Will the blue wave dump cold water on the AI buildout?

Data centers were on the ballot this midterm, and they lost big. Dozens of initiatives and candidates promising to slow the artificial intelligence buildout prevailed.  That could spell trouble for Seattle's tech giants. Microsoft and Amazon are among the biggest data center developers in the coun…

The dreamers risking everything to grow a seaweed industry in the PNW

The U.S. spends over a hundred million dollars a year importing seaweed from faraway places like Korea. Entrepreneurs have long hoped to build a local industry in the hospitable waters of the Salish Sea and use seaweed to make everything from food to fabric.  But getting kelp farming off the groun…

Should you have an AI assistant?

Millions of people have enlisted AI agents to do everything from ordering dinner to booking a family vacation. Open AI has Dots. Anthropic has Claude Duet. And Meta has Muse. Together, agents like these are transforming the way people automate their daily lives.  But trusting these personal AI ta…

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 to…

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…

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 -- fak…

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 …

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 …

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 b…

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 originall…