Articles from 2025

Blue Origin New Glenn rocket rises from pad, as seen from above

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket launches twin probes on trip to Mars — and scores a booster touchdown

The trouble-free launch of NASA’s Escapade probes, plus today’s first-ever recovery of a New Glenn booster, bolstered Blue Origin’s status as a worthy competitor for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has come to dominate the space industry. Read More

Former startup CFO convicted of wire fraud for moving $35M in company funds to crypto side business

The former chief financial officer of onetime Seattle e-commerce startup Fabric has been convicted of four counts of wire fraud… Read More

Seattle’s long history of hardware heartbreak: Big raises, high hopes, hard landings

Seattle’s consumer-hardware ambitions are once again colliding with economic reality. The struggles of Glowforge and Rad Power Bikes echo a long regional history of big raises, high hopes, and hard landings — shaped by the pandemic, venture capital, and the unforgiving nature of building real products. Read More

Analysis: Valve’s new Steam Hardware projects are a potential challenge to Microsoft and Meta

In the wake of the success of the Steam Deck, a portable gaming PC aimed at a casual audience, it… Read More

Cisco to acquire Seattle-area AI startup NeuralFabric, expanding push into enterprise generative AI

Cisco is acquiring NeuralFabric, a Seattle-area AI startup founded by former Microsoft engineers that builds back-end software for companies to develop and deploy their own generative AI models. The deal strengthens Cisco’s push into enterprise AI; terms weren’t disclosed. Read More

‘Project Kuiper’ no more: Amazon renames satellite internet venture ‘Leo’ on path to commercial debut

Amazon rebrands its effort to expand global access to high-speed internet: Project Kuiper will now be known as Amazon Leo Read More

Inside Microsoft’s new ‘Experience Center One’: What we learned at the edge of the AI frontier

In the glowing demo rooms of Microsoft’s new Experience Center One, the company is making a high-stakes pitch for the potential of AI agents — attempting to get businesses on board with its vision of the future. Read More

Allen Institute taps AWS, Google to spur ‘aha moments’ in neuroscience with new brain research platform

Seattle’s Allen Institute has released the Brain Knowledge Platform, a research aid described as the most comprehensive AI tool available for neuroscience. Read More

Redfin partners with Sierra on new AI-powered conversational search for homebuyers

The real estate brokerage site Redfin released a conversational chatbot for home buyers, fueling more engagement and tour requests. Read More

Steve Ballmer’s philanthropy pledges around $1 billion for early education in Washington state

The Ballmer Group Philanthropy has pledged roughly $1 billion over the next decade to significantly increase preschool access for low-income families in Washington. Read More

Uncommon Thinkers: Tin Can is Chet Kittleson’s calling, and a way to foster deeper connections

The co-founder and CEO of the Seattle startup has a “viral” hit on his hands as he throws an analog landline to parents looking for a way to help their kids avoid screens and social media. Read More

Valve surprises with 3 new hardware devices in a full-circle moment for gaming giant

Planned for release in early 2026, the devices are described as new parts of the “Steam Hardware family.” Read More

What is an AI ‘superfactory’? Microsoft unveils new approach to building and linking data centers

Microsoft unveiled its first AI “superfactory,” linking data centers in Wisconsin and Atlanta through a high-speed fiber network. It will use hundreds of thousands of Nvidia GPUs to train and run advanced AI models for key Microsoft partners such as OpenAI, and for Microsoft’s own internal models. Read More

Disrupting focus groups: Seattle AI startup BluePill raises $6M to help brands simulate consumer behavior

Founded earlier this year, BluePill helps marketers test ideas, products, and ads in minutes using artificial intelligence instead of traditional focus groups. Read More

Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Ventures awards $250M to women’s health organizations worldwide

Melinda French Gates today announced the recipients of her $250 million open call for organizations worldwide addressing women’s physical and mental health. Read More

