GeekWire Summit 2017 videos and slides
Thanks to everyone who helped make the sixth annual GeekWire Summit on October 9 – 11 our best event yet. We heard from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on how he’s transforming the company; saw demos of some of the most exciting new inventions coming out of the Pacific Northwest; and learned how universal design can help people with disabilities fully participate in life.
Scroll down for videos and slide decks from the fireside chats, panels, and power talk sessions from the event. You can see all of our coverage from this year’s GeekWire Summit here, as well as our Day 1 recap here.
Fireside Chat: Kevin Johnson, CEO of Starbucks
Speaking on stage at the GeekWire Summit, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson reveals how the company is bucking the trend of declining brick-and-mortar retail. Watch him detail Starbucks’ philosophy on tying together a physical store experience with digital innovation. Plus, Johnson explains how a battle with cancer inspired him to join Starbucks. Video link here.
Immigrant’s Journey: Leslie Feinzaig, CEO, Venture Kits
Entrepreneur Leslie Feinzaig shares a powerful journey, covering multiple continents and generations, as the first speaker in our Immigrant’s Journey series. The inspirational story starts with a family fleeing persecution from Nazis in search of a better life for their children and ends with her ongoing pursuit of U.S. citizenship. Video link here; slides here.
Power Talk: Dr. Missy Cummings, Director, Humans and Autonomy Lab at Duke University
Dr. Mary “Missy” Cummings, Director of the Humans and Autonomy Laboratory at Duke University discusses the limitations on the technology behind driverless cars as well as some of her flight stories. Keep watching after she wraps up her power talk for an amazing response to an audience question on whether the former U.S. Navy fighter pilot had ever been inverted with a Russian MiG. Video link here; slides here.
Geeks Give Back
We kicked off our annual Geeks Give Back program in partnership with Bank of America on stage at the GeekWire Summit Tuesday. The drive raises funds for the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS), helping women, minorities, and underprivileged youth get access to quality STEM education in Washington state. Video link here; donations accepted here.
Sponsored Fireside Chat: Chloe Harford VP of Product at OfferUp
How does someone go from studying volcanoes on remote islands to running product at a fast-growing Seattle startup? OfferUp Vice President of Product Chloe Harford discusses her unusual career trajectory and tips for making an impact in the hard-charging technology industry. In this fireside chat during the morning break, Harford speaks with OfferUp Vice President of Employee Experience Deb Nielsen. Video link here.
Fireside Chat: Dr. Gary Gilliland, President, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Dr. Gary Gilliland, president and director of Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, explains that fighting cancer isn’t just about leveraging drugs and genetics, but also usingwearable devices, health-savvy chatbots, and machine learning. He lays out Fred Hutch’s roadmap for the future and more in this fireside chat. Video here.
Fireside Chat: Apoorva Mehta, CEO, Instacart
The grocery and delivery markets are rapidly changing, and Instacart founder and CEO Apoorva Mehta — a former supply chain engineer at Amazon — has seen it all. Find out why his former employer’s massive deal to buy Whole Foods is a “blessing in disguise” for Instacart and more surprising insights on the changing face of grocery shopping in this video.
Sponsored Lunch Talk: Arif Kareem, CEO of ExtraHop
Moderated by GeekWire co-founder John Cook, ExtraHop CEO Arif Kareem speaks about building a great IT systems company by exploring how new market opportunities, customer influence, people, and community contribute to a company’s ultimate success. Video link here.
Fireside Chat: Bob Ferguson, Washington State Attorney General
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson became the central face in the battle against President Donald Trump’s travel ban earlier this year. In this revealing fireside chat, he talks about his competitive streak, political ambitions, and why he “pleads guilty” of having an ax to grind against the president. Video link here.
GeekChoir: Surf On Me
After years of people mishearing “GeekWire” as “GeekChoir” and the same mistake occurring in poorly transcribed voicemails, we decided it was time to face the music — and have a little fun! Lyrics by GeekWire’s Clare McGrane and Frank Catalano. The GeekChoir is largely made up of singers from the Seattle Peace Chorus. Video link here.
Power Talk: Christof Koch, President, Allen Institute for Brain Science
Dr. Christof Koch argues that studying the brain should be a “matter of great urgency,” whether you believe that AI will lead to a work-free paradise or a Terminator-style nightmare during his power talk. Koch’s take? We need to re-engineer our own brains to stand up to our artificially intelligent creations. Video link here; slides here.
GeekChoir: If I Had Alexa
Returning to the GeekWire Summit stage, GeekChoir’s encore provides a musical introduction for a fireside chat with Toni Reid, VP of Alexa Experience + Echo Devices at Amazon. Lyrics by GeekWire’s Clare McGrane and Frank Catalano. The GeekChoir is largely made up of singers from the Seattle Peace Chorus. Video link here.
Fireside Chat: Toni Reid, VP Alexa Experience + Echo Devices
Longtime Amazon exec Toni Reid, the woman behind the voice of Amazon’s Alexa as the head of the company’s Alexa and Echo Devices group, talks about overcoming doubters and taking an early lead in the voice-activated speaker market. Video link here.
