By Todd Bishop
Publication Date: 2026-01-24 17:00:00
They’re rivals in the cloud, and competitors for customers and talent. But Microsoft and Amazon are on the same page when it comes to Washington state’s housing crisis — literally, in the case of an op-ed Friday and full-page ad last Sunday in The Seattle Times.
The Seattle region “faces a housing emergency that threatens our state’s quality of life, health and economic competitiveness,” write Brad Smith, Microsoft’s vice chair and president, and David Zapolsky, Amazon’s chief global affairs and legal officer.
It was an unusual joint byline, to say the least, but it reflected the similar big-picture goals of their…



