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 Sept. 25, 2016.
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Most popular stories on GeekWire
Internal email: Microsoft forms new 5,000-person AI division; key exec Qi Lu leaving after bike injury
Microsoft says it has formed a new 5,000-person engineering and research team to focus on its artificial intelligence products — a major reshaping of the company’s internal structure reminiscent of its massive pivot to pursue the opportunity of the Internet in the mid-1990s. … Read More
SpaceX’s Elon Musk makes the big pitch for his decades-long plan to colonize Mars
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has made some ambitious sales pitches in his career, but today’s big reveal about his plan to transport a million settlers to Mars over the next few decades has to be the topper. … Read More
Amazon launching new bus service in the Seattle region for employees, and their dogs, too
Amazon plans to debut its own pilot commuter service Monday, joining the ranks of major tech companies that offer private shuttles as a perk to employees and a way to counteract the headaches caused by traffic congestion, GeekWire has learned. … Read More
Amazon Game Studios unveils first games with deep Twitch integration and eSports wagering system
Amazon Game Studios, the gaming development arm of Amazon, today revealed its first titles that feature deep integration with Twitch, the live streaming company that Amazon acquired for $1 billion in 2014. … Read More
University of Washington ranks No. 5 among the world’s most innovative universities
Reuters is back with its annual list of the world’s most innovative universities and the University of Washington once again found itself among the top-ranked schools. … Read More
Amazon’s $2.5M ‘Alexa Prize’ seeks chatbot that can converse intelligently for 20 minutes
Amazon will award up to $2.5 million in prizes and sponsorships in a new annual competition called the “Alexa Prize”— challenging university students to build a “socialbot” on the company’s digital brain Alexa that can have an intelligent conversation about pop culture and news events. … Read More
How Microsoft’s new Adobe partnership brings its LinkedIn acquisition into clearer focus
ATLANTA, GA. — Microsoft’s ambitious acquisition of LinkedIn raised some eyebrows with its $26B price tag. … Read More
Microsoft demonstrates the world’s ‘first AI supercomputer,’ using programmable hardware in the cloud
Microsoft has quietly installed an esoteric, powerful piece of silicon across its cloud-oriented data centers, and it’s saying the new chips will give its Azure cloud computing platform a strong competitive advantage in the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence. … Read More
‘Mr. Robot’ Rewind: Pwning battery backups in an explosive season finale
[Spoiler Alert] Don’t read further unless you’ve finished watching the Mr. … Read More
Yes, Amazon is behind that drive-up grocery store coming to Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood
Amazon is, in fact, behind a drive-up grocery store under construction in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, new permitting information filed with the city shows. … Read More