Good Morning,

George Costanza memes taking over social media, Oregon’s Mountain Mike’s Pizza files Chapter 11, Boise airport gets $74M grant, Construction workers in Beaverton create 120’ geyser after damaging water main, Nike founder’s development firm acquires industrial site in Portland, Montana has more general fund money than expected.

— Was this forwarded to you? Subscribe here —

Let’s Rip

Caterpillar expands mining technology capabilities with Skycatch acquisition (PRNEWS)

PNW Rip partners with G.A. Rogers for professional and executive hiring in the Pacific Northwest. If you’re in the area (or moving here), check them out here.

Need a side hustle? G.A. Rogers pays for successful referrals - reach out to learn more.

Oregon’s chip industry risks becoming ‘insignificant’ globally, state report says (ORL)

The report by Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency, concludes the Silicon Forest faces “long-term stagnation” because it is too reliant on Intel, lacks homegrown talent and faces regulatory uncertainty, high costs and a diminished supply of industrial land.

“Where the report goes astray is in repeating the unfounded claims of the big corporate lobby that Oregon has a ‘hostile’ tax system,” Hauser said.

Oregon’s tax structure is highly favorable for capital-intensive, export-oriented industries — especially semiconductor manufacturers. The report doesn’t compare Oregon’s taxes to those in any other state.

The report was authored by the University of Oregon’s Institute for Policy Research & Engagement. Business Oregon and Oregon State University split the cost of the $50,000 study.

Oregon has one of the nation’s largest concentrations of semiconductor businesses but employment locally is at a 30-year low. That follows a succession of layoffs at most of Oregon’s major computer chip manufacturers. Intel, the state’s largest corporate employer, eliminated more than 6,000 Oregon jobs in 2024 and 2025.

Behind Xbox’s Big Layoffs, a Streaming Strategy That Failed (BBG)

Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox spent nearly $80 billion in the last decade on deals that would give it popular video game titles like Call of Duty and Skyrim, betting that gamers would flock to its Netflix-like subscription service offering hundreds of options for endless play

On Monday, the company acknowledged that strategy hasn't worked out. Xbox said it would lay off 3,200 employees, 20% of its staff, and let go of five game studios in an effort to reset.

What started as an attempt to boost Xbox's last-place position among console makers, after Sony Group Corp.'s PlayStation and Nintendo Co.'s Switch, ended in a glut of overspending, leaving Xbox bloated with studios, staff and too many games people didn't want to play

When Xbox launched its Game Pass subscription service in 2017, executives set a goal of reaching 77 million subscribers by fiscal year 2026, which ended last month, according to a document published during a lawsuit contesting Microsoft's 2023 purchase of Activision Blizzard. Today, the platform has just 30 million subscribers

Underlying Game Pass's problem was a central flaw, according to the people. While consumers might be willing to pay a monthly fee to Netflix Inc. to stream thousands of TV shows and movies, most gamers don't take the same approach, preferring to stick with a handful of favorite games they play on repeat

Send us News

Work with us

Follow on X

Keep Rippin’