Articles from 2026

Former Avalara exec leads new Seattle-area startup inspired by Washington’s estate tax

The idea for Legata grew out of frustration with Washington’s estate tax and how little many families understand about the risk to their assets if they don’t plan. Read More

Don’t take success for granted: Seattle Chamber CEO Joe Nguyen on tech’s evolving storyline

GeekWire caught up with Nguyen to discuss his new role with the chamber; the state of Seattle’s economy; and competition in the age of AI. Read More

Temporal raises $300M, hits $5B valuation as Seattle-area infrastructure startup rides AI wave

The latest round, led by Andreessen Horowitz, doubles the company’s valuation from October and reflects surging demand for infrastructure that keeps AI running reliably in production as agentic systems move from pilot projects to mission-critical deployments. Read More

GeekWire’s AI summit to feature key leaders from Amazon, Microsoft, and more, on March 24 in Seattle

GeekWire announces the first wave of speakers for its Agents of Transformation summit on March 24 in Seattle, including leaders from AWS, Microsoft, Outreach, and AI startup Vercept. Read More

Seattle startup Certivo raises $4M to automate supply chain compliance with AI

Certivo, which spun out of PSL in 2024, positions itself as an “AI-native compliance automation” company. Read More

Zillow teams up with ‘World of Warcraft’ to exhibit virtual homes inside popular game

A new microsite, “Zillow for Warcraft,” allows users to explore an assortment of designs for in-game housing. Read More

Proposed income tax on high earners advances in Washington state

The so-called “millionaires tax,” which would create a 9.9% tax on income that exceeds $1 million, has drawn opposition from some tech leaders and entrepreneurs. Read More

‘We’re experimenting aggressively’: How Expedia sees AI reshaping travel — and its own business

Expedia is responding to the AI era by making sure it’s testing new ways to reach travelers — and also using it aggressively inside its own business. Read More

Spokane startup Blaze Barrier heats up with new funding for quick-deploy wildfire defense system

Blaze Barrier was born out of founder and CEO Jacob Schuler’s desire to give firefighters and homeowners a quick-acting tool to fight wildfires beyond digging suppression lines by hand. Read More

Washington state has embraced data centers – but now it’s looking to set terms of engagement

Washington’s House on Saturday approved a slate of rules for data centers around energy costs and transparency. The measure now goes to the Senate for consideration. Read More

Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Feb. 8, 2026

See the technology stories that people were reading on GeekWire for the week of Feb. 8, 2026. Read More

Podcast

GeekWire Podcast in Fremont: Seahawks, AI, and Seattle’s future

We took the GeekWire Podcast on the road for a live show at Fremont Brewing, presented by the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, with conversation about the Seahawks’ future, the long-term direction of Seattle tech, the evolution of AI, and more. Read More

Tech Moves: Smartsheet CTO departs; Overland AI taps legal lead; Zillow, Comcast promote execs

Smartsheet’s CTO has stepped down while Overland AI names its head of legal, plus leadership changes at Zillow, Comcast and Alaska Airlines. Read More

Washington nonprofit supporting global development tech and philanthropy to shutter after 16 years

Global Washington announced it’s closing after 16 years of supporting philanthropy, technology, businesses and academics working in global development. Read More

Ring cancels Flock partnership amid broader surveillance concerns

Ring has canceled its planned partnership with Flock Safety, the license-plate-recognition company, citing integration challenges, amid growing scrutiny of the role of home security cameras in surveillance and law enforcement. Read More

RFK Jr. calls Carbon Robotics’ laser weed zapper the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ in herbicide fight

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called out AI powered technology from the Seattle ag-tech startup, whose founder and CEO appreciated the attention. Read More

Report: Bill Gates-backed Breakthrough Energy is not pursuing additional funds for a key initiative

Bill Gates-backed Breakthrough Energy, headquartered in Seattle, is not currently pursuing additional capital for Catalyst, its initiative that funds ready-to-scale… Read More

Podcast

Cleveland’s mayor, Seattle’s future: A conversation about what happens when a city’s economy shifts

GeekWire brought Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and Seattle tech veteran Charles Fitzgerald together on the phone Thursday after a guest column warning Seattle not to repeat Cleveland’s past mistakes sparked a big response — including from Bibb himself. What followed was a constructive conversation about what cities should do when the ground shifts beneath them. Read More

Former Avalara exec leads new Seattle-area startup inspired by Washington’s estate tax

Don’t take success for granted: Seattle Chamber CEO Joe Nguyen on tech’s evolving storyline

Temporal raises $300M, hits $5B valuation as Seattle-area infrastructure startup rides AI wave

GeekWire’s AI summit to feature key leaders from Amazon, Microsoft, and more, on March 24 in Seattle

Seattle startup Certivo raises $4M to automate supply chain compliance with AI

Zillow teams up with ‘World of Warcraft’ to exhibit virtual homes inside popular game

Proposed income tax on high earners advances in Washington state

‘We’re experimenting aggressively’: How Expedia sees AI reshaping travel — and its own business

Spokane startup Blaze Barrier heats up with new funding for quick-deploy wildfire defense system

Washington state has embraced data centers – but now it’s looking to set terms of engagement

Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Feb. 8, 2026

GeekWire Podcast in Fremont: Seahawks, AI, and Seattle’s future

Tech Moves: Smartsheet CTO departs; Overland AI taps legal lead; Zillow, Comcast promote execs

Washington nonprofit supporting global development tech and philanthropy to shutter after 16 years

Ring cancels Flock partnership amid broader surveillance concerns

RFK Jr. calls Carbon Robotics’ laser weed zapper the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ in herbicide fight

Report: Bill Gates-backed Breakthrough Energy is not pursuing additional funds for a key initiative

Cleveland’s mayor, Seattle’s future: A conversation about what happens when a city’s economy shifts

‘I’m tired of that narrative’: Seattle VC pushes back on tech exodus talk

Startup Radar: Meet Seattle founders building software for coding agents, music tech, video editing, and more

Helion reaches record 150 million degrees Celsius as it strives for ambitious commercial fusion launch

Expedia quarterly revenue climbs 11% to $3.55B; shares fall 3%

Opinion: Here’s what’s missing from the tax debate in Washington state

Highspot merging with rival Seismic in major sales software deal

Q&A: Bellevue’s new mayor wants to move at the speed of innovation in growing AI hub

This Seattle startup wants to turn AI prompts into shareable software

Microsoft closes its Visitor Center in Redmond in latest HQ change

Pacific Science Center sells real estate to help fund upgrades and an innovation-focused star attraction

Seattle gaming startup Ironwood Studios raises $4 million for its next project

Cleveland mayor responds to GeekWire guest column, calls Ohio city a ‘case study of what’s possible’