Tech - GeekWire

Q&A: James Miles wants to boost Seattle’s creative economy — and tech mixes with art in the plan

by Kurt Schlosser on October 13, 2023October 13, 2023 at 9:02 am

Among the laundry list of ideas and goals in Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s “Downtown Activation Plan,” the city’s arts and culture scene is intended to play a major role in… Read More

Trupanion sues entrepreneur over trade secrets after it acquired his pet care app

by Taylor Soper on October 12, 2023October 12, 2023 at 12:22 pm

Seattle-based pet insurance company Trupanion is suing the founder of an app it acquired, alleging that he stole trade secrets and violated agreements after joining a new company that later… Read More

Video

Atlases lay out detailed maps of the brain for humans and other primates, cell by cell

by Alan Boyle on October 12, 2023October 12, 2023 at 9:15 pm

In a tour de force for neuroscience, teams of researchers have published a voluminous set of brain-cell atlases for humans and other primates. The atlases are detailed in 21 research… Read More

Fluid apps, open models, and free markets: Inside the AI-focused Intelligent Applications Summit

by Todd Bishop on October 12, 2023October 12, 2023 at 12:54 pm

Everything in AI is in flux. In fact, a lack of predictability will define this new era. That was one of the overarching takeaways from the second annual Intelligent Applications… Read More

Seattle startup’s co-founder rejoins Israeli military in war: ‘I cannot just stand aside and do nothing’

by Kurt Schlosser on October 11, 2023October 11, 2023 at 8:06 am

When Boaz Arbel woke up Saturday to the news of what was happening in Israel, he knew immediately that he would need to go back and find a way to… Read More

Get your GeekWire Summit tickets before early bird pricing ends this week

by Taylor Soper on October 11, 2023October 11, 2023 at 10:08 am

The GeekWire Summit is fast-approaching — and so is the deadline for early bird tickets, which ends this Thursday. We’re reinventing our annual technology conference, now in its 12th year, with… Read More

Video

Microsoft CEO ‘heartbroken’ by attacks on Israel; tech giant has nearly 3k employees in the country

by Taylor Soper on October 10, 2023October 10, 2023 at 11:20 pm

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella issued a statement on the war in Israel and the company shared a memo it sent to employees. “Heartbroken by the horrific terrorist attacks on Israel… Read More

Coast Guard engineers examine Titan sub's aft titanium endcap

Video

Coast Guard brings up additional debris and remains from OceanGate sub wreck

by Alan Boyle on October 10, 2023October 10, 2023 at 10:33 pm

The U.S. Coast Guard says it has recovered and transferred the remaining evidence and debris from OceanGate’s Titan submersible to a U.S. port for cataloging and analysis — nearly three… Read More

News Brief

Sana Biotechnology will lay off 29% of workforce

by Taylor Soper on October 10, 2023October 10, 2023 at 3:16 pm

Sana Biotechnology will reduce its workforce by 29%, the Seattle-based cell and gene therapy company revealed in a SEC filing Tuesday.

Former Washington Post chief Marty Baron on what it was like working for Jeff Bezos

by Taylor Soper on October 10, 2023October 10, 2023 at 11:55 am

Inside the Seattle-area home of their new boss, a group of Washington Post leaders nervously waited as Jeff Bezos silently reviewed a memo detailing a struggling newspaper business. The Amazon… Read More

Video

Great Washington Shakeout drill on Oct. 19 designed to help people practice for earthquake

by Kurt Schlosser on October 9, 2023October 9, 2023 at 12:10 pm

With a small earthquake near Seattle still top of mind, it’s a good time to remind people that the Great Washington ShakeOut earthquake preparedness drill is coming up next week.… Read More

Magnitude 4.3 earthquake hits near Seattle; tsunami not expected

by Taylor Soper on October 8, 2023October 9, 2023 at 7:41 am

Did you feel it? A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck Sunday evening at 7:21 p.m. PT about 35 miles northwest of Seattle, south of Port Townsend, according to preliminary reports from… Read More

Bill Gates-backed Likewise launches AI-powered Pix ‘personal entertainment companion’

by Todd Bishop on October 5, 2023October 5, 2023 at 10:46 am

Likewise, the Seattle-area content recommendation startup that spun out of Bill Gates’ private office five years ago, launched a free AI assistant called Pix to help users find TV shows,… Read More

Fake Amazon calls and the use of generative AI highlight new phone scam report

by Kurt Schlosser on October 5, 2023October 4, 2023 at 6:18 pm

Generative AI is playing an increasing role in phone scams, and fake calls related to Amazon accounts or purchases are among the leading scams in 2023. Those are two of… Read More

TikTok owner ByteDance grabs another 66K square-feet of office space in Seattle area

by Taylor Soper on October 4, 2023October 4, 2023 at 4:31 pm

ByteDance is expanding in the Seattle area. A third quarter report from real estate firm Broderick Group reveals that TikTok owner ByteDance recently subleased another 66,000 square-feet of office space… Read More

GeekWire Summit, Oct. 19: Check out the agenda and join us to explore the new era of AI

by Todd Bishop on October 4, 2023October 4, 2023 at 10:23 am

The long-awaited promise of artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a reality in our work and lives, with far-reaching implications for business, tech, and the world. We’ll explore these issues the… Read More

