Articles from 2021

Smart home startup Deako raises $12.5M, says its light switches are becoming ‘industry standard’

New funding: Seattle startup Deako Lighting raised $12.5 million as part of a Series B round to fuel growth of… Read More

Tech Moves: Microsoft hires activist fired by Amazon; ex-Sprint CEO leaves F5 Networks board

— Maren Costa, one of two former leaders of the Amazon Employees for Climate Justice group who was fired by… Read More

Seattle-area tech exec pleads guilty in scheme to obtain and launder $5.5M in PPP loans

A Washington tech executive charged in a scheme to obtain more than $5.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans… Read More

Microsoft 365 authentication issue causes Microsoft Teams and other services to go down

Microsoft is investigating an authentication issue impacting multiple Microsoft 365 cloud services including Microsoft Teams, as well as Xbox Live.… Read More

Starbucks implements tech for blind and low-vision customers to aid in-store navigation and more

Starbucks is turning to technology to help blind and low-vision customers navigate its U.S. stores. The Seattle-based coffee giant is… Read More

Livestreaming market report: Women increase their presence on Twitch, and everyone’s playing chess

Last year was transformative for the international livestreaming scene, with Mixer bowing out, Twitch’s meteoric rise, and the continued growth… Read More

COVID-19 e-commerce report: Pandemic boosted online shopping spending by $183B

New data from Adobe puts a number on the huge pandemic-driven acceleration of e-commerce over the past year. Some key… Read More

Amazon scores 12 Oscar nominations as streaming services lead the pack during pandemic year

After a year in which most moviegoers had to avoid theaters and catch films at home, streaming services such as… Read More

NASA drone test demonstrates use case for compact radars built by Bill Gates-backed Echodyne

Recently concluded NASA tests prove that compact radars built by Echodyne will allow drones to fly autonomously in crowded airspace.… Read More

Startup advice: How and why to build a diverse engineering team

The question of what happens when you prioritize diversity, and what happens when you don’t, is at the forefront of… Read More

Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of March 7, 2021

See the technology stories that people were reading on GeekWire for the week of March 7, 2021. Read More

DefinedCrowd CEO Daniela Braga on the future of AI, training data, and women in tech

Artificial intelligence is the fourth industrial revolution and women had better play a prominent role in its development, says Daniela… Read More

Jeff Bezos says no thanks to Bernie Sanders’ request to testify on income inequality

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will not testify at a Senate Budget Committee hearing on income inequality next week — a… Read More

Microsoft and Google continue battle over online news as Brad Smith testifies on Capitol Hill

Microsoft vs. Google: The tech titans have been locked in a tense battle for the past several weeks over how online… Read More

Bezos, Gates, Ballmer see fortunes soar during COVID-19 as politicians propose new wealth taxes

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former Microsoft CEOs Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer saw their already massive fortunes soar during… Read More

JetClosing closes $11M investment round, names Seattle tech vet Anna Collins as CEO

New funding: Seattle digital home closing service JetClosing closed an $11 million Series B round. Funds and accounts advised by T.… Read More

Investors sue Washington state bitcoin mining magnate who they say bilked them for millions

Investors who bet big on Malachi Salcido, a self-described bitcoin mining magnate, now claim the Washington state man busted his… Read More

Ad Lightning raises more cash for new product that helps companies meet privacy standards

New funding: Seattle startup Ad Lightning has reeled in $344,000 of a larger round to fuel growth of a new product… Read More

Republican Senator Marco Rubio unleashes blistering attack on Amazon, says he stands with union effort and criticizes company’s ‘woke’ culture

It wasn’t a huge surprise when President Joe Biden earlier this month voiced support for Amazon warehouse workers’ unionization efforts… Read More

Smart home startup Deako raises $12.5M, says its light switches are becoming ‘industry standard’

Tech Moves: Microsoft hires activist fired by Amazon; ex-Sprint CEO leaves F5 Networks board

Seattle-area tech exec pleads guilty in scheme to obtain and launder $5.5M in PPP loans

Microsoft 365 authentication issue causes Microsoft Teams and other services to go down

Starbucks implements tech for blind and low-vision customers to aid in-store navigation and more

Livestreaming market report: Women increase their presence on Twitch, and everyone’s playing chess

COVID-19 e-commerce report: Pandemic boosted online shopping spending by $183B

Amazon scores 12 Oscar nominations as streaming services lead the pack during pandemic year

NASA drone test demonstrates use case for compact radars built by Bill Gates-backed Echodyne

Startup advice: How and why to build a diverse engineering team

Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of March 7, 2021

DefinedCrowd CEO Daniela Braga on the future of AI, training data, and women in tech

Jeff Bezos says no thanks to Bernie Sanders’ request to testify on income inequality

Microsoft and Google continue battle over online news as Brad Smith testifies on Capitol Hill

Bezos, Gates, Ballmer see fortunes soar during COVID-19 as politicians propose new wealth taxes

JetClosing closes $11M investment round, names Seattle tech vet Anna Collins as CEO

Investors sue Washington state bitcoin mining magnate who they say bilked them for millions

Ad Lightning raises more cash for new product that helps companies meet privacy standards

Republican Senator Marco Rubio unleashes blistering attack on Amazon, says he stands with union effort and criticizes company’s ‘woke’ culture

Washington state to enter Phase 3 of COVID recovery; Biden to urge vaccines for all by May 1

Register for GeekWire’s virtual roundtable: Tackling Public Policy Challenges During a Covid Economy

Wave will pay $900K to 23K customers following AG investigation over hidden fees

Tech Moves: Facebook engineering lead joins gaming unicorn Playco; Bright.md names new CEO

Fresh off blockbuster acquisition, Microsoft will add 20 Bethesda games to Xbox Game Pass

Pacific Northwest National Lab gets green light to design and build a $75M grid storage facility

Microsoft industrial designer leads Seattle team and ‘Big Dill’ in ‘BattleBots’ TV competition

Zillow to hire 2,000 employees — but they won’t all be in Seattle as distributed model takes root

Seattle-area startup Icertis now valued at $2.8 billion after fresh $80M round

Critics take aim at SpaceX’s Starlink, Amazon’s Project Kuiper and other satellite constellations

Sister-in-law founding team raises $1.6M to digitize transactions for weddings and events