Articles by Monica Nickelsburg

Monica Nickelsburg is GeekWire’s Civic Editor, covering technology-driven solutions to urban challenges and the intersection of tech and politics. Before joining GeekWire, she worked for The Week, Forbes, and NBC. Monica holds a BA in journalism and history from New York University. Follow her @mnickelsburg

Jeff Bezos wants to curb climate change via $10B fund — but is money his most powerful tool?

Bernie Sanders takes on the ‘billionaire class’ at rally near Seattle, home to Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates
Judge blocks Microsoft from working on Pentagon’s $10B JEDI contract pending Amazon’s lawsuit
We voted with a smartphone in a Seattle-area election, and this is what we discovered

Latest from Monica Nickelsburg

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Lime scooters are returning to Microsoft’s hometown

Podcast

GeekWire Podcast: Bezos fields criticism despite $10B climate pledge; Seattle braces for The Big One; and more

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 22, 2020February 22, 2020 at 8:24 am1 Comment

Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast. PBS’s Frontline profiled the Amazon empire and painted a complicated picture of unrelenting ambition. Frontline spent a year examining… Read More

Source raises $2.5 million to expand its platform for commercial design nationwide

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 21, 2020February 21, 2020 at 11:07 amComment

A Portland, Ore., startup that develops online tools for architects and designers just closed a $2.5 million fundraising round to take its platform national. Source, which rebranded from Krowdsourced, has… Read More

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Report: Amazon will pull products from third-party sellers that claim to treat coronavirus

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Microsoft launches entrepreneurship program to support startups tackling societal challenges

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House lawmakers question Ring about partnerships with police

Jeff Bezos wants to curb climate change via $10B fund — but is money his most powerful tool?

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 19, 2020February 19, 2020 at 1:44 pm 6 Comments

Jeff Bezos’ surprise pledge this week to donate $10 billion of his personal fortune to non-profits fighting climate change is one of the largest single philanthropic gifts in recent memory.… Read More

Video

Axon rolls out police body cameras with live-streaming capability

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 18, 2020February 19, 2020 at 12:52 pmComment

Police officers equipped with Axon’s next-generation body camera will be able to automatically live-stream shooting incidents using technology similar to the Amazon Echo smart speaker. Like smart speakers, the devices… Read More

Video

Bernie Sanders takes on the ‘billionaire class’ at rally near Seattle, home to Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 17, 2020February 17, 2020 at 10:18 pm 4 Comments

Inside an arena 30 miles south of Seattle — and in the backyard of Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates — Sen. Bernie Sanders told supporters what he thinks of the… Read More

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New York won’t appeal court’s approval of T-Mobile merger with Sprint

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Washington state data privacy bill passes in Senate

Judge blocks Microsoft from working on Pentagon’s $10B JEDI contract pending Amazon’s lawsuit

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 13, 2020February 13, 2020 at 1:15 pm 4 Comments

A federal judge has paused work on a hotly contested cloud contract that the Defense Department awarded to Microsoft in November. The decision issued Thursday is a victory for Amazon,… Read More

GeekWire Awards: Vote for the top funding deal amid a record 2019 for Pacific NW startups

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 13, 2020February 13, 2020 at 11:34 amComment

Pacific Northwest entrepreneurs have long complained about the challenges of securing funding compared to nearby Silicon Valley, where venture capital flows more freely. But the finalists in our Deal of… Read More

Video

Zillow launches tool to help Seattleites exiting homelessness find affordable housing

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 13, 2020February 14, 2020 at 10:09 amComment

Zillow Group launched a new tool Thursday to help people experiencing homelessness in Seattle connect with affordable housing options. The tool is hosted on Zillow’s website and allows landlords with… Read More

Seattle’s socialist City Councilmember introduces new ‘Amazon tax’ to raise $300M/year for affordable public housing

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 12, 2020February 12, 2020 at 12:04 pm 10 Comments

Amazon’s tax bill has become a lightning rod in a nationwide debate over economic inequity and Seattle is on the front lines. An ambitious new proposal by Seattle City Councilmember… Read More

News Brief

Video: Amazon PR chief Jay Carney on deposing Trump, worker conditions and political flak

We voted with a smartphone in a Seattle-area election, and this is what we discovered

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 11, 2020February 11, 2020 at 10:35 am 7 Comments

Mobile voting is fast, convenient, and vulnerable. Those were my takeaways testing out the mobile voting pilot available to all voters in the greater Seattle region Tuesday. More than 1.2… Read More

Senators Sanders, Warren and others demand Amazon overhaul ‘profit-at-all costs culture’

