It's Only Words

Washington State BAD BOB FERGUSON "I plan on being governor for a long time." Washington governor rips Microsoft over TV ad in leaked audio Oct. 30, 2026 Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson called out Microsoft for bankrolling a political action committee responsible for a TV ad describing state government as broken, according to newly leaked audio from a Seattle Chamber leadership conference last week. Remarks at the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s Regional Leadership Conference, held at the Suncadia resort near Cle Elum, Wash., are supposed to be off the record. But The Washington Observer, an independent newsletter on state politics, published the audio Friday, saying it was obtained from an unnamed source. In the audio, Ferguson zeroed in on a line near the start of the ad — that in Washington, “it used to be all you needed was an idea, a dream and the guts to chase it.” The governor repeated the words “it used to be” for emphasis, in a tone of disbelief. “What’s up with that?” Ferguson asked the crowd of business and government leaders. “First, does anyone else in this room believe that? I sure as hell don’t.” “I talk to people every day who have that idea, that dream. They’re chasing it and they’re getting it,” he said. He cited the record $3.5 billion that Seattle-area startups raised in the third quarter, more than triple the same period a year ago, according to PitchBook data. The Microsoft relationship: Ferguson, who noted that he had worked as a lawyer for Microsoft, said he loves the company and respects what it does. But he seemed especially peeved that the ad ran during the Seattle Seahawks game, where it reached people across the state and those from elsewhere who might want to come here and start a company. “If we’re partners, partners should treat partners like partners, right?” he said. He asked the room to imagine him running a multimillion-dollar ad criticizing Microsoft. “You guys would think I lost my mind if I did that,” he said. Ferguson called Microsoft a key partner and a member of his economic roundtable, and said he works well with the company. “But it works both ways,” he said. Ferguson acknowledged that the state has problems. “Are there challenges? Sure,” he said. But he said he didn’t think the ad was “helpful for where we all want to go.” He told the crowd he welcomes constructive feedback, but asked business leaders to think about how they communicate, and to talk up the state’s workforce, economy and startup funding along with its challenges. “What we have here is so bloody special,” he said. Ferguson, who took office in January 2025, also reminded the room that he isn’t going anywhere. “I plan on being governor for a long time,” he said, adding that he works with all of them, “Microsoft included.” The Observer noted that $10 million, roughly what the group has left to spend, would be a good start on a campaign to run someone else for governor in 2028. The newsletter said it released just the audio from a video of Ferguson’s remarks, to protect its source. Among those in the audience was Michael Mattmiller, who represents Microsoft in Olympia. He and Ferguson “kinda-sorta hugged it out afterward,” the Observer reported. Mattmiller declined to comment to the Observer, and Ferguson’s office didn’t respond to the publication. GeekWire has contacted Microsoft and the governor’s office for comment. Who’s behind the ad: The campaign comes from Washington Needs to Compete, a PAC funded in large part by Microsoft and its current and former executives. The group has raised about $13.8 million, according to state campaign finance records, including more than $5 million directly from Microsoft. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and former CEO Steve Ballmer each gave $250,000, and Vice Chair and President Brad Smith gave more than $500,000. Other backers include T-Mobile, F5, Alaska Airlines and Weyerhaeuser. READ MORE: geekwire.com/2026/washington… @engele