Soundside

Amazon confirmed this morning it is cutting 14,000 employees from its corporate workforce. In a letter sent to employees earlier today, the Senior Vice President of “People Experience and Technology” – basically, HR – at Amazon quoted CEO Andy Jassey, saying “we want to operate like the world’s largest startup… by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and helping reduce bureaucracy.”  This may only be the beginning of cuts within the company. According to Reuters, this round of workforce reduction could include as many as 30,000 positions. That would be the largest staffing reduction in the company’s history. There are indicators that Amazon’s business is booming. Cloud computing sales increased 17.5% in the second quarter. The company is planning to hire 250,000 seasonal employees, anticipating big holiday sales. So - why now? What is Amazon’s goal with these cuts, and what are they aiming to build for the future of the company? Guest: Todd Bishop, co-founder of Geekwire, and a business and technology reporter Related stories: Amazon confirms 14,000 corporate job cuts, says push for ‘efficiency gains’ will continue into 2026 - Geekwire Amazon and the media: Inside the disconnect on AI, robots and jobs - Geekwire Amazon Plans to Replace More Than Half a Million Jobs With Robots - NYT Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes. Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s Day 28 of the federal government shutdown – just a few days away from this becoming the longest-running shutdown in U.S. history… And air traffic controllers working without pay are feeling it.  Today, the nation’s roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers are getting their first zero-dollar paycheck since the government shutdown began on October 1.     Some of them say they’re considering side gigs, like driving for Uber or DoorDash, to make up for lost income. And thousands of flights have been delayed over the past few days because of controller absences.  The shutdown is only the latest in a long list of frustrations bogging these workers down. Understaffing has been troubling the industry for years – including here in Washington state. An aviation expert explains what it takes to become an air traffic controller, the hardships that come with this profession and where the shutdown fits into all of this.  Guest:  Margaret Wallace, an assistant professor of Aviation Management at Florida Institute of Technology. Wallace also worked as an air traffic controller for the U.S. Air Force for more than a decade.  Related stories: Air Traffic Controllers Are Bargaining Chips in Government Shutdown - Business Insider High stress, salary: What it takes to become an air traffic controller Flight delays worsen due to air traffic controller shortage amid shutdown How the nation's air traffic controller shortage affects Washington state - Axios Seattle Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes. Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve ever hung out in Oregon’s Fort Stevens State Park, you’ve probably come face to face with the Peter Iredale shipwreck.  The British vessel crashed onto the coast in 1906 and has stayed there ever since. Today it has become quite the tourist attraction.  But for all its notoriety, the Peter Iredale is just one of more than 2,000 shipwrecks that happened along a dangerous stretch of coastline in the Pacific Northwest. And with many of these wrecks came conflict.  A new documentary explores how shipwrecks led to tension - and, sometimes, violence - between Indigenous communities and colonists in the Pacific Northwest.  Guest: Anna King, a senior correspondent for Northwest Public Broadcasting and the director of “WRECKED.”  Related stories: Wrecked: Sinking ships and colliding cultures on the Northwest Coast More Than 100 Died When the S.S. Valencia Wrecked in the ‘Graveyard of the Pacific’—Learn Why This Stretch of Coastline Has Claimed Thousands of Ships Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes. Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At a time when Starbucks is closing 200 of its stores and Amazon plans to replace half a million jobs with robots, one Seattle business has been surprisingly resilient: Costco.  In 1983, Costco opened its first store in Seattle and today it’s the third largest retailer in the world, with more than 900 stores globally. But while Costco is known for its devoted customer base and generosity towards its employees, how long is that kind of growth, and good will, sustainable? Guest: New Yorker reporter Molly Fischer Related Links: Can the Golden Age of Costco Last? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes. Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We may not be watching the Mariners in the World Series this weekend, but that doesn't mean there aren't awesome things to do...  LINKS: Tacoma Holiday Festival Dustin Nickerson at the Neptune Seattle Kraken vs Edmonton Oilers 2025 PSMS Annual Wild Mushroom Show Seattle Coffee Festival AI & Democracy - Women’s University Club SPOOKY STUFF:  Washington State Horror Con Fashionably Undead: The Goopening KEXP Kids' Halloween Dance Party Pumpkin Bash - Woodland Park Zoo The Museum of Fright GWAR | Showbox Presents Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It can be easy to make jokes about the split realities of the “Portlandia” sketch you could make out of those images, and the scene President Trump describes when he talks about the Rose City- a place, quote, “where they kill people and destroy the city.” But, with an appeals court ruling this week clearing the way for Oregon National Guard troops to deploy to Portland – what are things like in the city right now? And what can we learn from the people attempting to find common ground between the realities described by Portlanders, and the dire tales spun by our President? Guest Anna Griffin, Pacific Northwest bureau chief, New York Times Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes. Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consider yourself cordially invited to Brendan Healy’s memorial service.  That’s because the Seattle playwright is sharing his experience of living with, and dying from, a terminal illness.  His newest play is called "Eulogy, or How to Plan Your Own Funeral (and have fun doing it!)" If you go, you’ll get a front-row seat to remembrances of Healy’s life. But the play also promises audiences pictures of puppies, so there’s a little bit of something for everyone.  He’s putting the production on through Pony World Theatre, which he co-founded in 2009. It opens on October 23 at 12th Avenue Arts, so we caught up with Brendan before he hits the stage.  Guest:  Brendan Healy, the Seattle playwright behind "Eulogy, or How to Plan Your Own Funeral (and have fun doing it!)" Related links: Seattle playwright navigates living with terminal illness in new show | The Seattle Times Pony World Theatre Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes. Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we heard an announcement of a proposed Seattle Police union deal that could open the door to expanded use of police alternatives.  There’s also been some positive news on the city budget – to the tune of about $14 million in unexpected revenue on the horizon. And the City Council recently approved a sales tax increase to fund public safety priorities.  Lots of City Hall business to review with Seattle Times reporter David Kroman — and we also talk elections.  Guest David Kroman, reporter, The Seattle Times Related Links Election 2025: Mayor Bruce Harrell and challenger Katie Wilson debate Seattle council approves sales tax increase for public safety Seattle officers ‘undermining’ city’s police alternative, report says Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes. Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do dwarf mallow and dandelion have in common? Sure, most people would consider both of these plants weeds, but they're also both found in Natalie Hammerquist's new book, Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Hammerquist is an expert forager who makes YouTube videos about plants in the PNW. We took a trip with her to sample a veritable salad bar growing in between pavers and along the path of the Beacon Food Forest.  Guest:  Natalie Hammerquist, herbalist, expert forager, and author of Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest and Medicinal Plants of the Pacific Northwest   Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle hasn't had a two term mayor since Greg Nickels, who won a second term nearly two decades ago.  Incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell is trying to break the streak of one term mayors. He was elected to the position in 2021. He previously served on the Seattle city council for 12 years.  His opponent is Katie Wilson. She founded the nonprofit Transit Riders Union and serves as its chair.  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.