Booming

Where have all the diners gone? The disappearing middle class economy (encore)

We’re working hard on some exciting upcoming episodes and we’ve got some busy weeks ahead, so here's one of our favorite episodes from this past year. It's about why co

Copper theft is surging. Can anything be done about it?

The Pacific Northwest has a copper theft problem. Seattle police say this type of crime has increased 300% in the city since 2016.  And it's hitting Seattle's mom and p

Will Seattle ever star in its own movies again?

Between state ferries, Pike Place Market, and the Space Needle, there are a lot of reasons Hollywood directors love to cast Seattle.  But today, most feature films set

AI supercharged scammers. Here's how to protect yourself

The United States has always been full of scammers, from snake oil salesmen promising miracle cures, to stockbrokers selling Ponzi schemes.   But now, swindlers and thi

How bots took over our national parks

It's not your imagination. Booking popular experiences in our national parks can feel impossible if you're a mere mortal. Going for a permit to backpack The Enchantments

Buy now, worry later? How 'Doom Spending' is taking over the economy

Economic anxiety has reached a fever pitch.   Mortgage rates are creeping back up, there’s a war on, and companies seem more focused on investing in AI than hiring peop

Matchmaking is booming. Could it solve the relationship recession?

App fatigue is causing more and more singles to break up with online dating. Instead of swiping, people are turning to matchmakers and other ways to find love I-R-L... of

Is Xbox's big reboot a new dawn, or its last life?

When it comes to its Xbox, Microsoft is doing a hard reset.   The company is reducing its gaming division by about 20 percent. Microsoft calls it “the most significant

Did the US Congress just save affordable housing?

Statewide, Washington needs to build 55,000 new homes per year to house new residents. The state is currently producing just 75% of that. That makes housing expensive..

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

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

The $6,000 shortcut to driving electric

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 e

Big Tech is bankrolling the clean energy transition...while emitting more than ever

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

Seattle banned data centers. Now what?

Seattle’s city council just approved a one-year moratorium on data centers within city limits – making the city the biggest in the country to ban them.  The move comes

4-day work week or brain fry? How AI will change work

CEOs have been making some bold claims about how artificial intelligence will change work—that in the future, the work week will shrink to four days or fewer, or that a j

Would you buy a house with friends? Meet some people who did

Recent data show a record number of Americans are now sharing a home with people they’re not related to.  Most of these roommates are renting, because living alone has

From tech to the trades: One laid off worker's big career pivot

It’s a weird time to work in tech. Last year's tech layoffs in Washington state were the second highest in the country. That has some tech workers turning to fields they

Where's my tariff refund?

For the last year and a half, tariffs have been harder to predict than the weather in Seattle. And that’s created a volatile climate for businesses. Now that the Suprem

What will it take to break Seattle's real estate standoff?

There’s a scene that shows up in just about every spaghetti Western movie: the showdown.   Two guys at opposite ends of a dusty street... their hands are hovering near

Is big business souring on Seattle?

There’s a lot of debate in Seattle right now over whether it's still a good place to do business.  It's hard to tell whether recent high profile moves by companies are

How indie bookstores escaped Amazon's shadow

Remember when bookstores were an endangered species? Well not anymore.  Thousands of independent bookstores across the country just celebrated Independent Bookstore Day