内容来源：https://www.geekwire.com/2026/washington-governor-rips-microsoft-over-tv-ad-in-leaked-audio/

内容总结：

华盛顿州州长鲍勃·弗格森近日在一场本应闭门进行的商界领袖会议上，公开批评微软资助的政治行动委员会投放电视广告，将州政府形容为“运转失灵”。相关录音由独立政治通讯《华盛顿观察家》于周五公开，据称来源于匿名消息人士。

录音显示，弗格森在西雅图大都会商会于克莱埃勒姆附近苏卡迪亚度假村举办的区域领导力会议上，重点抨击了广告开头的一句话——“在华盛顿州，过去你只需要一个想法、一个梦想和追逐它的勇气”。弗格森以难以置信的语气反复强调“过去”一词，并质问在场商界和政府领袖：“这是怎么回事？在座还有谁相信这种说法？我绝对不信。”他表示自己每天接触的创业者都在追逐梦想并取得成功，并援引PitchBook数据指出，西雅图地区初创企业第三季度融资额达到创纪录的35亿美元，是去年同期的三倍多。

弗格森提到自己曾担任微软律师，表示热爱并尊重这家公司，但尤其不满该广告在西雅图海鹰队比赛期间播出，触达全州乃至外地潜在创业者。他说：“如果我们是合作伙伴，合作伙伴就应该像合作伙伴那样对待彼此。”他请在场人士设想，如果他花数百万美元投放批评微软的广告，大家会作何感想。弗格森称微软是重要合作伙伴及其经济圆桌会议成员，强调双方合作良好，“但这是双向的”。他承认州内确实存在挑战，但认为该广告对共同目标无益，并呼吁商界领袖在沟通时兼顾宣传本州劳动力、经济和创业融资优势。他还提醒与会者，自己计划长期担任州长，将与包括微软在内的各方合作。

据《华盛顿观察家》报道，该政治行动委员会名为“华盛顿需要竞争”，主要由微软及其现任和前任高管资助，已筹集约1380万美元，其中微软直接捐款超过500万美元。微软CEO萨提亚·纳德拉和前CEO史蒂夫·鲍尔默各捐25万美元，副董事长兼总裁布拉德·史密斯捐款超过50万美元。其他支持者包括T-Mobile、F5、阿拉斯加航空和惠好公司。该组织已支出约300万美元，大部分用于州立法选举，其中超过70万美元支持第48选区民主党众议员艾米·沃伦，该选区涵盖微软雷德蒙德总部。广告在海鹰队10月15日对阵丹佛野马队的比赛期间花费9.7万美元播出，10月25日对阵堪萨斯城酋长队的比赛期间花费13万美元播出。

广告开头致敬“车库里的发明家”“主街上的夫妻店”和“养活世界的农民”，随后宣称“在华盛顿州，过去你只需要一个想法、一个梦想和追逐它的勇气”，接着话锋一转称“但今天，奥林匹亚运转失灵，花得更多，得到更少”，并表示工作岗位正在流失，买房养家比以往更难。广告未点名弗格森或任何立法，结尾呼吁奥林匹亚“停止浪费金钱，修复失灵之处，把华盛顿州家庭放在首位”。

弗格森今年签署了对超过100万美元家庭收入征收9.9%税收的法案，即“百万富翁税”，将于2028年生效，预计每年征收约30亿美元。废除该税的645号倡议将出现在11月3日选票上。今年9月，史密斯与前州长克里斯·格雷瓜尔及数十名地区官员共同发起伙伴关系，旨在扭转西雅图地区经济下滑趋势。史密斯当时表示“我们经济上的警告信号正在闪烁”。据该组织称，该地区2025年流失近7000个工作岗位，华盛顿州在CNBC营商环境排名中从2017年的第32位降至第47位。同一研究中，华盛顿州综合排名第11位，高于去年的第14位，经济排名第五。WalletHub将华盛顿州经济列为全美第二，仅次于马萨诸塞州。联邦数据显示，华盛顿州2026年第一季度GDP增速全美最快，主要受科技行业推动。

“华盛顿需要竞争”网站称其由企业和居民组成，旨在建设“一个现代、永久的政治组织”，通过选举和公众教育支持“强化经济、改善可负担性、扩大机会”的领导人和理念。网站列出的前五大捐助者为微软、T-Mobile、华盛顿负责任税收与支出联盟、F5和史密斯。据《华盛顿观察家》报道，该组织将大部分资金留作未来竞选之用。《华盛顿观察家》称仅发布了弗格森讲话视频中的音频以保护消息来源。听众中包括在奥林匹亚代表微软的迈克尔·马特米勒，据报道他与弗格森事后“算是拥抱和解了”。马特米勒拒绝向该通讯置评，弗格森办公室未回应，微软将GeekWire的询问转给“华盛顿需要竞争”组织。

