The Tech Policy Lab is thrilled to announce that we will be hosting Alondra Nelson for our Distinguished Lecture the evening of Thursday, April 3rd on the UW campus in… Read More
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said the Trump administration’s tariff policies will be especially harmful to Washington state and that innovation and alliances are the key to maintaining global competitiveness, not a… Read More
Another Washington state legislative session is now underway in Olympia. For just 60 days, lawmakers will sift through hundreds of bills on issues ranging from housing and transportation to climate… Read More
ChatGPT and other next-generation strains of artificial intelligence have revolutionized the tech world over the past year, and policymakers are ramping up their efforts to respond. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell,… Read More
A decades-long policy of lax regulation of the technology industry could be coming to a close — and Lina Khan is ready to usher in a new era. The rising… Read More
Jeff Bezos surprised some Amazon critics and followers this week by throwing his weight behind a federal corporate tax hike to help pay for President Biden’s infrastructure plan. It was… Read More
A years-long campaign to turn internet service into a public utility in Washington state could get a big boost from President Joe Biden’s massive infrastructure plan. The proposal Biden unveiled… Read More
Tech workers, business owners, public policy advocates and private citizens weighed in this week in favor of and against a proposed capital gains tax in Washington state. A remote hearing… Read More
Update: The Washington state Senate on Saturday passed SB 5096 by a slim margin, 25-24. The bill now moves to the House. Washington state’s startup community spent much of this week… Read More
The most powerful lever President Joe Biden can pull to catalyze entrepreneurship in the U.S. is immigration reform. That’s according to two experts from the venture capital community who spoke… Read More
When Jeff Bezos announced plans to step down as Amazon CEO later this year, critics of a plan to tax the fortunes of Washington state billionaires had a field day.… Read More
Washington state could become a national leader in regulating the technologies of the future, thanks in part to a bill up for debate that would establish new guardrails on government… Read More
President Joe Biden continued unwinding the previous administration’s controversial immigration agenda Tuesday through a series of executive orders. Over the past four years, tech industry stakeholders have emerged as staunch… Read More
Tech workers showed up to a virtual hearing Tuesday to voice their opinion on a proposed tax on Washington state’s wealthiest residents. Several startup CEOs and current and former Microsoft… Read More
Washington state will once again try to pass data privacy regulations akin to Europe and California’s laws this year — and the third time could be the charm, according to… Read More
When President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn in Wednesday, they inherited a unique opportunity to rein in the technology industry. In addition to bipartisan support for… Read More
When Joe Biden and Kamala Harris take the oath of office on Wednesday, the new president and vice president will inherit a nation in turmoil. Their administration will be tasked… Read More
California’s new data privacy law took effect Jan. 1, marking the first time many American tech companies must provide users with new rights to their information, including the ability to… Read More
It’s only been a few weeks since Microsoft President Brad Smith completed his book tour, in which he reflected on the most important tech policy issues he’s experienced during his… Read More
A task force of legislators, and business and labor leaders, is urging Washington state’s government to do more to prepare for the future of work. The group has released a… Read More
Managing public relations for the most powerful country in the world, or one of the most powerful companies, is not a job many people would envy. It’s a field with… Read More
The list of similarities between Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and President Barack Obama is not long. But the two leaders do have one thing in common. They both enlisted Jay… Read More
Do we need a National Algorithm Safety Board? How about licensing the software developers who work on critical artificial intelligence platforms? Who should take the lead when it comes to… Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump’s newly minted science adviser reached out to his peers today at one of the country’s biggest scientific meetings and called for the establishment of a… Read More
Amazon is taking an active role advising lawmakers on legislation that would govern facial recognition technology, like the Seattle tech company’s own Rekognition software. Over the past few months, Amazon… Read More
On Jan. 1, Washington state will begin implementing one of the most generous paid family and medical leave programs in the nation, allowing employees to take up to 16 weeks… Read More
Amazon was approved for 2,515 visas for foreign-born workers in fiscal year 2017, outpaced by only one other company in the highly competitive H-1B lottery. That’s a 78 percent increase… Read More
Regulations for the proper use of artificial intelligence are almost as inevitable as the rise of AI itself — but the way it’ll be done is far from clear. “This isn’t… Read More
Government incentives and tax credits face new scrutiny, driven in-part by Amazon’s wishlist as it searches for a city to plant its second headquarters. The company has a preference for… Read More
It’s 2038 and — like most businesses these days — a tech company is using artificial intelligence to scan job applicants. The system was trained with public employment records, an… Read More
