Articles from 2020

Microsoft says SolarWinds hackers viewed source code, but its defenses thwarted further access

An illicit account associated with the widespread SolarWinds hack was used to view some of Microsoft’s internal source code, the… Read More

A list of good things that happened this year in the world of tech, science, education, and more

Have you heard that 2020 was a tough year? Well, it’s true … but people also did some amazing things,… Read More

Need a boost for the new year? Pacific Northwest geeks share the different things that inspire them

Need a little inspiration to make it out of 2020 and into 2021? We’ve been asking data scientists, video game… Read More

No-tech fitness tracking: Health tech entrepreneur creates a PDF to help family hit exercise goals

It’s not integrated with Apple Fitness or Peloton. It has no companion app or website. It won’t send you reminder… Read More

Madrona Venture Group raises $345M for 8th fund, its largest ever, and $161M for 2nd later-stage fund

Madrona Venture Group has raised more than $500 million in fresh capital that the 25-year-old Seattle venture capital firm will… Read More

Podcast wars: Amazon to acquire Wondery, escalating competition with Spotify

Amazon announced an agreement to acquire Wondery, the Los Angeles-based podcast production studio known for hit shows such as “Dirty… Read More

Catching up with NFL great Richard Sherman on his favorite video games, esports ownership, and more

Richard Sherman always talked a good game, and backed it up, especially during his years with the Seattle Seahawks. Now… Read More

Uber raising trip prices 24% in new year in response to Seattle’s new minimum wage law for drivers

The cost of an Uber trip in Seattle will jump about 24% starting Friday as the ride-hailing company is raising… Read More

Podcast

Baby Yoda’s real name and Bill Gates’ podcast pal: Test your geek smarts with our year-end news quiz

It has been quite a year. But before we wave goodbye to 2020, we thought it would be fun to… Read More

Seattle tech worker who got vaccine trial shot feels great — but she worries for those hurt by pandemic

Nearly 10 months after being the first person to receive a shot in the first U.S. clinical trial of a… Read More

Jeff Bezos and Jacklyn Bezos at ship christening

Ahoy, Jacklyn! Jeff Bezos names Blue Origin’s rocket recovery ship after his mom

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk named his rocket recovery vessels after science-fiction spaceships, but Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos stayed closer to… Read More

Year in Aerospace: The comeback begins for Boeing and for American spaceflight

Boeing’s rebuilding year drew to a close today with a milestone capping a momentous year in aerospace: the first U.S.… Read More

Podcast

A view from the front lines: COVID-19’s lasting impact on the technology and science of healthcare

To say that Dr. Brad Younggren has a unique perspective on COVID-19 would be an understatement — because he actually… Read More

Avalara’s acquisition spree continues: Seattle tax automation company to buy INPOSIA Solutions

Tax automation software provider Avalara is buying another company. This time it’s INPOSIA Solutions, a Germany-based company that helps more… Read More

Dept. of Justice credits Microsoft with identifying tech-support fraud scheme that targeted seniors

The perpetrators of an online tech-support fraud scheme, originally brought to the attention of U.S. authorities by Microsoft, have been… Read More

FlowPlay buys out investors as Seattle gaming startup sees revenue spike 50% amid pandemic

Seattle-based game developer FlowPlay has repurchased shares from its investors and is now fully-owned by employees and founders. FlowPlay, a… Read More

Korean tech conglomerate will invest $30M in Gates-backed Kymeta antenna venture

Hanwha Systems, a smart-technology company headquartered in South Korea, has agreed to make an $30 million investment in Redmond, Wash.-based… Read More

Tech Moves: Crowd Cow adds ex-Amazon leaders; former Expedia CTO joins Snap! Raise

— Seattle meat and seafood marketplace Crowd Cow hired Ian McAllister as chief product officer, Julie Pruitt as chief merchant,… Read More

Fast-growing Qualtrics files to go public at valuation of up to $14.4B

Qualtrics, which splits its headquarters between Seattle and Provo, Utah, is aiming to go public at a valuation of $12… Read More

FAA issues safety rules that could smooth the way for Amazon drone deliveries

After months of feedback and fine-tuning, the Federal Aviation Administration today issued its final versions of safety rules for drones… Read More

LinkedIn migration data shows that techies aren’t leaving Seattle despite ‘exodus’ in Silicon Valley

Techies are apparently leaving Silicon Valley. The pandemic has sparked what some describe as an “exodus” of tech companies, employees,… Read More

Q&A: Rep. DelBene on data privacy, rural broadband and the Biden administration’s tech agenda

When President-elect Joe Biden and the incoming Congress take the helm this January, they will face several unresolved tech policy… Read More

Amazon sold billions of products during holiday period; third-party sales up 50% globally

Amazon said it delivered billions of products globally this holiday season as it wraps up what is expected to be… Read More

How hacked is hacked? Here’s a ‘hack scale’ to better understand the SolarWinds cyberattacks

“Microsoft, FireEye, and the U.S. Treasury department have been hacked in the SolarWinds attacks.” This statement is true but doesn’t… Read More

What Valve’s top Steam titles of 2020 say about the state of video games

Valve Software announced the top 100 best-performing games of the year on its digital storefront Steam. While there aren’t many… Read More

Data experts tap their farming backgrounds to lead new Washington state agriculture tech startup

As a fourth-generation Yakima hop farmer running a century-old family business, Patrick Smith has deep roots in Washington state’s agriculture… Read More

Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Dec. 20, 2020

See the technology stories that people were reading on GeekWire for the week of Dec. 20, 2020. Read More

Podcast

Power of the pivot: How iconic Seattle restaurant Canlis launched 11 business ideas in 11 months

Pivot might be the most overused word of 2020. And Seattle restaurant owner Brian Canlis for one is frankly a… Read More

Porch makes stock market debut, raising $322M to fuel its ambitions in home services technology

Serial entrepreneur Matt Ehrlichman was inspired to start Porch after encountering challenges during the construction of his family’s home. Eight… Read More