Gen Z and millennial workers have become a punchline for media pundits and TikTok comedians. Young people get a bad rap for refusing to go above and beyond at work. Is this just the latest battle in an endless generational war, or do young people really have less work ethic? And if so, what's driving the shift? KUOW's economy reporters Monica Nickelsburg and Joshua McNichols have answers in this episode of Booming.

Plus, Seattle's urban ghost town sees sparks of life. See if you can guess which artists, makers, and pop-up businesses are moving into vacant storefronts downtown.

"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.

Gen Z and millennial workers have become a punchline for media pundits and TikTok comedians. Young people get a bad rap for refusing to go above and beyond at work. Is this just the latest battle in an endless generational war, or do young people really have less work ethic? And if so, what's driving the shift? KUOW's economy reporters Monica Nickelsburg and Joshua McNichols have answers in this episode of Booming. Plus, Seattle's urban ghost town sees sparks of life. See if you can guess which artists, makers, and pop-up businesses are moving into vacant storefronts downtown. "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 producer is <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek">Lucy Soucek</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 an economy podcast from a city that (almost) never stops growing. 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 explore hidden connections between technology, cities, work and our day-to-day experiences. We’ll ask the important question: how can more of us benefit from the booms and weather the busts?

Booming is an economy podcast from a city that (almost) never stops growing. 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 explore hidden connections between technology, cities, work and our day-to-day experiences. We’ll ask the important question: how can more of us benefit from the booms and weather the busts?

Booming

Whatever happened to hustle?

In the months following Boeing’s now-infamous door panel blowout, speculation has swirled that the company’s troubles can be traced back to its decision to outsource so much of its manufacturing.

It’s easy to accuse Boeing of putting profits above all else, but economy reporter Monica Nickelsburg wanted to understand what went into that decision and why the economics of building airplanes are so weird.

She didn’t have to go very far to find answers. 
Listen to Booming's special Father's Day episode.

A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you.

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 Whitney Henry-Lester. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

In the months following Boeing’s now-infamous door panel blowout, speculation has swirled that the company’s troubles can be traced back to its decision to outsource so much of its manufacturing.
It’s easy to accuse Boeing of putting profits above all else, but economy reporter Monica Nickelsburg wanted to understand what went into that decision and why the economics of building airplanes are so weird.
She didn’t have to go very far to find answers. Listen to Booming's special Father's Day episode.
A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="https://www.kuow.org/donate/booming">kuow.org/donate/booming</a>. Thank you.
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/whitney-henry-lester">Whitney Henry-Lester</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>.

The risky business of airplanes

Guaranteed basic income is an anti-poverty policy gaining traction in Washington state. Tacoma just started its second basic income pilot, on the heels of a separate King County pilot. We sat down with Natalie Foster, the architect of more than 130 basic income pilots across the country to understand a surprising finding from King County’s basic income experiment, and what it means for the economy more broadly.

Guaranteed basic income is an anti-poverty policy gaining traction in Washington state. Tacoma just started its second basic income pilot, on the heels of a separate King County pilot. We sat down with Natalie Foster, the architect of more than 130 basic income pilots across the country to understand a surprising finding from King County’s basic income experiment, and what it means for the economy more broadly.

Why free money makes you more likely to get a job

Cities around the country are facing down a catch-22. In just a few short years, they need to somehow get off of fossil fuels while meeting surging electricity demand. The crisis is especially acute in the Seattle area, where demand for power is expected to increase by up to 50% and new energy-hungry datacenters are cropping up all the time.

On this episode of Booming, we uncover a surprising solution that's hiding in plain sight. Will it be enough to keep the lights on?

A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you.

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 Whitney Henry-Lester. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Cities around the country are facing down a catch-22. In just a few short years, they need to somehow get off of fossil fuels while meeting surging electricity demand. The crisis is especially acute in the Seattle area, where demand for power is expected to increase by up to 50% and new energy-hungry datacenters are cropping up all the time.
On this episode of Booming, we uncover a surprising solution that's hiding in plain sight. Will it be enough to keep the lights on?
A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="https://www.kuow.org/donate/booming">kuow.org/donate/booming</a>. Thank you.
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/whitney-henry-lester">Whitney Henry-Lester</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>.

Whatever happened to hustle?

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