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Microsoft President Brad Smith: ‘Never Take Your Strengths For Granted’
Washington state’s tech industry needs nurturing, support
By Seattle Mag May 21, 2025

Brad Smith is tired of politicians and others who take the state’s tech industry for granted.
Smith, Microsoft’s president and vice chair, was the main attraction at the Tech Alliance State of Technology Luncheon May 20. He did not disappoint.
During a wide-ranging 40-minute keynote conversation with Seattle magazine Publisher and CEO Jonathan Sposato, Smith said a lack of investment in the state’s thriving tech sector was a recipe for disaster.
“One of the things that’s true in business is also true in government and in communities: Never take your strengths for granted,” he said. “If you don’t keep investing in your strengths they’re probably going to decline. They’ll weaken.”
In particular, Smith called out the state’s apathetic approach to economic development; proposals to raise business taxes; and its lack of focus on innovation.
Washington state, Smith noted, is home to perhaps the strongest tech sector in the United States. Fully 9.4% of jobs involve technology, the highest percentage of any state in the country. More than 22% of total compensation goes to tech workers.
“This industry is Washington state’s fundamental engine of growth,” Smith said, noting that the University of Washington is “the most important center of the ecosystem” because of its groundbreaking research that spawns innovation. “I do feel, compared to what I see in other places around the world, (that) in this state people take this industry for granted.”
Smith pointed to New Jersey, which has spent $250 million over eight years to create 10 hubs for innovation — Microsoft has invested in one of those, and Washington has no similar initiative. He warned that complacency could lead to a dramatic shift in the state economy, noting that Pittsburgh (steel) and Detroit (automobiles) were once major economic drivers of the country.
He also praised Gov. Bob Ferguson, saying he thinks Ferguson’s agenda will prioritize economic development. But he also had a warning:
“God, please give us state legislators who care about economic development and are not just taxing our industry to pay for other things that we care about as well,” he said. “We all need to be in this together.”
The Technology Alliance is a statewide nonprofit trade association that advocates for an educated workforce, research capacity, and an entrepreneurial climate.