{"id":747474,"date":"2026-07-07T00:40:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T00:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/747474\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T00:40:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T00:40:19","slug":"people-who-make-money-are-being-driven-out-jake-and-spike-sound-off-on-seattles-nation-leading-office-vacancy-rate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/747474\/","title":{"rendered":"‘People who make money are being driven out’: Jake and Spike sound off on Seattle’s nation-leading office vacancy rate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seattle has the highest office vacancy rate in the country at 37%, according to The Seattle Times<\/a>. Meanwhile, larger cities like New York sit at 22% and Los Angeles at 32%.<\/p>\n

KIRO hosts Jake Skorheim and Spike O\u2019Neill agreed that wealthy residents are leaving Seattle.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who make money are being driven out of town,\u201d Jake said on \u201cThe Jake and Spike Show\u201d<\/a> on KIRO Newsradio.<\/p>\n

Jake mentioned the use of trickle-down economics and that when companies don\u2019t invest in Seattle, jobs dry up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hurting the city,\u201d Jake said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is. But \u2014 and these are nuanced conversations to have \u2014 it\u2019s also fair to say that part of the reason these occupancies aren\u2019t needed is because companies are investing in AI,\u201d Spike responded.<\/p>\n

Spike pointed out there was an overcorrection during the pandemic, and companies hired too many people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a natural swing of the pendulum back from that, from a correction to an overinvestment and overexpansion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Jake said nearby cities should look at Seattle as a cautionary tale and avoid making the same mistakes.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t lean into the crazy tax stuff that\u2019s going to scare people away in Seattle,\u201d he said. \u201cYou also are not going to have to fight, because Seattle does bear a lot of the burden of a lot of the homeless problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spike said the city\u2019s approach hasn\u2019t changed despite clear evidence it isn\u2019t working.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the whole thing,\u201d he said. \u201cKeep doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. Why do we not see the writing on the wall with so many glaring examples of how it could be done better and not do that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch the full discussion in the video above.<\/p>\n

Listen to\u00a0\u201cThe Jake and Spike Show\u201d<\/a>\u00a0weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO\u00a0Newsradio\u00a097.3<\/p>\n

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