Qualtrics cuts 780 jobs, about 14% of workforce, citing ‘complexity’ from rapid hiring

by Taylor Soper on October 4, 2023October 5, 2023 at 11:06 am

Qualtrics is cutting about 14% of its workforce to reduce costs and restructure its organization, citing a need to address the internal complexity created by its past hiring and growth.… Read More

Neurophs co-founder Andrew Traverso in lab

Video

Stealthy startup Neurophos raises $7M to create metamaterials-based chips for AI

by Alan Boyle on October 3, 2023October 3, 2023 at 9:30 pm

A semi-stealthy startup called Neurophos says it’s raised $7 million in seed funding to support the development of a chip that makes use of metamaterials for heavy-duty AI applications. And… Read More

GeekWire news round-up: Pulumi and Muir raise cash; LinkedIn’s new AI tools; ‘Uncommon Thinkers’

by Taylor Soper & Kurt Schlosser on October 3, 2023October 3, 2023 at 3:36 pm

Hello, GeekWire readers! Read on for a rundown of the latest tech news we’re tracking, and be sure to subscribe to our daily email newsletter to get this in your… Read More

Uncommon Thinkers: A new GeekWire program honoring inventors, entrepreneurs, and more

by Taylor Soper on October 3, 2023October 2, 2023 at 2:45 pm

Calling all Uncommon Thinkers! We’re excited to launch a new awards program at GeekWire recognizing the region’s boldest Uncommon Thinkers — the inventors, scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs who are transforming industries and driving… Read More

Leafly avoids Nasdaq delisting after meeting minimum price requirements

by Nate Bek on October 2, 2023October 2, 2023 at 4:33 pm

Seattle cannabis marketplace company Leafly announced Monday that it received formal notice from Nasdaq that it regained compliance with the stock exchange, averting a potential delisting due to a violation… Read More

Confirmed: Ex-Microsoft exec Panos Panay to join Amazon next month to lead Devices & Services

by Todd Bishop on September 27, 2023September 27, 2023 at 8:38 am

Panos Panay, the former chief product officer in charge of Microsoft’s Windows & Devices business, will join Amazon at the end of October as the leader of the company’s Devices… Read More

Dave Limp, Jay Carney and Jeff Bezos at Amazon Spheres

Video

Jeff Bezos says Blue Origin’s next CEO will be bringing a sense of urgency to rocketry

by Alan Boyle on September 26, 2023September 26, 2023 at 8:46 pm

Jeff Bezos’ selection of Amazon devices chief Dave Limp as the next CEO of his Blue Origin space venture could well mark the start of a speed-up in the company’s… Read More

Zulily vendors say they’re not getting paid following company’s acquisition by private equity firm

by Taylor Soper on September 26, 2023September 26, 2023 at 1:02 pm

Vendors working with Seattle e-commerce company Zulily say they are owed thousands of dollars in unpaid invoices. Megan Neugebauer, owner of Shop Resin Molds in Paragould, Ark., told GeekWire she… Read More

Can AI be holistic in spirit, soul, body, and mind? Insights from the PowerHER conference in Seattle

by Todd Bishop on September 21, 2023September 22, 2023 at 7:19 am

After an afternoon featuring inspiring business leaders, group mindfulness breaks, and activities to help attendees tap into their authentic selves in their work and personal lives, one audience question about… Read More

News Brief

Analyst: Cisco’s $28B deal to buy Splunk a ‘poker move’ to fend off Microsoft, Amazon, other giants

by Taylor Soper on September 21, 2023September 21, 2023 at 3:35 pm

Telecommunications and networking giant Cisco announced its largest acquisition ever on Thursday, a $28 billion cash deal to take over San Francisco-based cybersecurity and observability company Splunk.

AI Gets Real at the GeekWire Summit: Speakers revealed for Oct. 19 at former Cinerama theater

by Todd Bishop on September 20, 2023September 20, 2023 at 9:05 am

We’re less than one month away from the 2023 GeekWire Summit, our signature business and technology conference, and we’d like to invite you to join us Oct. 19 in Seattle… Read More

News Brief

Seattle cybersecurity company WatchGuard acquires risk detection service CyGlass

by Taylor Soper on September 20, 2023September 20, 2023 at 8:55 am

Watchguard Technologies, a Seattle-based cybersecurity company, announced the acquisition of CyGlass, a Massachusetts-based company that offers cloud-based threat detection and response services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded… Read More

Dr. Evil, Mr. Bigglesworth and "Starter Villain" cat

‘Starter Villain’: Sci-fi supervillain tale aims a satirical laser at tech billionaires

by Alan Boyle on September 19, 2023September 19, 2023 at 6:32 pm

There’s nary a mention of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates in “Starter Villain,” but science-fiction author John Scalzi’s wickedly funny novel finds ways to skewer the tech billionaires who rule… Read More

Video

Augmented-reality fighter pilot training system aces first flight tests, Boeing says

by Alan Boyle on September 13, 2023September 14, 2023 at 10:23 am

Boeing and an augmented-reality company called Red 6 have successfully flown and tested a virtual display system in a TA-4J Skyhawk tactical aircraft, in preparation for putting the system on… Read More