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 10, 2020February 10, 2020 at 4:41 pm 2 Comments

More than a dozen high-profile U.S. Senators are urging Amazon to change its workplace culture and implement new safety measures at its warehouses across the country. Senators Elizabeth Warren and… Read More

Can Amazon really depose Trump? Explaining the tech giant’s rare legal move in $10B cloud dispute

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 10, 2020February 10, 2020 at 2:52 pm 3 Comments

The relentless ambition that brought customers same-day delivery and a new category of home speakers apparently extends to Amazon’s legal strategy. The Seattle tech giant prides itself in being a… Read More

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Washington state’s attempt at data privacy regulation passes key milestone

Amazon asks to depose Trump in lawsuit challenging Pentagon’s award of major cloud contract to Microsoft

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 10, 2020February 13, 2020 at 11:52 am 6 Comments

Amazon is asking a federal judge for permission to depose President Donald Trump and Defense Department officials to prove bias and personal animus led the Pentagon to award a lucrative… Read More

Video

Officials in Seattle and Washington state clash over business tax to address homelessness crisis

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 8, 2020February 8, 2020 at 9:06 am1 Comment

Officials in Seattle and Washington state are wrestling over a proposed tax on companies like Amazon and Microsoft that would raise millions to address the homelessness crisis gripping the region.… Read More

Car-sharing is back in Seattle — kind of: Envoy launches new electric service at residential buildings

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 7, 2020February 6, 2020 at 8:51 pmComment

Seattle was once a pioneer for car-sharing, home to car2go, BMW ReachNow, and LimePods. But each of those companies shut down their free-floating car-sharing services in the city, leaving it… Read More

Yes, Virginia, there is an Amazon HQ2, but it’s actually 10 miles outside of Seattle

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 6, 2020February 7, 2020 at 5:18 am1 Comment

When Amazon coined the term “HQ2” and announced plans to open a second North American headquarters, the company promised it would be the “full equal” to its Seattle home base,… Read More

Rad Power Bikes raises $25M from Vulcan, others in rare VC bet on e-bike industry

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 5, 2020February 5, 2020 at 11:53 amComment

Seattle electric bicycle maker Rad Power Bikes announced a $25 million investment round Wednesday, led by Vulcan Capital and Durable Capital Partners LP. It’s the second major fundraising round for… Read More

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Articles by Monica Nickelsburg

Top Stories from Monica Nickelsburg

Jeff Bezos wants to curb climate change via $10B fund — but is money his most powerful tool?

Latest from Monica Nickelsburg

Lime scooters are returning to Microsoft’s hometown

GeekWire Podcast: Bezos fields criticism despite $10B climate pledge; Seattle braces for The Big One; and more

Source raises $2.5 million to expand its platform for commercial design nationwide

Report: Amazon will pull products from third-party sellers that claim to treat coronavirus

Microsoft launches entrepreneurship program to support startups tackling societal challenges

House lawmakers question Ring about partnerships with police

Jeff Bezos wants to curb climate change via $10B fund — but is money his most powerful tool?

Axon rolls out police body cameras with live-streaming capability

Bernie Sanders takes on the ‘billionaire class’ at rally near Seattle, home to Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates

New York won’t appeal court’s approval of T-Mobile merger with Sprint

Washington state data privacy bill passes in Senate

GeekWire Awards: Vote for the top funding deal amid a record 2019 for Pacific NW startups

Zillow launches tool to help Seattleites exiting homelessness find affordable housing

Seattle’s socialist City Councilmember introduces new ‘Amazon tax’ to raise $300M/year for affordable public housing

Video: Amazon PR chief Jay Carney on deposing Trump, worker conditions and political flak

We voted with a smartphone in a Seattle-area election, and this is what we discovered

Senators Sanders, Warren and others demand Amazon overhaul ‘profit-at-all costs culture’

Washington state’s attempt at data privacy regulation passes key milestone

Officials in Seattle and Washington state clash over business tax to address homelessness crisis

Yes, Virginia, there is an Amazon HQ2, but it’s actually 10 miles outside of Seattle

Rad Power Bikes raises $25M from Vulcan, others in rare VC bet on e-bike industry

Gates Foundation pledges $100M to fight novel coronavirus

Transparent Systems exits stealth mode with $22M in funding for blockchain-enabled instant payments

Amazon and Microsoft back proposed business tax in breakthrough for fight against homelessness

What caused the Iowa app debacle, and why election tech leaders say it won’t happen in Seattle

How to Get Better Jobs as a Software Engineer

AoA Workshop – How Startup Valuation Works

The Beauty of Data Science