Booming

People getting other people to buy stuff is one of the oldest businesses in the world. It's called advertising... or these days, influencing. 

But more and more, the people selling everything from makeup to testosterone supplements aren't even real. They're AI-generated, virtual influencers -- fake human-like characters who post about their lives, just like real people do.

The global business of virtual humans is currently wor...

For decades, big tech has been pushing for more technology in schools. By the end of the pandemic, the takeover was complete: 96 percent of public schools in America reported giving laptops or tablets to students.

But new research suggests bringing devices into the classroom may not have been the best idea -- and artificial intelligence is raising the stakes.

Microsoft acknowledges its first campaign to get tech into schools left m...

Things in San Francisco are starting to feel very sci-fi, and it seems like every day we’re learning more about artificial intelligence agents gone wild. Calls are increasingly mounting for someone to rein in this technology before it’s too late.

On today's episode, how worried should we be about rogue AI?  And can our biggest homegrown AI company do anything about it?  

D...

For years, people have been comparing Seattle to San Francisco. 

We've both got the water, the hills... and of course, the tech workers and the exploding real estate prices. The general consensus has been that whatever happens in San Francisco, will eventually happen in Seattle.

But now, the AI boom is driving us apart.

On today's episode, what do the diverging stories of San Francisco and Seattle tell us about how AI is ...

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 companies that cater to the middle class are disappearing, and what that means for the businesses we love.  

This episode originally aired last spring. You can read the original story here: The K-shaped economy: Why diners are dying but yachts are...

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 pop shops especially hard, because often they're the target of these robberies. 

We'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. 

On today's episode, why i...

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 in the city aren't actually shot here. That's pushed Seattle to find other ways of capitalizing on its unique on-screen charms. Instead of feature films, the city is betting big on commercials.

On today's episode: How did Seattle’s feature film industry en...

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 thieves have a new tool in their toolbox: AI. 

The FBI says cybercrimes involving AI stole nearly a billion dollars from 22,000 Americans last year. And the situation is only getting worse. 

On today's episode, AI has turbocharged the ...

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 or a campsite on Diablo Lake is kind of like buying a lottery ticket these days. 

The 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. &...

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 people. 

Many 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 on debt. 

The...

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... often spending thousands of dollars in the process.  

Seattle is becoming a city of singles. And that’s turned one of the world’s oldest businesses into one of the hottest new ones. 

On today's episode, matchmaking ...

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 restructuring in Xbox history.”   

Most of those layoffs are spread out across the country. But what happens in gaming matters here—Seattle has so many industry jobs and studios that it’soften called the "Hollywoo...

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... and it’s not just Washington state facing a long-term housing shortage. 

For years, Americans have been begging politicians to do something about the high cost of housing buying an adequate place to live. In late June, something happened that almost neve...

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 by our friends at Control F: How much money are you really saving when you shop at Costco? The surprising ways that wholesale can—and can’t—save you money.  

Sources in this episode:

• Consumer Price Index data, U.S. Bureau of Lab...

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 electric vehicles. Nationally, only one in ten new cars sold each year is electric. That’s because EVs are expensive, and finding a place to charge them can be inconvenient. 

So one Seattle inventor came up with a workaround. He’s developing a si...

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 here for a reason: Washington 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 in the region—and elsewhere in the country, the industry is ca...

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 after several big developers proposed data center projects that could use up to a third of the power that Seattle uses on an average day.  

On today's episode, what do data center companies want to be in Seattle for, anyway? And are we better of...

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 job will be as optional as growing vegetables at home instead of buying them from the grocery store. 

Whether AI makes us work more or less, there’s no question it’s already changing the way millions of people do their jobs. 

On today's e...

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 gotten really expensive.  

But what if we made it easier for friends to own a place together instead? Could it be the game changer that allows them to live the American dream? 

More and more people are thinking about buyi...