Tech Moves: iSpot’s new CTO; VMWare exec returns to Microsoft; Expedia CFO to resign
November 11, 2024
Nipun Dureja, chief technology officer for iSpot. (iSpot Photo) — Nipun Dureja is now chief technology officer for iSpot, a Bellevue, Wash., company that measures the impact of advertising campaigns on TV and video streaming. Dureja was previously a global vice president at Docusign for...
Living Computers vet rescues 1986 Mac from thrift store and gets it to run ChatGPT and much more
November 11, 2024
Hunter Irving with the 1986 Macintosh Plus computer that he managed to connect to the internet. (Photo courtesy of Hunter Irving) Hunter Irving is like a tech time traveler. Or he’s just a guy who can’t shake the impact that working at Seattle’s former Living Computers: Museum + Labs had on...
Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Nov. 3, 2024
November 10, 2024
Get caught up on the latest technology and startup news from the past week. Here are the most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Nov. 3, 2024. Sign up to receive these updates every Sunday in your inbox by subscribing to our GeekWire Weekly email newsletter. Most popular stories on...
Zillow is the future of the Multiple Listing Service, says Compass CEO
November 09, 2024
L-R: Art Carter of CRMLS, Errol Samuelson of Zillow, Kymber Lovett-Menkiti of Keller Williams Capital Properties, and Brian Donnellan of Bright MLS at the NAR NXT conference in Boston. (Real Estate News Photo / Stephanie Reid-Simons) [This story originally appeared on Real Estate...
Podcast: What Trump 2.0 means for tech, Diller nixes Expedia + Uber, and a GeekWire fall update
November 09, 2024
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, it’s a grab-bag of topics, including self-driving wheelchairs, Expedia Group Chairman Barry Diller’s comments on the prospects for an acquisition by Uber, and an update on GeekWire’s upcoming events and coverage. In the final segment, we discuss what the new...
Seattle councilmember proposes 2% capital gains tax to support low-income initiatives
November 08, 2024
Seattle City Councilmember Cathy Moore. (City Council Photo) Seattle City Councilmember Cathy Moore is proposing a 2% capital gains excise tax modeled on a Washington state tax. The local tax would be lower than the state’s 7% tax rate and would similarly apply to profits on the sales of...
Sustainable chicken-sandwich chain Mt. Joy opening new Seattle location in Amazon space
November 08, 2024
A Mt. Joy fried chicken sandwich. (Mt. Joy Photo) Mt. Joy, the fast-casual chicken sandwich restaurant built around sustainable farming practices, is opening its second location in Seattle. The new space, opening Nov. 15, will be at The Deck, an Amazon-owned food court in the South Lake Union...
Remitly co-founder joins English soccer team’s ownership group, with plans to harness tech and AI
November 08, 2024
Shivaas Gulati, a longtime Seattle entrepreneur and investor, at Roots Hall Football Stadium in Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, England, where the Southend United Shrimpers play. (Whitby-Boot Photography / Southend United) Shivaas Gulati needed a break. More than 11 years after helping to...
Startup radar: 5 early stage companies in Seattle that are raising cash and gaining traction
November 08, 2024
From top left, clockwise: Yara CEO Joe Braidwood; Tamnoon CEO Marina Segal; Govstream CEO Safouen Rabah; Integrate CEO John Conafay; and Sound Games CEO Mike Schmid. (LinkedIn and company photos) We’re back with another spotlight on startups making moves in Seattle. The latest batch...
AI habits die hard: Microsoft tweaks new Copilot sidebar for Edge after revamp roils users
November 08, 2024
Microsoft’s Copilot sidebar for the Edge browser is part of the company’s broader AI initiatives. (GeekWire File Photo / Todd Bishop) For more than a year-and-a-half, users of Microsoft Edge for Windows had access to a powerful tool in the browser sidebar that demonstrated both the everyday...
As the AI era heats up, this startup has generated a novel way to cool data center microprocessors
November 08, 2024
Maurizio Miozza, GemaTEG’s co-founder and chief creative officer, left, and Manfred Markevitch, co-founder and CEO. (GemaTEG Photos) The founders of GemaTEG Inc., a startup based in Bellevue, Wash., didn’t intend to make a system for precisely controlling the temperature of data center...
