Gee: Wait, what?! Seattle’s economic ecosystem is more fragile than we think
Sep 21, 2026, 3:42 PM
Wait, what?! A video I posted this weekend about Seattle’s business climate took off on social media, and I don’t think that happened because everybody suddenly became fascinated with business policy. I think it’s because people are starting to wonder whether we are paying attention to what’s happening to Seattle’s economic ecosystem.
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The clip came from my conversation with two-time James Beard Award winner and Seattle business owner Edouardo Jordan. He’s warned that if Seattle doesn’t improve its business climate, the city risks following a path we’ve seen before.
There was reference to Detroit and the auto industry and Pittsburgh and the steel mill. Now, before anybody gets defensive, nobody is saying Seattle is Detroit. Also, shout out to both Detroit and Pittsburgh, who have worked hard to reinvent themselves. The point of the conversation is to never take the economic engine for granted.
It’s not about Seattle’s largest employers; it’s about everyone underneath them
Seattle has Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Starbucks, Costco, and other major players. Here’s what we (yeah, I said WE because I’ve been guilty) miss when we hear those names. We believe that those companies have plenty of money and that they’ll be fine. That’s just it; it isn’t just about them, it’s about everybody underneath them.
The huge corporations are the old growth trees in the forest. Then you’ve got midsize companies underneath them. Then beneath those are thousands of small businesses: restaurants, caterers, coffee shops, contractors, hotels, retailers, and barbers. Shout out to my barber, Juice Fades. You see, that’s the ecosystem. So when 1,000 jobs disappear or move somewhere else, that’s not just 1,000 paychecks. You have to count the lunches those employees aren’t buying. What about the apartments they aren’t renting?
The happy hours, haircuts, hotel rooms, and cups of coffee. I can keep going on and on.
That’s what Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Joe Nguyen and I talked about recently. Nguyen told me nearly 70% of Seattle’s tax revenue is tied to economic activity. That’s important because Seattle wants to do big things. Affordable housing, public safety, transit, and programs that help folks in our community are big things that need funding.
“You can’t fund compassion with an empty treasury,” Nguyen said.
That’s not Republican math or Democratic math, that just math.
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The question isn’t whether Seattle is becoming Detroit — it’s whether we’re paying attention
Forget politics for a second. I had a great conversation with Ollie Garrett, President of Tabor 100, the other day, and we talked about businesses, workers, taxes, social programs, and how everything is connected. It’s an ecosystem.
That stayed with me, and that’s why I think that Instagram video resonated with so many. I’m certainly not rooting against Seattle, or maybe some thought that. Either way, the attention to that video shows me that folks want Seattle to succeed, and that’s a great thing.
Seattle has talent, innovation, major employers, universities, culture, and one of the most beautiful locations in America. So maybe the question isn’t whether Seattle is becoming the next Detroit. I’ll take blame for that question. Maybe the better question is, are we willing to learn from cities that waited too long to recognize their economy was changing?
Can we agree that the best time to protect an ecosystem isn’t after the trees are gone, but while the forest is still standing?
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Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.
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