中文翻译：

华盛顿州州长鲍勃·弗格森公开点名微软，指责其资助了一个政治行动委员会，该委员会制作了一则电视广告，称州政府已经“运转失灵”。此番言论来自上周西雅图商会领导力会议上最新泄露的录音。

西雅图大都会商会区域领导力会议在华盛顿州克利埃勒姆附近的桑卡迪亚度假村举行，会议发言本应不对外公开。但独立州政治通讯《华盛顿观察家报》于周五公布了这段录音，称其来自一位匿名消息人士。

在录音中，弗格森将矛头对准了广告开头附近的一句话——在华盛顿州，“过去你只需要一个想法、一个梦想和追逐它的勇气。”

州长反复强调“过去”二字，语气中带着难以置信。

“这是怎么回事？”弗格森对着满屋的商界和政府领导人问道。“首先，在座各位有谁相信这种话吗？我他妈反正不信。”

“我每天都在和拥有那种想法、那种梦想的人交谈。他们在追逐梦想，而且正在实现它，”他说。他引用了PitchBook的数据：西雅图地区初创企业在第三季度融资额达到创纪录的35亿美元，是去年同期水平的三倍多。

关于与微软的关系：弗格森提到自己曾在微软担任律师，称他热爱这家公司并尊重其成就。但他似乎尤其不满的是，这则广告在海鹰队的比赛期间播出，触达了全州乃至外地可能想来这里创业的人群。

“如果我们是合作伙伴，合作伙伴就应该像合作伙伴那样对待彼此，对吧？”他说。

他让在场的人想象一下，如果他花数百万美元投放广告批评微软会怎样。“如果我那么做，你们肯定会觉得我疯了，”他说。

弗格森称微软是重要合作伙伴，也是他经济圆桌会议的成员，并表示他与该公司合作良好。“但这是双向的，”他说。

弗格森承认本州存在问题。“有挑战吗？当然有，”他说。但他表示，他认为这则广告“对我们共同想要达到的目标没有帮助”。

他告诉在场听众，他欢迎建设性反馈，但请商界领袖思考他们的沟通方式，在谈论本州挑战的同时，也要宣传本州的劳动力、经济和创业融资优势。

“我们这里拥有的一切真是太特别了，”他说。

弗格森于2025年1月上任，他还提醒在场人士，他不会去任何地方。“我计划长期担任州长，”他说，并补充说他与所有人合作，“包括微软。”

《观察家报》指出，该组织剩余可支配资金约1000万美元，这对于2028年推举其他人竞选州长来说是个不错的启动资金。

该通讯表示，它只发布了弗格森讲话视频中的音频部分，以保护消息来源。在场听众中包括微软在奥林匹亚的代表迈克尔·马特米勒。《观察家报》报道称，他和弗格森“事后算是拥抱和解了”。

马特米勒拒绝向《观察家报》置评，弗格森办公室也未回应该刊物的询问。微软将GeekWire的置评请求转给了“华盛顿需要竞争”，该公司称这是一个由60多家资助方组成的不断壮大的联盟，旨在保持本州竞争力。GeekWire已联系该组织和州长办公室寻求置评。

广告幕后推手：该广告宣传活动来自“华盛顿需要竞争”政治行动委员会，其资金主要来自微软及其现任和前任高管。根据州竞选财务记录，该组织已筹集约1380万美元，其中超过500万美元直接来自微软。

微软CEO萨提亚·纳德拉和前CEO史蒂夫·鲍尔默各捐赠25万美元，副董事长兼总裁布拉德·史密斯捐赠超过50万美元。其他支持者包括T-Mobile、F5、阿拉斯加航空和惠好公司。

根据州记录，“华盛顿需要竞争”迄今已支出约300万美元。据《观察家报》报道，其中大部分用于州立法选举，包括超过70万美元支持柯克兰第48选区民主党众议员艾米·瓦伦，该选区是微软雷德蒙德总部所在地。

据《观察家报》报道，该组织花费9.7万美元在海鹰队10月15日周四夜间对阵丹佛野马队的Prime Video直播比赛中投放广告，又花费13万美元在海鹰队10月25日周日晚间对阵堪萨斯城酋长队的NBC直播比赛中投放广告。

