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 downsizings over the past few years that have pushed Seattle’s unemployment rate well above the national rate.  

On today's episode, is Seattle facing a tech recession?

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

This week, Amazon <a href="https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/amazon-layoffs-corporate-jan-2026">announced </a>it's laying off 16,000 employees.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s part two of a continued downsizing Amazon started in October, when it laid of 14,000 employees. Taken together, this is Amazon&rsquo;s biggest reduction in force ever. This week's layoffs are also the latest in a series of tech downsizings over the past few years that have pushed Seattle&rsquo;s unemployment rate well above the national rate.&nbsp;&nbsp;
On today's episode, is Seattle facing a tech recession?
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes">kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes</a>. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/carol-smith">Carol Smith</a>. Our producers are <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek">Lucy Soucek</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/alec-cowan">Alec Cowan</a>. Our hosts are <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/joshua-mcnichols">Joshua McNichols</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/monica-nickelsburg">Monica Nickelsburg</a>.

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.

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&rsquo;s brought jobs, people, and wealth to the region, but also real growing pains that people here feel every day. In&nbsp;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.

Booming

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.  

16,000 Amazon employees just lost their jobs. Are we in a tech recession?

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 table now that your dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to. 

GUESTS:
Rebecca Chobat, Dollar Tree Dinners
James McCafferty, Director of Western Washington University's Center for Economic and Business Research

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

If you have sticker shock at the grocery store, you&rsquo;re not alone. In Seattle, the cost of groceries is about 30% higher today than before the pandemic.&nbsp;
Those&nbsp;high prices&nbsp;are&nbsp;straining family budgets and&nbsp;causing&nbsp;many&nbsp;people to&nbsp;change how they shop.
Today, creative hacks for putting food on the table now that your dollar doesn&rsquo;t go as far as it used to.&nbsp;
GUESTS: Rebecca Chobat, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DollarTreeDinners">Dollar Tree Dinners</a> James McCafferty, Director of Western Washington University's Center for Economic and Business Research Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes">kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes</a>. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/carol-smith">Carol Smith</a>. Our producers are <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek">Lucy Soucek</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/alec-cowan">Alec Cowan</a>. Our hosts are <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/joshua-mcnichols">Joshua McNichols</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/monica-nickelsburg">Monica Nickelsburg</a>.

Creative hacks for putting food on the table now that your dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to. 

Grocery sticker shock and the rise of the dollar-store dinner

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 costs back within reach. 

State legislators want to make it legal to live in an RV in someone’s backyard or driveway year-round.  

On today's episode: could letting people live in tiny houses on wheels on someone's property actually reduce our state’s housing shortage? And could it be a solution for you? 

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Twenty years ago, buying a house in Seattle felt like a stretch. Today, it feels like you need to win the lottery.&nbsp;
Homeownership is slipping out of reach&nbsp;for a lot of&nbsp;people, especially&nbsp;those with modest incomes.&nbsp;
But there&rsquo;s a movement underway in Washington State -- one that could bring housing costs back within reach.&nbsp;
State legislators want to make it legal to live in an RV in someone&rsquo;s backyard or driveway year-round.&nbsp;&nbsp;
On today's episode: could letting people live in tiny houses on wheels on someone's property actually reduce our state&rsquo;s housing shortage?&nbsp;And&nbsp;could it be a solution for you?&nbsp;
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes">kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes</a>. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/carol-smith">Carol Smith</a>. Our producers are <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek">Lucy Soucek</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/alec-cowan">Alec Cowan</a>. Our hosts are <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/joshua-mcnichols">Joshua McNichols</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/monica-nickelsburg">Monica Nickelsburg</a>.

State legislators want to make it legal to live in an RV in someone’s backyard or driveway year-round.  Could that reduce the state's housing shortage?

Could the hottest real estate market become... driveways?

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 planet. Various companies from Google to Blue Origin to smaller startups are looking to Earth's orbit as the next data center frontier. And companies in Seattle are leading the charge.

Today, how close are we to actually putting data centers in space? And why would you want to? 

GUEST:
Dr. Saadia Pekkanen, professor of Law, International Studies and Political Science at the University of Washington

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Coming up:  Have you been laid off from a tech company in the last couple of years? We'd love to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your hacks-- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Data centers needed more space, so they literally moved there.&nbsp;
This week, Elon Musk announced he has merged his rocket company, Space X &ndash; with his AI company, xAI. The reason? He wants to build AI data centers in space.&nbsp;
But his company is not the only one that wants to take the cloud... off the planet.&nbsp;Various companies from Google to Blue Origin to smaller startups are looking to Earth's orbit as the next data center frontier. And companies in Seattle are leading the charge.
Today, how close are we to actually putting data centers in space?&nbsp;And why would&nbsp;you&nbsp;want&nbsp;to?&nbsp; GUEST: <a href="https://substack.com/@spacediplomacy">Dr. Saadia Pekkanen</a>, professor of Law, International Studies and Political Science at the University of Washington
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes">kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes</a>.
Coming up:  Have you been laid off from a tech company in the last couple of years? We'd love to hear from you. Give us a call at <a href="tel:2062217158" data-stringify-link="tel:2062217158" data-sk="tooltip_parent">(206) 221-7158</a> and leave a voicemail with your hacks-- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at <a href="mailto:booming@kuow.org">booming@kuow.org</a>.
Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/carol-smith">Carol Smith</a>. Our producers are <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek">Lucy Soucek</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/alec-cowan">Alec Cowan</a>. Our hosts are <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/joshua-mcnichols">Joshua McNichols</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/monica-nickelsburg">Monica Nickelsburg</a>.

Data centers needed more space, so they literally moved there.

16,000 Amazon employees just lost their jobs. Are we in a tech recession?

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