Over-Dependence on Big Tech: The Seattle Times vs. Microsoft vs. Apple’s iPhone Duo

This Week on the GeekWire Podcast: The State of Seattle’s Tech Industry

A recent study commissioned by the City of Seattle has shed light on the city’s tech industry. The study reveals that while Seattle is not in decline, it is facing significant challenges. It highlights that ten companies, with nine of them being tech firms, contribute three-quarters of the payroll tax on large employers. Furthermore, the tax structure disproportionately impacts the hiring of senior, high-compensation employees.

According to the report, Seattle’s focus should be on artificial intelligence (AI) while actively engaging in cleantech, an industry where the city can exert influence due to its ownership of the electric utility and control over permitting, building codes, and land use.

In other news, a legal battle has ensued between the Seattle Times and Newsday against Microsoft and OpenAI. The newspapers have accused the tech giants of using hundreds of thousands of articles to train their AI models, sparking a controversy that pits a local publication against a company that supports its journalism efforts.

Apple has made waves with the release of its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo. This device resurrects the name of a dual-screen phone that Microsoft abandoned in 2023, sparking debates among tech enthusiasts about Apple’s innovation.

The podcast also features a GeekWire Trivia Challenge that delves into the history of Microsoft products that later became categories for Apple. Stay tuned to see if you can crack the code!

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Audio production and editing by Curt Milton.