Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
Washington House passes 9.9% ‘millionaires tax’ as business leaders warn of ‘seismic shift’ – GeekWire
The bill passed the House with a 51-46 vote. No Republican lawmakers supported the measure and eight Democrats voted against it. One member was excused. It now returns to the Senate for agreement, and then moves to the governor. The legislative session is scheduled to end tomorrow.
Kotek Announces Staff Shake-Up Ahead of Reelection Campaign — Oregon Journalism Project
Departing are deputy chief of staff Taylor Smiley Wolfe, who is joining the Ford Family Foundation; legislative director Bob Livingston, who is retiring; and communications director Elisabeth Shepard, who is moving to Washington, D.C., to become chief of staff for 5th District Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.).
A business leader urges major changes to boost Oregon economy – Axios Portland
Why it matters: Slowing population growth, private sector instability, Portland’s spotty downtown recovery, new tariff exposure and a workforce strained by Oregon’s high tax system are all converging at once — prompting lawmakers and business leaders to treat economic competitiveness with a new level of urgency.
How A Regular Person Can Utilize AI Agents – by James Wang
Instead of just sharing my workflows, this piece is designed to let you use these agents with step-by-step instructions, from scratch, and have them adapted to you (not me).
Almost 40 new unicorns have been minted so far this year — here they are | TechCrunch
Using data from Crunchbase and PitchBook, TechCrunch tracked down the VC-backed startups that became unicorns in 2026. While most are AI-related, a surprising number are focused on other industries like healthcare and even a few crypto companies. This list will be updated throughout the year.
MeeBoss Hiring Festival [Portland] – From Chat to Career · Luma
This isn’t a typical job fair. MeeBoss is a match-first, chat-first platform that connects you directly with hiring managers before you even step into the room. That means by the time you arrive, you’ll already have matches and conversations underway and you’ll know exactly who will be there in advance to prioritize meeting during the festival.
The Slow Burn: Why Founder Burnout Kills More Startups Than Bad Ideas
Founder burnout is one of the most underreported reasons startups fail. Not because it’s rare, but because it’s quiet. It looks like a leadership transition. It looks like a strategic pivot. It looks like a founder “pursuing other interests.” The real story rarely makes the press release.
AI Will Write All the Code. Mathematics Will Prove It Works. | Menlo Ventures
We are approaching a world where AI writes effectively all software. Agentic coding tools are already producing entire applications, and the capabilities are improving monthly. But there’s a problem hiding inside this revolution that almost no one is talking about: None of the code is verified.
More Oregon startup news
