05 juin 2015
Here’s what Bill Gates and Satya Nadella told President Trump at the White House tech summit
Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Bill Gates were at the White House on Thursday night, part of a high-profile gathering of tech leaders who combined praise for President Donald Trump with promises to invest in U.S. infrastructure, manufacturing, and artificial intelligence. The discussion...
Geeks on deck: Startup leaders chat about favorite AI use cases, and their uniquely human strengths
Startup leaders at the GeekWire deck party in Seattle on Thursday, clockwise from top left: Augmodo founder and CEO Ross Finman; Wavely Diagnostics CEO Arna Ionescu Stoll; HouseWhisper CEO Luis Poggi; Loti co-founders Rebekah and Luke Arrigoni; and Caddi CEO Alejandro Castellano. (GeekWire Photos /...
Agtech startup launched by brothers in rural Washington raises cash to grow its irrigation tech
The FarmHQ team in 2024 with co-founders Connor Wallace (fourth from left) and David Wallace (center). (FarmHQ Photo) FarmHQ, an agtech startup based in rural Burlington, Wash., has raised $500,000 from investors to grow its irrigation technology business, bringing its total...
Inside the minds of Seattle startup founders: Fundraising, hiring, and navigating their biggest challenges
Founders pack the deck at GeekWIre HQ on Thursday in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood. (GeekWire Photos / Kevin Lisota) Seattle startup founders are navigating a tricky mix of opportunity and challenges as they search for durable ways to scale. That’s the word from entrepreneurs who stopped by...
WSU researchers develop an AI robot that uses a puff of air to find and pick ripe strawberries
Robotic strawberry harvester developed by Washington State University scientists being tested in the field. (A robotic harvester designed at WSU combines an AI visioning system and a fan to pick strawberries hidden under leaves (Zixuan He Photo) Picking strawberries may seem simple, but it has...
LIGO and Google create a new AI tool to supercharge the hunt for gravitational waves
An illustration hints at how LIGO uses mirrors and laser beams to detect black hole collisions. (Google DeepMind Illustration) The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, has already won its researchers a Nobel Prize — and now artificial intelligence is poised to take...
Spencer Rascoff doesn’t see humans dating AI, but the tech is a key wingman on popular apps
Spencer Rascoff views AI as a suitable wingman when it comes to helping people find other people on dating apps. But he doesn’t envision a world in which love connections between humans and technology become the norm. During an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Thursday (above), the...
Orchard Robotics, an agtech startup using AI to solve farming’s data problem, raises $22M
An apple tree. (Photo by Andrew Malone, via Flickr, Creative Commons.) Orchard Robotics, an agtech startup using artificial intelligence to deliver precise data on farm operations, has raised $22 million from investors. The company was founded by CEO Charlie Wu, a Thiel Fellow who dropped...
JetBlue to become first airline to boost its inflight Wi-Fi via Amazon’s Project Kuiper network
(JetBlue Photo) JetBlue plans to become the first airline to sign on with Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite broadband service, promising faster and more reliable inflight Wi-Fi. The airline announced Thursday that the technology will be introduced to a portion of its fleet starting in 2027,...
CoreWeave to acquire OpenPipe, a Seattle-area startup that uses reinforcement learning to help companies build AI agents
OpenPipe co-founders Kyle Corbitt (left) and David Corbitt. (OpenPipe Photo) CoreWeave said it will acquire OpenPipe, a Bellevue, Wash.-based startup that helps developers train AI agents using reinforcement learning. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded in 2023, OpenPipe helps...
Startup spun out of Nobel Laureate’s lab teams with Eli Lilly to fight cancer with AI
Lila Biologics co-founders CEO Jake Kraft, left, and Chief Scientist Anindya Roy. (Lila Photo) Lila Biologics, a startup that spun out of Nobel Laureate David Baker’s lab at the University of Washington, announced a collaboration with pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly to develop therapies for...
