Articles from 2026

Podcast

From the dot-com boom to AI security: F5 at 30, with CEO François Locoh-Donou

F5 has remade itself in every era of computing — from the early web to the cloud — and at 30 it’s doing it again. CEO François Locoh-Donou joins the GeekWire Podcast to discuss the company’s evolution and its latest initiative: a platform for AI security. Read More

Blue Moon Mark 2 lander on lunar surface with astronauts and with crescent Earth in sky above

NASA backs dozens of projects on the space frontier, including some with Northwest connections

Space agency selects 37 companies as partners to develop technologies that will support moon bases and Mars exploration. Read More

Geek on the Street in Seattle: ‘SF beats us because they invest off of vibes’

Seattle’s startup scene has the talent and the capabilities. What it’s short on is a culture of risk-taking and the… Read More

Drone vs. shoplifter: Watch how Redmond PD tracks an alleged thief from high in the sky

A shoplifting call this week at a Target store in Redmond, Wash., prompted a response as part of that city’s Drone as First Responder program. Read More

After hiring AWS exec and raising $107M seed round, Virginia startup plants flag in Seattle area

Virginia-based AI startup Trase is expanding its presence in the Seattle region, with plans to grow from about 20 employees… Read More

F5 expands further into AI security with SurePath AI acquisition

F5 is buying SurePath AI, a Denver startup that helps companies find the AI tools their own employees are using, and folding it into a growing lineup of AI security products. CEO François Locoh-Donou explained the strategy on this weekend’s GeekWire Podcast.
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UW grad’s startup idea comes into focus with a digital marketplace for photographers

Sky Yang is the founder of SnapMatePhoto, a Seattle-based digital marketplace connecting customers with photographers for graduation portraits, weddings, maternity shoots, and more. Read More

Amperity hit with layoffs as AI changes the shape of the customer data startup and how it operates

The company, which employs more than 200 globally, did not specify how may jobs were cut, only that “a number of talented people are leaving.” Read More

Short-form science: University of Washington researchers launch PaperTok to combat AI slop

A University of Washington team is helping scientists tell their own stories with a free tool that converts dense, jargon-heavy publications into short, accessible videos. Read More

Filing: Sony cuts 292 jobs at Bungie in Bellevue following end of ‘Destiny 2’ development

Bungie, the Bellevue, Wash.-based creator of the Halo and Destiny video game franchises, was hit by new round of layoffs Wednesday as the Sony-owned studio undergoes a reorganization following the end of development on its long-running online shooter Destiny 2. Read More

GeekWire 200 update: New unicorns and a hardware surge remake our list of top Pacific NW startups

The latest GeekWire 200, our quarterly ranking of the top Pacific Northwest startups, reflects a shift toward companies building physical products — rockets, fusion reactors, robots and space-based data centers. Starcloud was the biggest mover, two new unicorns joined the list, and Helion held the No. 1 spot. Read More

Amazon and Microsoft join new nonprofit’s push to help American workers navigate the AI economy

RAISE US aims to partner with governors, employers, and training organizations to retrain and redeploy workers displaced or affected by AI, with a goal of raising $1 billion in multi-year commitments — more than half of which has already been secured. Read More

Seahawks partner with Accenture to revamp team’s tech capabilities and boost fan engagement

The deal pairs one of the world’s largest technology consulting firms with the NFL’s reigning Super Bowl champions, with Accenture bringing data and AI capabilities to bear on the franchise’s business operations and fan engagement. Read More

magic: the gathering arena wizards of the coast

‘Magic: The Gathering – Arena’ development team announces it’s successfully unionized

The developers for a video game based on Magic: The Gathering announced on Tuesday that they’ve successfully unionized, following a petition filed with the US National Labor Relations Board. Read More

Glenn Kelman’s next gig: Former Redfin CEO joins venture firm Greylock as executive in residence

Real estate industry icon Glenn Kelman has found his next home — professionally, anyway. The longtime Redfin CEO, who stepped… Read More

Transcript: Here’s what Bill Gates told lawmakers in his recent Epstein testimony

The U.S. House Oversight Committee on Tuesday released the transcript of a closed-door interview in which Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates answered lawmakers’ questions, under oath, about his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Read More

Syndio bets on agentic AI with first acquisition in Seattle pay equity startup’s history

Syndio announced Tuesday that it acquired Embrace.ai, an agentic AI startup whose founders and technology will help Syndio build out its AI-powered compensation platform. Read More

General Fusion announces first steps to deploying its clean energy in Italy as tech uncertainty remains

British Columbia-based General Fusion is charging ahead with its goal of commercializing fusion energy, creating a roadmap for a deployment in Italy, hitting new temperature goals and pursuing an IPO through a SPAC. The progress continues despite setbacks in recent years that include layoffs, a public plea for funding and ongoing uncertainty about the viability of its technology. Read More

‘Digit’ maker Agility Robotics to go public in $2.5B deal — here’s what the filings say about its finances

Salem, Ore.-based Agility Robotics, whose two-legged Digit robots have been tested inside Amazon warehouses, is set to become the first publicly traded U.S. company dedicated solely to humanoid robots, beating its Silicon Valley and East Coast rivals to Wall Street. Read More

Microsoft says its data centers use 90% less water than its earliest facilities as public concern grows

Microsoft cuts data center water intensity by 90% and hits a major replenishment milestone as tech giants face growing public backlash over resource consumption. Read More

Moment of ‘Zen’: Another billionaire’s superyacht turns heads in Seattle

“Zen,” a $200 million, 289-foot yacht reportedly owned by Chinese billionaire Wu Guangming, motored smoothly through the Ballard Locks and out to Puget Sound, drawing onlookers along the railings of the popular Seattle destination. Read More

Seattle-area young entrepreneurs capture third-straight win in global TiE startup pitch contest

A team of Seattle-area high school students won the 2026 TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) Global Pitch Competition earlier this month, notching a three-peat for the TYE Seattle chapter. Read More

Lime rides World Cup fever in Seattle to single-day trip record during USA vs. Australia match

Seahawks legend Marshawn Lynch was among the riders who helped Lime set a new single-day ridership record in Seattle, with 83,000 trips recorded on shared bikes and scooters. Read More

Microsoft’s next big thing for the cloud: an agent that keeps its cool when everything falls apart

Microsoft is promising relief to engineers who get woken up at 3 a.m. for outages and other cloud glitches: an… Read More

Tech Moves: Microsoft names exec; Remitly CPO/CTO departs; AWS veteran to head Synthesia in Seattle

Microsoft names chief digital safety officer; Remitly’s chief product and technology officer departs; and an AWS leader joins Synthesia to oversee its new Seattle office. Read More

This 3-foot-tall robot wants to be your kid’s classroom buddy and your mom’s new friend

Mind Children Robotics, a Seattle-area startup co-founded by AGI researcher Ben Goertzel, is building Codey — a child-sized social robot priced under $10,000 and aimed at classrooms, hospitals and senior care. The company plans its first pilots in South Korea. Read More