Joshua McNichols

3 weeks ago | kuow.org | Joshua McNichols

AI House, on the top floor of Pier 70, is built among the trusses that hold up the roof. KUOW Photo/Joshua McNichols It may sound like the premise for a new reality TV show: 15 startup founders move their companies into a charming pier on Seattle's waterfront. Occasionally they're visited by investors, who wander through like Heidi Klum, providing advice and looking for the next big thing.

4 weeks ago | kuow.org | Monica Nickelsburg |Joshua McNichols |Lucy Soucek |Carol Smith

Experts say kids are spinning out online. Can Washington lawmakers help by putting seatbelts on social media? Parents, tech workers and even kids are asking for social media regulation, and there’s a bill moving through the Washington State Legislature that could make it happen. Senate Bill 5708 would block apps like Instagram and Snapchat from using addictive algorithms to keep kids scrolling. It would also require apps to stop sending push notifications late at night and during school hours.

1 month ago | kuow.org | Joshua McNichols

"Prototyping space," image from Seattle's Industrial & Maritime StrategyFinal EnvironmentalImpact Statement, published 2022. City of Seattle Seattle will get a new “Makers' District” in the SODO neighborhood, which will include nearly 1,000 apartment units over subsidized workspaces, along with hotels and restaurants. The City Council adopted Council President Sara Nelson’s plan late Tuesday. But it didn’t happen without some major drama.

1 month ago | kuow.org | Monica Nickelsburg |Joshua McNichols |Carol Smith |Lucy Soucek

For months, Seattle's tech industry has been reeling from layoffs. Microsoft, Amazon, Expedia and Starbucks are just a few of the companies who've recently let corporate employees go. And that's left many tech workers in a tough spot. But could there be a silver lining? With so many people suddenly out of a job, could these layoffs lead to a startup baby boom? On today's episode, Monica sits down with Geekwire co-founder Todd Bishop to find out.

1 month ago | kuow.org | Joshua McNichols

A worker installs drywall in a South Seattle townhome in February, 2025. KUOW Photo/Joshua McNichols Tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico began Tuesday. Builders expect higher prices to trickle down to builders within a few weeks, and to home buyers and renters after that. Take a look around the room you’re in. If you’re inside, odds are, the walls around you are covered with sheetrock. That’s made from gypsum, most of which is strip-mined in Mexico.