Immigrant’s Journey: Citlaly Ramirez, WSOS Scholar
Brad Smith, Microsoft president and Washington State Opportunity Scholarship board chairman, is an outspoken supporter of immigrants and “Dreamers” allowed to learn and work in the country under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals act. So it was fitting when he introduced Citlaly Ramirez, a WSOS scholar who spoke about being a Dreamer and her journey as an immigrant in this first-of-its-kind GeekWire Summit series. Video link here.
Panel: The VC View
A panel of venture capitalists featuring Canvas Ventures’ Rebecca Lynn, Pioneer Square Labs’ Julie Sandler, and Benchmark Capital’s Sarah Tavel share the emerging technologies they are most (and least) bullish about. Bloomberg TV’s Emily Chang moderates this wide-ranging discussion that covers everything from the likelihood of cryptocurrency taking off to gender parity in the workplace. Video link here.
Fireside Chat: Jeff Wilke, CEO Worldwide Consumer, Amazon
Jeff Wilke, CEO of worldwide consumer at Amazon, discusses the blockbuster Whole Foods acquisition, the company’s surprise announcement that it will open a second North American headquarters outside its hometown, and the perks of Amazon Prime. Video link here.
Inventions We Love, Day 1
Pillsy, JikoPower and SafKan pitch geeky gadgets to attendees during one of our favorite segments of the GeekWire Summit: Inventions We Love. Watch the video below to find out which innovation was the audience favorite.
Panel: Diversity & Inclusion
Day 2 kicked off with one of the most important topics discussed at the GeekWire Summit. Zillow Group COO Amy Bohutinsky led a timely panel providing actionable lessons and advice on how organizations can authentically create more diverse and inclusive workplaces. Video link here.
Fireside Chat: Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has brought something of a renaissance to the company. On stage at the GeekWire Summit, he talks about emerging technology trends, leadership, cricket, personal challenges and in an inspiring turn, poetry. Watch the video below for insights from the man who is reshaping Microsoft’s culture; slides here.
Power Talk: Margaret O’Mara, Professor of History, University of Washington
Professor Margaret O’Mara, an urban history expert at the University of Washington, explains why technology hasn’t gotten its due in textbooks — and why that’s changing. Watch the video for insights on the shifting dynamics between urbanites and the tech titans they share their cities with. Video link here; slides here.
Immigrant’s Journey: Reetu Gupta, CEO of Cirkled In
Indian-born Reetu Gupta, CEO of Cirkled In, shares the inspiring story of her path to the Seattle region and entrepreneurship. Watch to the end for a surprise appearance from Gupta’s daughter. Video link here; slides here.
Power Talk: Todd Stabelfeldt, CEO, C4 Database Management
In pursuit of independence, CEO and founder of C4 Database Management Todd Stabelfeldt, a.k.a. “The Quadfather” makes the case for universal design as a way to level the playing field for everyone, regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. In this funny, tender, and inspiring talk, Stabelfeldt shows how technology allows him to fully participate in life. Video link here; slides here.
Fireside Chat: John Collison, Co-founder, Stripe
Stripe co-founder and president John Collison, the youngest self-made tech billionaire on the planet, speaks with Axios Chief Technology Correspondent Ina Fried. The fireside chat covers how Collison and his brother are shaking up online and mobile payments. Video link here.
Fireside Chat: Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, Founder of theBoardlist and Spencer Rascoff, CEO, Zillow Group
Sukhinder Singh Cassidy calls BS on tech industry leaders who avoid hiring female candidates because they don’t want to “lower the bar” during an on-stage interview with Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff. Watch the video to find out why it doesn’t matter that neither Singh Cassidy nor Rascoff have ever had jobs in tech that they were qualified for on-paper.
Inventions We Love, Day 2
Inventions We Love is a session so nice we do it twice. On Day 2 of the GeekWire Summit, Deako, OpenAPS and Play Impossible took the stage to pitch their geeky gadgets. Watch the video for demos of each product and an intense competition between GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook.
A surprise GeekWire announcement: GeekWire HQ2
We’re excited to announce your favorite technology news site — born amid stunning Mt. Rainier vistas and splendid Yakima hops-fueled double IPAs — is looking to expand its news operation to a new North American city (preferably one with good BBQ, interesting gossip mongers and a thriving tech scene).
GeekWire is searching for a temporary second headquarters where our journalists will discover new stories and meet new people in the next great North American tech city. The RFP is available here and we’re now inviting cities to submit their proposals here.
Panel: Tech, media and the future of the truth
Technology is fueling a massive shakeup in the way news and information is distributed. From fabricated news stories to social media echo chambers, it can feel like the nature of truth itself is under assault. Vinny Green of Snopes, Jevin West of the University of Washington, and Ina Fried of Axios offer some hope that a combination of dogged fact checking, media literacy, and technological innovation could improve incentives to produce quality, trustworthy content in an era of misinformation. Video link here.