Seattle and San Francisco: Big tech, political backlash and the AI boom
What happened
In a live joint recording of the GeekWire and Blue City Blues podcasts, GeekWire's John Cook, historian Margaret O'Mara and journalist Jonathan Weber join Blue City Blues hosts David Hyde and Sandeep Kaushik to discuss the tech industry's tensions with Seattle and San Francisco, and what the AI boom means for the future of both cities. Historian Margaret O’Mara, journalist Jonathan Weber, and GeekWire’s John Cook at the National Nordic Museum in Seattle, recording a joint episode of the GeekWire and Blue City Blues podcasts with David Hyde and Sandeep Kaushik.
(GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) Tech remade Seattle and San Francisco over the past three decades, bringing jobs and wealth along with soaring housing costs and a political backlash. Now the AI boom is hitting both cities, before either has resolved the tensions that have repeatedly divided their communities. That’s the subject of this week’s GeekWire Podcast, a live joint taping with the Blue City Blues podcast at the National Nordic Museum in Seattle.
Sources & evidence
- GeekWire Reporting source
Seattle and San Francisco: Big tech, political backlash and the AI boom ↗
https://www.geekwire.com/2026/seattle-and-san-francisco-big-tech-political-backlash-and-the-ai-boom/