Whole Foods goes mini: Inside the new ‘Daily Shop’ grocery store near Amazon HQ2

On a recent trip out to Washington D.C., we visited Whole Foods’ Daily Shop store that just opened in Arlington, Va. It’s a new concept — a smaller, urban-focused version of the traditional Whole Foods grocery store. Read More

Seattle entrepreneur Stefan Kalb launches Super Labs to help mid-market businesses tap into AI

Kalb said the idea for Super Labs emerged after he kept getting calls from people who run “non-tech businesses” and wanted to figure out how to implement AI. Read More

Why the prime minister of this European nation sees Amazon as a partner, not a problem

Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden visited Seattle this week, offering a glimpse into how his country — Amazon’s European headquarters — manages its relationship with the tech giant. In an interview with GeekWire, he called Amazon “a strategic partner,” reflecting a markedly different approach than Seattle’s own. Read More

Helion’s next big bet is fusion power manufacturing at scale – but tech uncertainty remains

Helion Energy is simultaneously proving out its technology, constructing its first commercial plant, and building manufacturing for future facilities. Read More

Bezos-backed real estate startup Arrived raises $27M to help fuel new ‘stock market’ for rental properties

Arrived lets people buy fractional shares of single-family rental homes and vacation rentals for as little as $100. It’s pitched as an alternative way to gain exposure to real estate without taking on a full mortgage or managing a property. Read More

Rad Power Bikes faces possible shutdown as it tries to survive ‘significant financial challenges’

A potential closure, detailed in a required state filing, would spell the end of the company and mark a stunning collapse for Rad Power Bikes, which was once Seattle’s highest-profile consumer hardware startup, riding pandemic-era e-bike demand to unicorn status. Read More

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket launches twin probes on trip to Mars — and scores a booster touchdown

Former startup CFO convicted of wire fraud for moving $35M in company funds to crypto side business

Seattle’s long history of hardware heartbreak: Big raises, high hopes, hard landings

Analysis: Valve’s new Steam Hardware projects are a potential challenge to Microsoft and Meta

Cisco to acquire Seattle-area AI startup NeuralFabric, expanding push into enterprise generative AI

‘Project Kuiper’ no more: Amazon renames satellite internet venture ‘Leo’ on path to commercial debut

Allen Institute taps AWS, Google to spur ‘aha moments’ in neuroscience with new brain research platform

Redfin partners with Sierra on new AI-powered conversational search for homebuyers

Steve Ballmer’s philanthropy pledges around $1 billion for early education in Washington state

Uncommon Thinkers: Tin Can is Chet Kittleson’s calling, and a way to foster deeper connections

Valve surprises with 3 new hardware devices in a full-circle moment for gaming giant

Disrupting focus groups: Seattle AI startup BluePill raises $6M to help brands simulate consumer behavior

Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Ventures awards $250M to women’s health organizations worldwide

Whole Foods goes mini: Inside the new ‘Daily Shop’ grocery store near Amazon HQ2

Seattle entrepreneur Stefan Kalb launches Super Labs to help mid-market businesses tap into AI

Why the prime minister of this European nation sees Amazon as a partner, not a problem

Helion’s next big bet is fusion power manufacturing at scale – but tech uncertainty remains

Bezos-backed real estate startup Arrived raises $27M to help fuel new ‘stock market’ for rental properties

Rad Power Bikes faces possible shutdown as it tries to survive ‘significant financial challenges’

Cadence to acquire Seattle startup ChipStack to boost chip design automation

Satellite communication company Kymeta names new CEO as it ramps up defense operations

Vancouver, B.C.-based legal tech company Clio hits $5B valuation after acquiring vLex

Amazon Music adds ‘Fan Groups’ to allow listeners to discover, share and chat in dedicated communities

Amazon expands low-cost ‘Haul’ service and launches shopping event as tariffs squeeze Chinese rivals

Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Nov. 2, 2025

Ring founder Jamie Siminoff on failure, reinvention, and his second act at Amazon

Seattle entrepreneur shares startup lessons from her experience making an indie film

Expedia watching government shutdown ‘very closely’ as shares surge after Q3 earnings top estimates