About this podcast
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.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 100 episodes
- Should you have an AI assistant? · 36 minWhat are the risks if we let AI agents make decisions for us? And as agents run more and more of the economy, where do humans fit in?
- A sobering reality for Washington's wine and beer industries · 20 minHow can Washington’s iconic wine and beer industries adapt to our rapidly changing relationship with alcohol?
- What will it take to save our favorite small cinemas? · 24 minSome of our most beloved theaters are teetering between keeping their doors open, and closing them forever.
- Fake humans. Real products. Advertising embraces AI influencers · 26 minMore than half the people using social media are following an AI influencer... often without even knowing it isn’t an actual human.
- Does AI belong in the classroom? · 33 minMicrosoft acknowledges its first campaign to get tech into schools left many teachers and parents feeling like an afterthought. As it offers new AI lesson planners and tutor…
- Microsoft's stern warning for AI frontier labs · 16 minHow worried should we be about rogue AI? And can our biggest homegrown AI company do anything about it?
- Is San Francisco leaving Seattle behind? · 23 minThe general consensus has been that whatever happens in San Francisco, will eventually happen in Seattle. But now, the AI boom is driving us apart.
- Where have all the diners gone? The disappearing middle class economy (encore) · 18 minWhy are companies that cater to the middle class disappearing? And what does that mean for the businesses we love?
- Copper theft is surging. Can anything be done about it? · 15 minWe’re in the midst of a big shift from a fossil fuel-based economy to one powered by electricity. And that’s made copper more valuable than ever.
- Will Seattle ever star in its own movies again? · 26 minToday, most feature films set in the city aren't actually shot here. That's pushed Seattle to find other ways of capitalizing on its unique on-screen charms.
- AI supercharged scammers. Here's how to protect yourself · 23 minThe FBI says cybercrimes involving AI stole nearly a billion dollars from 22,000 Americans last year. And the situation is only getting worse.
- How bots took over our national parks · 25 minThe reason our parks are starting to feel like the Hunger Games arena comes down to bots, artificial intelligence, and the government's top cyber security contractor.
- Buy now, worry later? How 'Doom Spending' is taking over the economy · 25 minMany Americans are worried about their finances, but still splurging more than they’re saving, especially the youngest generations. When they don't have savings, they're taking…
- Matchmaking is booming. Could it solve the relationship recession? · 20 minSeattle is becoming a city of singles. And that’s turned one of the world’s oldest businesses into one of the hottest new ones.
- Is Xbox's big reboot a new dawn, or its last life? · 26 minThe company is reducing its gaming division by about 20 percent. Microsoft calls it “the most significant restructuring in Xbox history.”
- Did the US Congress just save affordable housing? · 20 minSome lawmakers are calling the bill the most consequential housing reform in decades. What it can really deliver?
- From Control F: Does shopping at Costco actually save you money? · 31 minOn 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…
- The $6,000 shortcut to driving electric · 18 minCould transforming gas cars into hybrids jump start our all-electric future? Or will this idea stall out before it even gets rolling?
- Big Tech is bankrolling the clean energy transition...while emitting more than ever · 27 minWashington 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…
- Seattle banned data centers. Now what? · 18 minWhat do data center companies want to be in Seattle for, anyway? And are we better off without them?