ID verification startup Vouched raises $17M as it builds AI tools for ‘new future of identity’
Vouched CEO Peter Horadan. (Photo via Vouched) Vouched, the Seattle startup that uses AI to help companies verify identity, raised $17 million in new funding. The Series A round was led by Spring Rock Ventures. Vouched’s software has traditionally worked by analyzing images of photo...
Tech Moves: Ring CEO lands at AllTrails; former AWS CEO joins KKR as advisor; and more
Liz Hamren. (LinkedIn Photo) — Elizabeth “Liz” Hamren is now CEO of AllTrails, a company that connects people with outdoor experiences through trail and national park information. “Throughout my career, I’ve been inspired by the power of technology to make people’s lives better. The benefits...
‘Absurd’: Steve Ballmer responds to report that Clippers funneled money to star player via endorsement deal
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at the 2021 groundbreaking for the Intuit Dome, the new home of the L.A. Clippers, the NBA franchise he acquired in 2014. (L.A. Clippers / Intuit Dome Photo) Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his NBA team, the Los Angeles Clippers, are disputing a report...
Salesforce lays off 93 employees in Washington state as Benioff touts AI-driven efficiencies
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. (GeekWire File Photo / Kevin Lisota) Salesforce is laying off 93 workers in Washington, according to a notification filed Wednesday with the state’s Employment Security Department. The San Francisco-based company has offices in Seattle and Bellevue. A Salesforce...
Amazon executives tout gigabit data speeds during test of Project Kuiper satellite network
A screenshot shows a data downlink speed in excess of 1.2 gigabits per second. (Panos Panay via X) Amazon executives are showing off evidence that the company’s Project Kuiper satellite constellation is capable of transmitting data at speeds in excess of a gigabit per second. The evidence is...
Google antitrust ruling gives Microsoft a shaky bridge over search giant’s competitive moat
A federal judge this week barred Google from exclusive contracts that made its search engine the default on browsers and smartphones, but fell short of the deep structural remedies sought by federal regulators. (GeekWire File Photo / Todd Bishop) A pivotal antitrust ruling aimed at addressing...
Amazon and Google alums land $7M to build a personal AI therapist for people with dementia
NewDays’ founders Babak Parviz (left) and Daniel Kelly. (NewDays Photo) NewDays, a Seattle startup using a generative AI therapy to treat people with mild dementia, today announced $7 million in funding to expand its service. The company offers telehealth visits with clinicians once or twice...
Starbucks rolls out automated counting tech for inventory, with help from Seattle-area startup
Starbucks is using technology from NomadGo to automate how workers count inventory items. (Starbucks Photo) Starbucks announced Wednesday that it is partnering with Redmond, Wash.-based startup NomadGo to help streamline how its employees take stock of inventory inside stores. Starbucks is...
Latest layoffs at Oracle impact 101 employees in Washington state
Oracle’s Cloud Experience Center in downtown Seattle. (GeekWire File Photo / Todd Bishop) Oracle is laying off more workers in Washington state. The cloud and database giant is laying off 101 employees in Seattle, according to a new filing with the Washington state Employment Security...
Waymo to start testing and ‘laying groundwork’ for driverless taxi service in Seattle area
A Waymo robotaxi picking up passengers in San Francisco. (Waymo Photo) Waymo is ready to start “laying the groundwork for future commercial service” in the Seattle area, the autonomous vehicle company announced Tuesday. But it could still be a while before driverless taxis start shuttling people...
Is 5 days in the office key to startup success? OpenAI’s big Statsig acquisition is a proof point
Statsig founder and CEO Vijaye Raji addresses employees at a standup meeting in 2024. (GeekWire File Photo / Todd Bishop) An unusual aspect of Seattle-area startup Statsig — which announced its pending $1.1 billion acquisition by OpenAI on Tuesday — is the company’s policy for working at the...
OpenAI deepens Seattle-area footprint with blockbuster $1.1B acquisition of Statsig
Statsig’s team. (Statsig Photo) OpenAI is significantly expanding its presence in the Seattle region with its $1.1 billion acquisition of product development platform Statsig. The ChatGPT maker announced Tuesday that it plans to acquire the Bellevue, Wash.-based startup. Statsig, which...
