A prominent Washington tech entrepreneur has joined the growing number of business leaders fleeing the Evergreen State, citing a “dramatic” shift in the state’s tax environment following the passage of a controversial new “millionaire tax.”
Jesse Proudman, founder and chief technology officer of Venice.ai, a privacy-focused generative artificial intelligence platform, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the state he once called a “startup sanctuary” has become increasingly hostile to those who power its economy.
“I’ve started three companies in the state. I’ve always been an entrepreneur here,” Proudman said. “When I started my first company, the business environment was very conducive to entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial community was seen as a contributing member of the city. That has changed dramatically in the past few years.”
Proudman previously founded private cloud company Blue Box and cryptocurrency investment platform Makara, and now serves as a spokesperson for Let’s Go Washington. The political committee is currently spearheading a massive signature-gathering effort to repeal the tax measure before it takes root.
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The tax, pushed through the Democratic-controlled Legislature during the 2026 session and signed into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson in March, would impose a 9.9% tax on annual income over $1 million. While the bill is set to take effect on January 1, 2028 (with the first payments due in 2029), the threat posed by its implementation has already transformed the state’s demographics.
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“We have until July 2 to collect approximately 325,000 signatures to put this on the November ballot,” said Hallie Herzberg, communications director for Let’s Go Washington. “The people should have the right to vote on this. This has caused businesses, employers and families to leave the state.”
The move marks a dramatic shift for Washington, which has historically been one of the few states without a personal income tax. However, the legal basis changed in 2023, when the state’s Supreme Court upheld the 7% capital gains tax, effectively opening the door to a broader income-based tax that critics argue violates the state constitution’s requirement that property, including income, be taxed at a flat rate.
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Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, the bill’s lead sponsor, dismissed concerns about “tax evasion.”