Expedia beats Q3 profit estimates as stock jumps; CFO to step down
November 07, 2024
Expedia CFO Julie Whalen is stepping down. (Expedia Photo) Expedia Group topped profit expectations and met revenue estimates for its third quarter, reporting $4.1 billion in revenue, up 3% year-over-year, and earnings per share of $6.13, up 13%. The company’s stock was up more than 5% in...
Historic calculators invented in Nazi concentration camp will be on exhibit at Seattle Holocaust center
November 07, 2024
The Curta calculator, invented by Curt Herzstark during his imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp. (Photo courtesy of Holocaust Center for Humanity) In an age when a smartphone or an AI voice assistant can provide the answer to nearly any math-related query, it’s fascinating to imagine using...
Taskrabbit takes over on-demand moving service Dolly in latest twist for former Seattle startup
November 07, 2024
(Dolly Photo) Taskrabbit has quietly absorbed the operations of Dolly, a Seattle-based on-demand marketplace for moving services. Dolly’s hiring page says the company “joined the Taskrabbit family in April of 2024” and describes Dolly as a Taskrabbit division. Taskrabbit’s support site notes...
Carbitex, makers of carbon fiber materials for footwear, raises $3.3M
November 07, 2024
Carbitex’s materials are integrated across multiple footwear categories including running, cycling, soccer, watersports, snowboarding, and golf. (Carbitex Photo) Carbitex, a Kennewick, Wash.-based maker of flexible carbon fiber composites for footwear and luggage, raised $3.3 million in a recent...
Former Intellectual Ventures exec named CEO of startup destroying PFAS ‘forever chemicals’
November 06, 2024
Dhileep Sivam, CEO of Aquagga. (Aquagga Photo) After five years, four in-the-field clean-up demos, and more than a dozen lab tests, the “forever chemical” destruction startup Aquagga is ready to commercialize its technology with a new CEO at the helm. Dhileep Sivam is leading the Tacoma,...
Zillow Group revenue up 17% to $581M as rentals, mortgage units drive growth
November 06, 2024
Zillow Group beat estimates for its third quarter, reporting revenue of $581 million and adjusted earnings of $127 million. Revenue from the company’s rentals business was up 24% year-over-year to $123 million. Mortgages revenue grew 63% to $39 million. Residential revenue was up 12% to $405...
Outreach cuts 9% of workforce in latest layoffs at Seattle sales automation startup
November 06, 2024
(GeekWire File Photo / Nat Levy) Outreach is trimming its headcount, laying off 9% of staff in another cost-cutting move. A company spokesperson confirmed the latest layoffs, which impacted more than 65 employees globally, mainly in go-to-market roles. Outreach is offering impacted...
Jeff Bezos congratulates Trump on ‘extraordinary’ comeback, wishes him success in uniting America
November 06, 2024
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. (GeekWire File Photo / Kevin Lisota) Jeff Bezos wasted no time in sending his good wishes to President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday morning, hours after Trump’s stunning victory against Vice President Kamala Harris. In a rare post on X, the Amazon founder offered...
Longtime Seattle engineering leaders raise $4.3M for new business automation AI startup Logic
November 06, 2024
Logic co-founders Steve Krenzel (left) and Jess Garms. (Logic Photo) A pair of veteran Seattle engineers raised $4.3 million for Logic, a new startup that aims to help companies integrate AI into their workflows by leveraging existing internal knowledge and business documents. Steve Krenzel...
Washington state voters reject initiatives that aimed to repeal capital gains tax and climate program
November 06, 2024
An election box in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo / Lisa Stiffler) Washington state voters rejected initiatives that would have axed a capital gains tax and a program to reduce carbon emissions. More than 63% of residents voted “no” on Initiative 2109, which would have struck down the state’s...
Amazon makes its live news debut as TV vet Brian Williams hosts election night coverage
November 05, 2024
(Amazon “Election Night Live” stream screenshot) Amazon’s foray into live news coverage began with a familiar voice and face. “Good evening. It’s been a while,” said Brian Williams, the longtime NBC Nightly News anchor, kicking off election night coverage Tuesday at 2 p.m. PT....
Amazon’s new holiday ad featuring a singing janitor strikes similar tune to ‘America’s Got Talent’ winner
November 05, 2024
Dreams apparently do come true, for more than one singing janitor. Amazon’s new holiday ad, titled “Midnight Opus,” tells the story of a theater janitor whose vocal talent is discovered by his colleagues as he sings his way through a shift, polishing mirrors and mopping the stage...
