion, but at long last, light rail will run across Lake Washington. For people living near the new light rail, it’ll mean shorter commutes, and faster trips to the airport, sporting events, and public parks. But its impact will extend beyond those conveniences...
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Is 'millionaire migration' really a thing? Lessons from states that already tax the rich
Washington state just passed a tax on incomes above one million dollars a year. The so-called “millionaires tax” has critics warning we’re about to see an exodus of Washington’s wealthiest residents. So we wanted to know whether “millionaire migration” is really a thing. Today, what states that...
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From software engineer to bus driver: Where laid off tech workers are now
About nine thousand tech workers in the Seattle area have lost their jobs in the past year. That could be nine thousand people competing for a shrinking pool of tech jobs. This year started off with the most layoffs we’ve seen in a January since the Great Recession, and the lowest hiring on…
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From Control F: The weird way we decide who sits below the poverty line
How do we decide who gets financial support from the government? Usually, it comes down to the federal poverty line. You might think a lot of data and research goes into establishing that number. But in reality, it’s much squishier. So squishy in fact that it involves Jello... Today, a special...
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Will this summer's World Cup be an economic win for Seattle?
For the first time ever, cities across Mexico, Canada, and the United States will be sharing the world’s most viewed sporting event... the FIFA men’s World Cup. But sports economists will tell you, the cost of hosting these games isn't always worth the reward. On today's episode, will the World…
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Grocery sticker shock and the rise of the dollar-store dinner
If you have sticker shock at the grocery store, you’re not alone. In Seattle, the cost of groceries is about 30% higher today than before the pandemic. Those high prices are straining family budgets and causing many people to change how they shop. Today, creative hacks for putting food on the…
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Could the hottest real estate market become... driveways?
Twenty years ago, buying a house in Seattle felt like a stretch. Today, it feels like you need to win the lottery. Homeownership is slipping out of reach for a lot of people, especially those with modest incomes. But there’s a movement underway in Washington State -- one that could bring housing...
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The great data center space race
Data centers needed more space, so they literally moved there. This week, Elon Musk announced he has merged his rocket company, Space X – with his AI company, xAI. The reason? He wants to build AI data centers in space. But his company is not the only one that wants to take the cloud... off the...
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16,000 Amazon employees just lost their jobs. Are we in a tech recession?
This week, Amazon announced it's laying off 16,000 employees. It’s part two of a continued downsizing Amazon started in October, when it laid of 14,000 employees. Taken together, this is Amazon’s biggest reduction in force ever. This week's layoffs are also the latest in a series of tech...
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Lessons from the state that made child care free
The cost of child care is at an all-time high. The typical American family with young kids now spends more on child care than housing. In most of the developed world, the government pays for child care so parents can work and contribute to the economy. But free, universal child care is nearly...
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How a bad bet built the internet: a short history of bubbles
According to a Harvard economist, spending on data centers and artificial intelligence accounted for 92% of U.S. economic growth in the first half of last year. That's fueled speculation that we’re in an AI bubble, because spending on that level doesn’t feel sustainable. If the bubble pops and…
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Housing costs dropped in Austin. How they did the impossible
Austin, Texas is not a cheap place. But for the last few years, it’s been a real outlier. While many cities saw rent go up, Austin’s average rent actually fell. A lot. On today's episode, what is Austin doing right? And what could Seattle learn from it? GUEST: Audrey McGlinchy, Housing reporter…
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Sports ticket prices have skyrocketed. Here's why (encore)
Happy New Year! The Booming team is taking a week to rest and recharge before the new year begins...we’ve got lots of new episodes up our sleeve that we’re excited to share with you. In the meantime, we wanted to revisit some of our favorite episodes. This one is about the rising costs of Seattle...
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How stores are spying on you (encore)
The Booming team is hard at work on some new episodes coming out next year. In the meantime, we wanted to revisit some of our favorite stories this holiday season. We think this one will be particularly useful for those of you still doing some last-minute holiday shopping. It explores the ways AI...
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How does Seattle's cost of living stack up to other cities?
We all know 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. But just how expensive is Seattle compared to other cities? On today's episode, Monica talked to a researcher who sends armies of shoppers to find out. And we...
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The climate migrants seeking refuge in the PNW
The Pacific Northwest has been booming for decades, and home builders have struggled to keep up. That’s led to a housing shortage, homelessness crisis, and transportation headaches. But we may see an even bigger population boom here as climate change makes more places unlivable. Climate migration...
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What happens to Seattle if the AI bubble pops?
You may have heard that the economy is maybe... definitely... probably... in an “AI bubble.” Companies are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to build the AI infrastructure of the future. The hope is all that spending will pay off with super-advanced AI that will more than cover the cost of...
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BONUS: The future of Seattle's highways
Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you enjoy this bonus episode. The Booming team recorded a live event a few weeks ago at the Seattle Public Library about the future of Seattle’s highways – so we wanted to drop it in the feed in case you missed it. Booming's Joshua McNichols co-hosted the event with…
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Can the power of a star lower our electric bills?
Our power grid is maxing out. We're plugging in electric cars, massive data centers, and heat pumps all at once. And it's not stopping anytime soon. Demand is expected to grow by 30% over the next ten years. And the increasing demand is spiking our energy bills. But Big Tech is betting on a...
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Is coding dead? This professor doesn't think so
On our most recent episode, we reported on how tons of young people are choosing trade school over college out of fear of white-collar jobs drying up. Companies appear to be making big bets that AI can replace huge chunks of their workforces. It seems like “go to trade school” has become the new...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Booming is 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.
HOSTED BY
KUOW News and Information
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Booming currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Booming about?
Booming is 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...
How often does Booming release new episodes?
Booming has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Who hosts Booming?
Booming is created and hosted by KUOW News and Information.
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