Articles from 2021 – Page 2 of 77

Washington health officials encourage remote work and boosters amid Omicron surge

Washington state public health officials are urging people to get vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. They also advised employers to… Read More

EU approves Microsoft’s $19.7B Nuance deal, clearing last major hurdle for big acquisition

The European Commission gave unconditional approval to Microsoft’s pending acquisition of speech technology company Nuance Communications for $19.7 billion in… Read More

Swedish video game conglomerate to acquire Portland’s Dark Horse Comics

One of the biggest names in American indie comics has been acquired by a Swedish video game holding company. The… Read More

Bill Gates cancels his holiday plans, says ‘we could be entering the worst part of the pandemic’

Bill Gates is taking the action that many people are perhaps dreading themselves — canceling most of his holiday plans… Read More

Amazon continues amazing growth spurt, expands presence at Austin, Chicago and Phoenix tech hubs

Three years after choosing Arlington, Va., as the winner of its high-profile HQ2 search, Amazon is speeding forward to build… Read More

Microsoft to acquire AT&T’s Xandr advertising tech business, gearing up for a ‘post-cookie world’

Microsoft reached a deal to acquire AT&T’s advertising technology division, Xandr, seeking to strengthen its own advertising business as the… Read More

Exit interview: Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan on the pandemic, Amazon, and fighting the city council

To suggest that Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan had a pressurized run as the Emerald City’s top elected official is to… Read More

Guaranteed income program backed by Twitter’s Jack Dorsey begins in Tacoma; families get $500/month

The 110 Tacoma, Wash., families chosen to participate in a guaranteed income program received their first $500 check this month,… Read More

Life sciences developer Alexandria grows Seattle area footprint, pays $77.5M for land in Bellevue

Alexandria Real Equities, a life sciences real estate developer, has bought a 5.2-acre property in Bellevue, Wash., for $77.5 million.… Read More

Health software company Edifecs continues acquisition run, swoops up Health Fidelity

Bellevue, Wash.-based health software company Edifecs has acquired Health Fidelity, a San Mateo, Calif.-based startup. The acquisition will enable Edifecs… Read More

Contributions from Amazon employees helped Councilmember Kshama Sawant defeat recall

Amazon employees were among the top contributors to the campaign that helped Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant, an outspoken critic… Read More

Tom Brady’s anger reaches the Surface: NFL star slams Microsoft tablet in rare shutout loss

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren’t the only ones to get battered and beaten during a “Sunday Night Football” game this… Read More

Another Seattle startup trying 4-day workweek in bid to enhance productivity, well-being and culture

Uplevel makes software tools to help engineering teams better measure how developers use their time and how they could best… Read More

Seattle VR startup Rec Room raises $145M, reaches $3.5B valuation

Rec Room, the Seattle-based development studio behind the fast-growing VR application Rec Room, has raised $145 million in new funding,… Read More

Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Dec. 12, 2021

See the technology stories that people were reading on GeekWire for the week of Dec. 12, 2021. Read More

In a new video, Amazon’s Project Kuiper highlights satellite broadband for folks off the beaten track

Amazon’s Project Kuiper hasn’t yet launched a single satellite, but in a video released this week, it’s talking up what… Read More

How climate concerns and incentives are driving solar installations on Washington roofs

When Erin Bryn Fetridge and Ron Darling decided to put 20 solar panels on their roof this fall, one key… Read More

Podcast

GeekWire Podcast: Qualtrics CEO Zig Serafin on the new era of work, acquisitions, and growth

This week on the GeekWire Podcast: How the pandemic is changing attitudes toward work, jobs, and geography. Plus, the market… Read More

Omicron surging rapidly in Seattle area, projections show huge spike within a week

The Omicron COVID-19 variant is surging in the Seattle area with speed that has the potential to overload health care… Read More

Maritime Blue wins $500,000 for cleaner transportation as finalist in tech challenge

Maritime Blue, a Washington state public-private coalition focusing on environmentally friendly technologies for the maritime industry, has been awarded $500,000… Read More

Amazon consolidates healthcare groups under veteran exec, shakes up pharmacy leadership

Amazon senior executive Neil Lindsay, a key figure in the growth of the company’s Kindle and Prime businesses, has been… Read More

Seattle startup Tasso lands $100M for self-administered blood collection devices

Seattle-based Tasso, which makes devices for the self-collection of blood samples, has landed $100 million in funding. Tasso’s devices work… Read More

Seattle school district says no evidence of specific threat after ‘TikTok challenge’ spreads across U.S.

Seattle Public Schools issued an update to families in the district on Friday morning about a so-called “TikTok challenge” involving… Read More

AWS vets lead new startup that aims to connect workers with nonprofits through ‘volunteerism’

Since early 2020, the workplace has been turned upside down. First came COVID-19 work-from-home policies that isolated workers. Then the… Read More

Tracking back-to-office plans: Seattle tech companies in holding pattern as Omicron surges

As the Omicron variant appears likely to surge across the U.S., back-to-office plans are now in flux as companies rethink… Read More

Senate confirms longtime Microsoft leader Kurt DelBene as CIO at Dept. of Veterans Affairs

— Former Microsoft executive Kurt DelBene was confirmed on Thursday by the Senate as the CIO and assistant secretary for information… Read More

Tech Moves: Madrona adds strategic directors; ex-Amperity CMO joins Tenable; Discord hires Microsoft gaming exec

— Seattle startup vet Brian Goldfarb was named chief marketing officer at Tenable, a Columbia, Md.-based cybersecurity company. He was… Read More

Univ. of Washington AI protein folding discovery wins ‘Breakthrough of the Year’ award from Science

Science magazine has revealed its breakthrough of the year: Artificial intelligence discoveries that predict how proteins fold, forged by researchers… Read More

Amazon’s second chance: Bellevue gives tech giant an opportunity to reshape its regional legacy

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Amazon is poised to transform a major swath of this city, much as the company reshaped Seattle… Read More

Frothy fundraising climate causes Madrona to raise $120M ‘extension fund’ for portfolio companies

It’s a wild time in the venture world. Valuations, deal sizes, and investment funds have blown past records set in… Read More