Microsoft and Amazon together take out a full-page ad; pointing to ’emergency’ in Washington that they say: ‘Threatens to …’ – The Times of India

Microsoft and Amazon together take out a full-page ad; pointing to ’emergency’ in Washington that they say: ‘Threatens to …’ – The Times of India

By TOI Tech Desk
Publication Date: 2026-01-26 02:54:00

Microsoft and Amazon are two of the biggest rivals. The two companies compete in the Cloud, with Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The two fight for customers as well sometimes for talent. However, a ‘crisis’ in America’s Washington State has brought the two together. The two companies — Microsoft and Amazon — recently took out a full-page ad and wrote an Op-Ed in The Seattle Times on the Washington state’s housing crisis. The Op-Ed titled ‘WA must make it easier to build our way out of the housing crisis’ was jointly written by Microsoft president Brad Smith; and Amazon’s chief global affairs and legal officer David Zapolsky. The Seattle region “faces a housing emergency that threatens our state’s quality of life, health and economic competitiveness. Each year over the past decade, affordability has declined, commutes have lengthened and our region’s ability to attract and retain talent has been put at greater risk. For some, the impact is even more…