It’s been a week since Amazon’s corporate employees ditched their slippers for commuter shoes and started heading into the office every day. Amazon says the five-day return to office policy is about strengthening its culture, but some employees and experts have a different theory for why the company is rolling back its pandemic-era work from home policy.

On this episode of Booming, what's really behind Amazon's push to come back to the office? And does this signal the end of the work-from-home era? 

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

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shopping online can be creepy. Suggested products, targeted ads...it feels like your phone is listening to you. You might be tempted to hit the mall instead. But actually, AI is tracking you there too.

Many brick-and-mortar stores depend on holiday sales to stay alive. And increasingly they’re borrowing tricks from the online world to get us to buy stuff – lots of stuff. So in the age of Artificial Intelligence, is there any way to stop being tracked when you shop?

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

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tickets to pro sports in Seattle will put a dent in your budget. A seat at a Seahawks game could cost you $260. So why do they cost so much? The ticket selling business is a complex system with lots of players driving up the prices.

On this episode of Booming, we’ll find out how the pricing works and hear about ways to see sports games without breaking the bank.

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 Jennie Cecil Moore and Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. 

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The free trade era that has defined the U.S. economy for decades made clear winners and losers. It tanked the Rust Belt, but sent the Pacific Northwest’s global economy to new heights. Washington state has always benefited from its international companies and the free flow of talent across borders. So what does the potential end of the free trade era mean for our economy?

Monica sat down with University of Washington historian Margaret O'Mara to talk about her predictions for how a second Trump term will affect Washington's economy - and the people who live here.

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 Jennie Cecil Moore and Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Washington is a wealthy state.... that needs more money. So a couple years ago, it tried a new way to tax rich people. It’s called the capital gains tax, but an initiative on the ballot could kill it this November.

On this week’s episode of Booming, we dig into Initiative 2109. Is the capital gains tax doing what it's supposed to do? What would a fair tax system actually look like here in 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.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Jennie Cecil Moore. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Lucy Soucek, filling in for Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What would it take to put the shine back on our cities?

Seattle used to be a superstar city...a technopolis by the sea. Companies, and their employees, wanted to move here. But for several years now, it’s felt like some of that glitter has gone. And it’s not just Seattle – downtowns across the country are struggling. 

On this episode of Booming, Joshua heads to the International Downtown Association Conference to meet with city leaders from all over the country. We'll find out what they're doing that actually works to save their downtowns and what Seattle can learn from them.

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 producer is Jennie Cecil Moore. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Lucy Soucek, filling in for Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Washington's gas prices are among the highest in the country. Some blame the state’s efforts to reduce climate change for the extra cost at the pump. This November, they’ve put those concerns on the ballot.

Initiative 2117 aims to cut prices at the pump by cutting the state's plan to reduce fossil fuels. But would killing that plan -- known as the Climate Commitment Act -- result in even higher prices?

In this episode of Booming, we look at the economics and hidden costs of our addiction to fossil fuel... and the surprising lesson we can draw from past efforts to curb pollution.

Want a recipe with Cabrales cheese? (It'll make sense once you listen to the episode...) Check this out: Roasted Sweet Onions with Cabrales Blue Cheese

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 Jennie Cecil Moore and Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Lucy Soucek, filling in for Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maybe you’ve noticed: Seattle traffic is back. And not just during rush hour. It’s busy all the time. But there's a transportation levy on the ballot in Seattle this November, and it's the biggest one we’ve ever seen. So, will $1.55 billion buy us better commutes?

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 Jennie Cecil Moore and Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Lucy Soucek, filling in for Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s something unusual happening to property values in Seattle right now. As housing prices continue to climb, the value of commercial property is taking a big plunge. The County Assessor warns office buildings will be worth 30-40% less next year.

This is a historic shift. And it will have impacts on the cost of living for all of us.

That might not sit well with people who are already feeling the effects of inflation and high prices. Joshua looks at the downstream effects of plunging commercial real estate values, and what might happen at the ballot box this fall, as a result. 

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

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Whitney Henry-Lester and Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Lucy Soucek, filling in for Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like it or not, "smart robots" enabled with artificial intelligence are taking on jobs that only humans used to do - maybe even yours. Whether that's something to fear or embrace depends on whether the robot could replace you, or actually make you smarter.

In this episode, Joshua tags along with a robot "inspector" on an apartment tower construction site. The robot makes the rounds each day, helping its human counterparts detect construction defects and safety violations. Its use marks a new era for robots, which typically toil in highly controlled and predictable environments. But construction sites - like many other aspects of life - are messy, unpredictable places. This could open the door to many new applications.

Could you work alongside a smart robot? You may soon get to find out.

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.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.