广告内容：广告以“车库里的发明家”“主街上的夫妻店”和“养活世界的”农民开场，随后宣称：“在华盛顿州，过去你只需要一个想法、一个梦想和追逐它的勇气。”

然后话锋一转：“但今天，奥林匹亚已经运转失灵，花得更多，得到的更少。”广告称工作岗位正在流失，“买房养家比以往任何时候都更难。”

广告没有点名弗格森，也没有提及任何立法。结尾说奥林匹亚需要“停止浪费金钱，修复破损之处，把华盛顿州家庭放在第一位”。

税收与商业环境：弗格森今年签署了对超过100万美元家庭收入征收9.9%的税，即所谓的“百万富翁税”，该税将于2028年生效，预计每年增加约30亿美元收入。旨在废除该税的645号提案已列入11月3日的选票。

今年9月，史密斯与前州长克里斯·格雷瓜尔及数十位地区官员共同发起了一项旨在扭转西雅图地区经济下滑的合作伙伴关系。“我们经济中的警示信号正在闪烁，”史密斯当时表示。

据该组织称，该地区在2025年失去了近7000个工作岗位，而华盛顿州在CNBC的营商成本州排名中从2017年的第32位降至第47位。

在同一项CNBC研究中，华盛顿州综合排名第11位，高于去年的第14位，经济指标排名第五。WalletHub将华盛顿州经济排在全国第二，仅次于马萨诸塞州。

根据6月发布的联邦数据，华盛顿州2026年第一季度的GDP增速超过其他任何州，主要得益于其科技行业。

长期计划：“华盛顿需要竞争”在其网站上自称是企业和居民共同建立的“一个现代化的、永久性的政治组织”，通过选举和公众教育来支持那些“增强我们的经济、改善可负担性、扩大机会”的领导人和理念。

该网站列出的前五大资助者依次为微软、T-Mobile、华盛顿负责任税收与支出联盟、F5和史密斯。

据《观察家报》报道，该组织将大部分资金留作未来竞选活动之用。

英文来源：

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. Microsoft referred GeekWire’s inquiry to Washington Needs to Compete, which the company described as a growing coalition of more than 60 funders that want to keep the state competitive. GeekWire has contacted the group 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.
Washington Needs to Compete has spent about $3 million so far, according to state records. Most of it has gone to state legislative races, the Observer reported, including more than $700,000 backing Rep. Amy Walen, D-Kirkland, in the 48th District, home to Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters.
The group spent $97,000 to air the ad during the Seahawks’ Oct. 15 Thursday night loss to the Denver Broncos on Prime Video and $130,000 during their Oct. 25 Sunday night win over the Kansas City Chiefs on NBC, according to the Observer.
What the ad says: The spot opens with a nod to “inventors in garages,” “mom-and-pop shops down Main Street” and farmers “feeding the world,” before declaring, “In Washington, it used to be all you needed was an idea, a dream and the guts to chase it.”
Then it turns: “But today, Olympia is broken, spending more while you get less.” Jobs are leaving, the ad says, and “it’s harder than ever to afford a home and raise a family.”
It doesn’t name Ferguson or any legislation. It ends by saying Olympia needs to “quit wasting money, fix what’s broken and put Washington families first.”
Taxes and the business climate: Ferguson this year signed a 9.9% tax on household income above $1 million, known as the millionaires tax, which takes effect in 2028 and is projected to raise about $3 billion a year. Initiative 645, which would repeal it, is on the Nov. 3 ballot.
In September, Smith joined former Gov. Chris Gregoire and dozens of regional officials to launch a partnership aimed at reversing the Seattle area’s economic slide. “The warning signs are flashing on our economy,” Smith said at the time.
The region lost nearly 7,000 jobs in 2025, according to the group, and Washington has fallen from 32nd to 47th in CNBC’s ranking of states by cost of doing business since 2017.
In the same CNBC study, Washington ranks 11th overall, up from 14th last year, and fifth for its economy. WalletHub ranks Washington’s economy second in the nation, behind Massachusetts.
Washington’s gross domestic product grew faster than any other state’s in the first quarter of 2026, driven largely by its tech sector, according to federal data released in June.
Long-term plans: On its website, Washington Needs to Compete describes itself as businesses and residents building “a modern, permanent political organization” to support leaders and ideas that “strengthen our economy, improve affordability and expand opportunity,” through elections and public education.
The site lists its top five contributors as Microsoft, T-Mobile, the Washington Coalition for Responsible Taxes and Spending, F5 and Smith.
The group is saving most of its money for future campaigns, the Observer reported.