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. 22, 2021.
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Most popular stories on GeekWire
‘Murder hornet’ nest cut from tree in Washington state; 1,500 developing insects found inside
Another Asian giant hornet nest has been removed from a tree in Washington as the state’s Department of Agriculture tries to stay a step ahead of the invasive pest sometimes called the “murder hornet.” WSDA took the nest out of the inside of an alder tree in Whatcom County, east of Blaine, Wash., on Wednesday. … Read More
How is the ‘snowiest place on Earth’ faring in this record-hot summer? It’s a little rocky on Rainier
Washington’s Mount Rainier is either the snowiest place on Earth, or a close runner up. … Read More
Cloud wars: Former Amazon Web Services leader Charlie Bell reportedly joins rival Microsoft
Longtime Amazon Web Services leader Charlie Bell has reportedly taken a job at Microsoft. … Read More
Jeff Bezos’ mom did not email me: How I got a troll to apologize, and why we might be friends now
In my five-plus years at GeekWire, I’ve often wondered what it would take to get Jeff Bezos’ attention and how I would react if the Amazon founder emailed me about one of my stories. … Read More
Amazon cloud exec Charlie Bell’s new Microsoft job puts non-compete deals back in the spotlight
What exactly will longtime Amazon executive Charlie Bell do at Microsoft? … Read More
Alaska Airlines plane evacuated in Seattle after passenger’s Samsung cell phone catches fire
A cell phone fire in the cabin of an Alaska Airlines plane forced the emergency evacuation of passengers after the flight from New Orleans landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Monday night. … Read More
Seattle-area tech exec gets 2 years in prison in $5.5M scheme to defraud COVID relief program
A Seattle-area tech executive who attempted to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 disaster relief loans through the Paycheck Protection Program was sentenced to two years in prison on Tuesday. … Read More
Toyota, Casio, Shell and others are using this Seattle startup to train their employees
Companies today face a skilled worker shortage. … Read More
Microsoft to quadruple cybersecurity investments, spending $20B over five years
[Updated below with Microsoft confirmation and related announcements from Amazon, Google, and Code.org.] Microsoft reportedly plans to quadruple its cybersecurity spending to $20 billion over a five-year period, according to a report out of a White House meeting this afternoon between President Joe Biden and U.S. … Read More
Tech Moves: Siblings at Seattle startup swap roles; Microsoft CVP departs to focus on DEI; and more
— IoT startup Mason announced that founder and current CEO Jim Xiao will be swapping roles with his sister and current Mason President Nancy Xiao. … Read More