Year in review: Vote for the top Seattle tech story of 2012

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It’s been quite the year in Seattle technology. Amazon.com kept growing. Microsoft kept transforming. And several startups raised huge rounds of cash as they looked to become the next Microsoft or Amazon. In case your head was filled with too many Tweets and Facebook posts to keep up, here’s a handy look back at the biggest… Read More…

Real politics: Why candidates are sprouting from RealNetworks and other tech companies

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A few months ago, I wrote a story about the role that RealNetworks has played in creating a wave of startup activity in Seattle’s tech community, breeding entrepreneurs such as Sujal Patel of Isilon (in the news today); Paul Thelen of Big Fish Games and Andrew Wright of Smilebox. But it’s not just entrepreneurs coming… Read More…

RealNetworks posts $22M loss on slumping sales: CEO Rob Glaser pledges to get back to profitability

Rob Glaser

Struggling RealNetworks posted a $22 million net loss for the third quarter, driven in part by $11 million in restructuring charges tied to employee severance costs as well as losses on excess office facilities and the transfer of contracts to Livewire Mobile. That compared to a $5.2 million net loss for the same period last… Read More…

RealNetworks cuts 80 jobs, more ahead — Glaser says it sucks but he has a plan

Rob Glaser (Photo: Tyler Sipe)

RealNetworks is cutting 80 jobs, or 7 percent of its workforce, and plans to eliminate an additional 80 positions in the coming months as founder Rob Glaser, back as interim CEO, tries to position the Seattle tech company for a turnaround. The company disclosed the layoffs in a regulatory filing this afternoon. “When I came… Read More…

RealPlayer for Android exits beta with new premium option

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RealNetworks released its free RealPlayer for Android today, bringing the app out of beta and attempting to grab the attention of Android users with an all-in-one player for video, audio and photos, plus social media sharing and other features. With the release, the company also added a set of premium features, available for a one-time,… Read More…

RealNetworks posts profit on Intel patent deal, but signals deep cuts ahead

Rob Glaser

RealNetworks today posted profits of $81 million for the second quarter, thanks to its sale of a large patent portfolio to Intel Corp., but the digital media pioneer signaled deep cuts ahead as it tries, once again, to rebuild its business. The company plans to cut some $45 million in annual operating expenses, said RealNetworks chairman… Read More…

RealNetworks names Seattle angel investor to board

RealNetworks HQ. Wikipedia photo

Just two weeks after RealNetworks reinserted founder Rob Glaser as interim CEO, more changes are coming to the Seattle technology company. Today, Real announced that John Cunningham, a Seattle angel investor who runs Clear Fir Partners, has joined the board. “John brings broad experience and knowledge across the digital landscape to our board,” said Glaser… Read More…

RealNetworks CEO resigns, and Rob Glaser is back, for now

Rob Glaser

Thomas Nielsen has resigned as RealNetworks CEO after seven months in the job, and founder Rob Glaser has been appointed by the board to fill the position on an interim basis, returning temporarily to a position that he held for more than 15 years. “The board and Thomas mutually agreed that the CEO position wasn’t… Read More…

Seattle’s unlikely hero? How RealNetworks sparked the region’s startup community

RealNetworks HQ. Wikipedia photo

Seattle’s tech industry may be known for heavyweights such as Amazon.com and Microsoft. But the DNA of another company has had a surprising impact on the Seattle startup ecosystem, populating dozens of new ventures and producing some of the region’s most notable entrepreneurial success stories. That company is RealNetworks. OK, I know what you’re thinking. RealNetworks?… Read More…

Sidecar: A mobile app that’s trying to reinvent the phone call

Rob Glaser

RealNetworks founder Rob Glaser, who helped usher in the era of online video and audio, now wants to reinvent the phone call as we know it. “Basically, if you think about the phone call, it has been the same thing for 50 years,” said Glaser, noting that the first preview of the touch-tone phone was… Read More…