Amazon’s ‘Lens Live’ mobile shopping feature uses camera and AI to find real-time product matches
Amazon’s Lens Live feature in its shopping app scans products via a mobile device’s camera and shows similar items via Amazon, with product information and answers to common questions through Rufus, Amazon’s AI shopping assistant. (Amazon Image) Amazon is adding enhanced camera-shopping...
Paramount and Microsoft-owned Activision reach deal for ‘Call of Duty’ live-action movie
The first-person shooter military video game series “Call of Duty” is one of the most successful video game franchises of all time. (Activision Image) Another huge video game franchise is coming to the big screen as Paramount and Microsoft-owned Activision have reached a deal for a “Call of...
OpenAI acquires Statsig for $1.1B, names CEO to key role in surprise exit for Seattle-area unicorn
Statsig CEO Vijaye Raji will become OpenAI’s new CTO of Applications. (GeekWire File Photo / Todd Bishop) OpenAI will acquire Statsig for $1.1 billion in an all-stock deal that appears as much about landing its founder and CEO as a new technical leader as it does about bringing the Seattle-area...
Amazon cuts off Prime’s shared free delivery perk for invitees outside main home address
An Amazon Prime package delivery. (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Schlosser) Amazon is ending a Prime perk that let subscribers share their free delivery with one other person outside their household. In an email to Prime subscribers and an update to its customer service page, reported by The...
Alexa+ in the real world: How I’m using Amazon’s new assistant, and where it could still improve
A flyer for the Ballard Makers Market & Bar Hop, spotted on a Seattle street pole — an example of the real-world data I’ve been feeding into Amazon’s Alexa+ assistant. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) Riding my bike Saturday afternoon, I spotted a poster for the upcoming Ballard Makers Market &...
Photos: Seattle tech leaders out in force for epic Sounders Leagues Cup championship
Terry Myerson (left), CEO of Seattle health tech startup Truveta, with former Seattle Sounders winger Steve Zakuani at the Leagues Cup championship match at Lumen Field in Seattle on Sunday, Sept. 1. (GeekWire Photos / Kevin Lisota) Before the Seattle Sounders topped Inter Miami...
‘We lift as we climb’: Seattle nonprofit SEA619 offers a new pathway for Black startup founders
Arif Gürsel, founder of SEA619 and PACE. (PACE Photo) A new Seattle nonprofit is aiming to provide a structured pathway for Black startup founders, offering support that includes networking, mentorship and guidance on raising venture capital funding. SEA619 is designed as a three-stage...
Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Aug. 24, 2025
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 Aug. 24, 2025. Sign up to receive these updates every Sunday in your inbox by subscribing to our GeekWire Weekly email newsletter. Most popular stories on...
The Idea Man’s Last Big Idea: Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in his own words
Paul Allen speaks at the University of Washington in 2017. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) This week on the GeekWire Podcast: In light of his estate’s launch of the new $3.1 billion Fund for Science and Technology, we revisit a classic 2011 interview with the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen...
Grin and gadget: Can a startup’s $120 electric flosser finally change my dental habits?
The Slate flosser is boxed like an iPhone — for your teeth. (Slate Photo) I’ve been told by dentists and dental hygienists for the better part of my life that I could do a better job of flossing my teeth. It took an interview with a startup founder and the chance to try a unique product for me...
Protesters deny planting listening devices inside Microsoft exec’s office; company fires four workers
Anna Hattle, a Microsoft worker who was fired this week, speaks during a No Azure for Apartheid press conference Thursday afternoon. (Screenshot via webcast) A group that infiltrated Microsoft’s headquarters building this week disputed the company’s account of the incident — describing their...
‘Away for the Day’: Another Seattle middle school tries policy to curb cellphone use by students
(BigStock Photo) Add Seattle’s Whitman Middle School to the list of schools trying new procedures to limit the distractions caused by cellphones and other smart devices. The school for grades six through eight in the Crown Hill neighborhood is implementing a “Devices Away for the Day” policy...
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