Microsoft’s latest round of layoffs leaves even more tech workers in Washington without a job – and with a new worldview called, "cruel optimism."

Just a few years ago, a job in tech was considered a straight shot toward economic security and affordability in Seattle. But today, employees are afraid that if they lose their job, they won’t be able to find another one. To understand how the shift is affecting tech workers psychologically, Booming talked with Samuel So, who started interviewing tech workers caught up in the first round of mass layoffs back in 2022.

Why are tech workers suffering from "cruel optimism"? And what does it mean for an industry that was once seen as the last bastion of the American Dream?

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mayor Bruce Harrell has a big to do list. He’s got to fix bridges, build housing, and spruce the place up for the World Cup next year. But to make all this happen, he needs federal dollars... money the city could lose.

The Trump administration has used executive orders to cut funding for cities that don’t cooperate with its immigration enforcement agenda. And now, Seattle is fighting back.

So we asked the mayor, how does Seattle spend its federal money? And if that money goes away, what can we do to replace it?

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle is one of the wealthiest and most expensive cities in the U.S. One out of every fourteen Seattleites is a millionaire.  By some estimates, costs in Seattle have risen more than 20% in just a few years.

On today's episode, we ask more than 300 Seattleites: How much money would it really take to live comfortably in this city of millionaires? And if you can't make enough, what can you do to feel more comfortable here?

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Washington state is known for its cherries. We produce more sweet cherries than any other state in the country, and we export them all over the world.

But to supply the world with cherries, Washington farmers need a lot of workers to show up for a very short harvesting window. Usually they do, but not this year. High profile ICE raids are keeping migrant workers from the fields.

Today, how a culture of fear is pushing Washington cherry growers to the brink.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After years of heated arguments, Seattle just passed a law allowing up to four houses per residential lot -- and six, in some cases.

The hope is that building a lot more homes will keep prices from becoming dramatically more expensive than they are now. But there’s a tradeoff. To gain more housing, we’re going to lose something else people care a lot about: trees.

On the latest episode of Booming, could there be a way to have both?

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bartell Drugs is a Pacific Northwest icon. But its corporate owner, Rite Aid, is going belly-up — and that’s put the future of Bartell’s in jeopardy.

On today's episode, staying alive is not just a problem for Seattle’s oldest brick and mortar pharmacy. CVS, Walgreens, and independent pharmacies everywhere are struggling to stay afloat. So, what’s making pharmacies sick — and is there a cure?

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's graduation season. When today’s grads started college four years ago, an entry-level job in tech was a sure bet. Now, it's anything but. And it's not just tech. Internship openings across the country are the lowest they've been in 6 years.

On today's episode, entry-level jobs are supposed to be the first rung of the career ladder. So why is that ladder breaking? And is there anything that new grads hoping to enter the workforce can do about it?

We're working on an episode about how much money you need to live comfortably in the Puget Sound Area, and we want to hear from you! What annual income would it take for you and your dependents to live comfortably here? Fill out this quick survey with your thoughts. Thank you.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot of people have been wondering if the Port of Seattle is dead. Spoiler alert: the ports haven’t been knocked out by the trade war, but they definitely have whiplash.

The extreme tariffs that the US and China have put on each other – have already had a negative effect on trade. Now, they’re scaling those taxes back – at least for three months.

On today's episode, we visit the gateway to the Pacific to find out what the port really tells us about the chaotic state of international trade. And now that China and the US are trying to work things out, will trade bounce back?

We're working on an episode about how much money you need to live comfortably in the Puget Sound Area, and we want to hear from you! What annual income would it take for you and your dependents to live comfortably here? Fill out this quick survey with your thoughts. Thank you.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.