By Bill Lucia
Publication Date: 2026-01-15 12:00:00
Microsoft President Brad Smith leads some of the tech giant’s work in areas ranging from artificial intelligence to cybersecurity to environmental sustainability.
Right now, housing issues before the Washington state Legislature are getting his attention.
The company is out with a 10-page report with housing priorities it wants to see lawmakers in Olympia tackle this year. Higher taxes to pay for housing programs are not part of that platform. And Smith rejects the notion that raising taxes on large corporations is a viable pathway to close the state’s affordable housing gap.
Instead, the company’s strategy relies on opening more land for residential development, speeding permitting, driving down material and construction costs, and looking for innovative ways the public and private sectors can work together to get more housing built.
Some of that aligns neatly with legislation lawmakers have floated this year. For instance, Senate Bill 6026 would ban…