WATCH: Sea-Tac Airport’s self-driving wheelchairs are getting stymied by unexpected obstacles
November 05, 2024
A self-driving wheelchair, stuck behind a sign at Sea-Tac Airport. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) Walking through Sea-Tac International Airport this week, I noticed a self-driving, electric wheelchair, on its way back through the concourse after taking a passenger to a gate. Recalling from...
Seattle breaks into top 3 in new ecosystem ranking for early stage software startup funding
November 05, 2024
The Seattle skyline looking north from Lumen Field. Sept. 10, 2023. (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Schlosser) A new ranking of top U.S. ecosystems based on early stage funding data reflects Seattle’s continued strength in software-related innovation. Seattle was third in the...
Will our AI creations ultimately achieve personhood? Here’s how it could happen
November 05, 2024
The movie “Blade Runner 2049” blurs the line between humans and machines. (Warner Bros. Pictures) Some say artificial intelligence will be humanity’s greatest helper. Others warn that AI will become humanity’s most dangerous rival. But maybe there’s a third alternative — with AI agents achieving...
‘Uber for ocean intelligence’ startup wins Bellingham Angel Investors pitch competition
November 04, 2024
Astraeus Ocean Systems founder Alex Parker (left) receives an oversized $6,000 check for first place from event emcee and BAI member Jason Cohenour. (Frank Catalano Photo) Astraeus Ocean Systems, an ocean data startup that plans to field a fleet of autonomous boats to gather and...
Former Gates Foundation leader lands $1.8M for engineered bamboo building materials startup
November 04, 2024
Ocean’s bamboo panels are safer, more affordable, sustainable, longer lasting and cooler than many alternative building products available in lower-income communities internationally. (Ocean Photo) Launching one’s first startup — maybe a domestic software company, for example —...
Column: To navigate the promise and peril of AI, resist the urge to fall into extreme narratives
November 04, 2024
Editor’s note: This is guest commentary from Dave Siegfried, CEO of Official AI, a Seattle startup building a marketplace designed to help people control their digital likeness and connect them with marketers interested in using AI-generated talent. AI is everywhere these days, and I get it —...
Bell Canada acquiring Seattle-area internet provider Ziply Fiber in $3.6B deal
November 04, 2024
(Ziply Image) Kirkland, Wash.-based fiber internet service provider Ziply Fiber agreed to be acquired by Bell Canada, a subsidiary of Canadian telecom giant BCE, in a deal valued around $3.6 billion. The deal will help Bell expand its reach into the Pacific Northwest, where Ziply serves more...
Expedia chairman Barry Diller on potential deal with Uber and Washington Post’s ‘blunder’
November 04, 2024
Expedia chairman Barry Diller. (GeekWire File Photo) Expedia chairman Barry Diller told CNBC on Monday that a rumored acquisition of Uber is “just not going to happen.” A report from the Financial Times last month revealed that Uber had explored a potential bid for Seattle-based travel giant...
Tech Moves: Qualtrics taps Microsoft vet as CFO; F5 names innovation chief
November 04, 2024
Rachita Sundar, chief financial officer for Qualtrics. (Qualtrics Photo) — Qualtrics appointed Microsoft veteran Rachita Sundar as its chief financial officer and member of the executive leadership team. Sundar comes to Qualtrics from HubSpot, where she was senior vice...
Get in the picture: High-tech ‘Portal’ is a visual delight for those entering Seattle office building
November 03, 2024
Bob Meuller, right, and Chris Ward of Lightspeed Design stand in “The Portal,” an immersive, artistic entryway they developed for One Union Square, a downtown Seattle office building. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser) Stepping into work never looked this good. A digital “moment of zen” has...
Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Oct. 27, 2024
November 03, 2024
Get caught up on the latest technology and startup news from the past week. Here are the most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Oct. 27, 2024. Sign up to receive these updates every Sunday in your inbox by subscribing to our GeekWire Weekly email newsletter. Most popular stories on...
‘You can’t fact-check a feeling’: UW researcher on AI’s unexpected role in the 2024 campaign
November 02, 2024
Danielle Lee Tomson, research manager for election rumors at the University of Washington Center for an Informed Public, at the GeekWire offices for a recent podcast recording. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) For all the concern about deepfakes fooling the electorate, AI is having another impact...
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