There’s an invisible startup boom happening in Seattle right now. Tons of artificial intelligence companies have cropped up in the area – rivaling sectors like health tech and computer software.

Seattle’s secret AI startup scene could transform our economy, but are we in a bubble, or is it here to stay? Joshua sits down with insider Kirby Winfield to find out.

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. 

Do you have a question about the economy that you want us to answer? Or an idea for a future episode? 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 producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

There&rsquo;s an invisible startup boom happening in Seattle right now. Tons of artificial intelligence companies have cropped up in the area &ndash; rivaling sectors like health tech and computer software.
Seattle&rsquo;s secret AI startup scene could transform our economy, but are we in a bubble, or is it here to stay? Joshua sits down with insider Kirby Winfield to find out.
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/donate/booming">kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.</a>&nbsp;
Do you have a question about the economy that you want us to answer? Or an idea for a future episode? Email us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:booming@kuow.org">booming@kuow.org</a>.&nbsp;
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 producer is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek">Lucy Soucek</a><a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/whitney-henry-lester"></a>. Our hosts are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/joshua-mcnichols">Joshua McNichols</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<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

Seattle’s secret AI startup scene could transform our economy. But are we in a bubble, or is it here to stay? Joshua sits down with insider Kirby Winfield to find out.

An inside look into Seattle's AI startup scene

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 can—and can’t—save you money.  

Sources in this episode:
Consumer Price Index data, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Most and Least Expensive Supermarkets, Consumer Reports
Cost of Living Index (COLI) data, The Council for Community Economic research
Interview with David and Susan Schwartz, authors of The Joy of Costco 
Interview with Jordan Page
Interview with Tan Vinh and Chris Solomon

Control F wants to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using their online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org

Do you have a tip for the Booming team? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

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.

Costco is a beloved brand, famous for its bulk deals and $1.50 hot dogs. But can shopping there really save you money?&nbsp;
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 can&mdash;and can&rsquo;t&mdash;save you money.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Sources in this episode:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.bls.gov/cpi/">Consumer Price Index data</a>, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</li>
<li><a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/money/prices-price-comparison/most-and-least-expensive-supermarkets-a3157951568/">Most and Least Expensive Supermarkets</a>, Consumer Reports</li>
<li>Cost of Living Index (COLI) data, The Council for Community Economic research</li>
<li>Interview with David and Susan Schwartz, authors of The Joy of Costco&nbsp;</li>
<li>Interview with Jordan Page</li>
<li>Interview with Tan Vinh and Chris Solomon</li>
</ul>
Control F wants to answer your questions about how our world works!&nbsp;Click here to submit a question using their online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org
Do you have a tip for the Booming team? Give us a call at&nbsp;(206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at&nbsp;booming@kuow.org. 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.

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 can—and can’t—save you money.  

From Control F: Does shopping at Costco actually save you money?

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 place to charge them can be inconvenient. 

So one Seattle inventor came up with a workaround. He’s developing a simple way to convert gas cars to plug-in hybrids. 

On today's episode, could transforming gas cars into hybrids jump start our all-electric future? Or will this idea stall out before it even gets rolling?

GUESTS:
Tom Gurksi, founder and CEO of Blue Dot Motorworks
Don Mackenzie, leader of the Sustainable Transportation Lab at the University of Washington

Coming up: Are you a (non-software) small business owner or entrepreneur who is using AI agents to help with your work? What are the creative ways you're using them? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

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.

Washington is one of 17 states trying to break up with gasoline. It wants every new car sold here to be electric by 2035.&nbsp;
But so far, drivers have been slow to adopt electric vehicles. Nationally, only one in ten new cars sold each year is electric. That&rsquo;s because EVs are expensive, and finding a place to charge them can be inconvenient.&nbsp;
So one Seattle inventor came up with a workaround. He&rsquo;s developing a simple way to convert gas cars to plug-in hybrids.&nbsp;
On today's episode, could transforming gas cars into hybrids jump start our all-electric future? Or will this idea stall out before it even gets rolling?
GUESTS: Tom Gurksi, founder and CEO of Blue Dot Motorworks Don Mackenzie, leader of the Sustainable Transportation Lab at the University of Washington
Coming up: Are you a (non-software) small business owner or entrepreneur who is using AI agents to help with your work? What are the creative ways you're using them?&nbsp;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. You can also email us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:booming@kuow.org">booming@kuow.org</a>. 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>.

Could transforming gas cars into hybrids jump start our all-electric future? Or will this idea stall out before it even gets rolling?

The $6,000 shortcut to driving electric

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 before those laws take effect, Big Tech is driving demand for fossil fuels in the region—and elsewhere in the country, the industry is causing a gas boom. 

On today's episode, is the tech industry pushing us toward a clean energy revolution, or reversing progress on global warming?  

Clarification: Helion's nuclear fusion plant is being built in Chelan County, near Microsoft's Grant County data center cluster.

Coming up: Sometimes it can feel like taking care of the planet will break the bank. What are your budget friendly hacks for being a good environmental steward? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

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.

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 before those laws take effect, Big Tech is driving demand for fossil fuels in the region&mdash;and elsewhere in the country, the industry is causing a gas boom.&nbsp;
On today's episode, is the tech industry pushing us toward a clean energy revolution, or reversing progress on global warming?&nbsp;&nbsp;
Clarification: Helion's nuclear fusion plant is being built in Chelan County, near Microsoft's Grant County data center cluster.
Coming up: Sometimes it can feel like taking care of the planet will break the bank. What are your budget friendly hacks for being a good environmental steward? 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. You can also email us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:booming@kuow.org">booming@kuow.org</a>. 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>.

Washington and Oregon have some of the most aggressive mandates to ditch fossil fuels on the books. But before those laws take effect, Big Tech is driving demand for fossil fuels in the region.

An inside look into Seattle's AI startup scene

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