gwNeed to catch up at the end of the week? Here’s a roundup of highlights from GeekWire this week.

Steve Ballmer says goodbye in tearful farewell video: ‘I had the time of my life’. “Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said goodbye to the company he loves — one he joined when it was just a startup and he was a young man — in a tearful speech at the company’s annual employee meeting this week in Seattle.”

Related Commentary by Kevin Lisota: The spirit of Steve Ballmer is irreplaceable at Microsoft

Developer figures out how to offer discounted iOS app upgrades, within Apple’s rules. Fascinating example of Apple’s app restrictions, and one developer’s ingenuity.

gatesharvard212Finally: Bill Gates admits Control-Alt-Delete was a mistake. Readers loved this one, quickly making it the most heavily read post we’ve ever had in a single day at GeekWire.

With new Kindle Fire HDX, Jeff Bezos sees Amazon’s big bets coming togetherWe go inside the conference room as the Amazon CEO demonstrates his favorite parts of the new Kindle HDX tablet lineup, including a novel customer support feature called “Mayday.”

Home improvement startup Porch.com is raising a huge financing round, lines up big-time backers. John Cook: “What’s most interesting about the SEC filing — beyond the sheer dollar amount — is the involvement of a board member by the name of Joe Hanauer.”

steamcontrollerValve’s new Steam controller replaces joysticks with trackpads. Just one in a series of intriguing moves by the Bellevue-based game developer and distributor as it pushes for a bigger place in the living room.

Whose tunes? How iTunes Radio stacks up against the competition. Blair Hanley Frank: “With the launch of iOS 7 came iTunes Radio, Apple’s much-touted entry into the streaming radio space. The company that brought you the iPod is now going to try and compete with Pandora. The question is: Can they?”

Ride-sharing companies not shutting down in Seattle — for now“We’re not looking to shut down UberX today,” said Seattle City Council president Sally Clark. “That’s not happening today. It may never happen at all.”

Paul Allen on the race between brain research and artificial intelligence — and why he’s betting on both. “Can you create an artificial object or entity … before you understand how it’s done in the brain? It’s a kind of crazy race. I don’t know which horse to bet on. I’m betting on both. Both are fascinating.”

Latest from GeekWire Columnists
Mónica Guzmán: CD, noun: A flat, round thing that turns colors in the light
Frank Catalano: The Web: a generation old, a link unexpected

GeekWork: Jobs at DoubleDown, PayScale, Creative Circle and more. More: GeekWork.com.

Next Event: GeekWire Startup Day 2013: Tickets on sale for our biggest entrepreneurial event of the year

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to GeekWire's free newsletters to catch every headline

Job Listings on GeekWork

Find more jobs on GeekWork. Employers, post a job here.