GeekWire Summit: Oct. 8 Bank of America Stage

Thanks to video and slides sponsor Killer Visual Strategies for making this content accessible to all 2019 GeekWire Summit attendees.

What happens here, matters everywhere.

That’s one of GeekWire’s founding principles as a technology news website — that the innovation-related work in the Seattle region impacts the world — and it certainly rang true at the GeekWire Summit on October 7-9, 2019. See all the coverage from our eighth annual conference here. Below are videos from all the sessions on October 8 at the Bank of America Main Stage.

Fireside Chat: Steve Ballmer, Co-Founder, Ballmer Group

Steve Ballmer and the LA Clippers made headlines this summer with one of the biggest deals in NBA free agent history, but the philanthropist and former Microsoft CEO isn’t content with merely trying to build a championship basketball team. As the founder of USAFacts, the non-partisan, non-profit civic data initiative, he’s on a mission to ground the national conversation in a common understanding of the numbers and trends behind some of the most important and divisive issues facing the country and the world. And in his spare time, he’s working on an augmented reality viewing experience that aims to change the way we watch sports. We kicked off the 2019 GeekWire Summit by catching up with one of the biggest personalities in sports, business and technology. Moderated by GeekWire editor Todd Bishop. Video here.

Panel: Security or Surveillance state? How Tech is Transforming Privacy and Law Enforcement

Facial recognition. Body cameras. Home surveillance networks. Technology is transforming law enforcement with uneven results. Innovations that make some Americans feel safer threaten others’ privacy. Meanwhile, technology itself runs the risk of amplifying human biases that beset police. A panel of experts from the public and private sectors discuss how technology is transforming law enforcement and what it means for the future.

Featuring Carmen Best, Chief of Seattle Police Department; Luke Larson, President of Axon; and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who represents Washington’s 7th Congressional District; Moderated by GeekWire Civic Editor Monica Nickelsburg. Video link here.

The Audio Revolution: Podcasting and the Future of Media

The way we consume media is rapidly changing, sparked by an audio revolution of smart speakers, podcasts, voice computing and new streaming innovations. We are at the dawn of this tectonic shift in media, one which is ushering in new storytelling formats and voices. Fifty one percent of Americans listened to a podcast in 2019, up from just nine percent in 2008, and the growth doesn’t appear to be slowing down. In this panel, we explore what’s next in terms of content production, distribution and unique business models, hearing from innovative entrepreneurs and storytellers who are at the forefront of this revolution.

Featuring Amira Valliani, CEO, Glow; Phyllis Fletcher, Podcast Editor, American Public Media; David Payne, President, RainStream Media and Steve Henn, the former tech correspondent for Planet Money who now leads content strategy at Google. Moderated by GeekWire editor Todd Bishop. Video link here.

Power Talk: Leroy Hood, SVP and Chief Science Officer, Providence St. Joseph Health

The development of diverse biological technologies, participation in the human genome project, pioneering systems biology (a holistic approach to biological complexity) and the realization that healthcare should be predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory have framed Dr. Hood’s view of 21st century medicine. Dr. Hood discusses how making billions of measurements on individuals provides insights to optimize wellness and avoid disease. The longitudinal data clouds generated for each individual have provided striking new insights into human biology and disease. Dr. Hood discusses how 21st century medicine will change your healthcare and potentially extend your productive lifespan. Video link here.

Fireside Chat: Brad Smith, President, Microsoft

Antitrust investigations, privacy issues, and a cloud of government scrutiny? Brad Smith has been dealing with this stuff since before Facebook and Google were born. Microsoft’s president helped the company pull itself out of its own regulatory and legal challenges more than a decade ago. In the years since, he has emerged as a “de facto ambassador” of the tech industry. He’s one of the key leaders guiding Microsoft’s approach in areas including AI privacy and the often difficult intersection of technology and public policy. He’s the author of the new book, Tools & Weapons, the Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age, with Carol Anne Brown, and in this conversation we explore the future of tech from Smith’s unique vantage point on the industry and the world. Moderated by GeekWire editor Todd Bishop. Video link here.

Panel: The VC View: Streaming Media. IoT. FinTech. Machine Learning. Find out what’s hot in the startup world from leading venture capitalists

One of the best ways to understand the technology landscape is to see where top investors are placing their bets, and how they’re looking at the future. Venture capitalists Amy Bohutinsky of Technology Crossover Ventures, Megan Quinn of Spark Capital; Hope Cochran of Madrona Venture Group and Dana Settle of Greycroft, provide insights into areas such as AI, fintech, the cloud and the Internet of Things; financial terms for founders, valuations in the private and public markets IPOs and direct offerings; and the new era of technology ethics and social impact. Video link here.

Panel: Meet the Unicorns

What does it take to build a startup into a billion-dollar venture, and perhaps more importantly, what do you do once you have? In this session, we hear from leaders of companies that have reached that coveted unicorn status — getting their unvarnished perspectives on the state of the private capital markets, the disconnect with public markets, startup valuations, the battle for talent, and the future of technology and innovation in the Seattle region and beyond.

Eugenio Pace, CEO, Auth0; Manny Medina, CEO, Outreach; Dan Lewis, CEO, Convoy. Moderated by GeekWire co-founder John Cook. Video link here.

Power Talk: Marc Lavallee, Executive Director R&D, The New York Times

Our society is going through massive transformations in the ways we create and consume media, in large part due to the expanding role of technology in our lives. The New York Times reports on these trends and developments, but we also evaluate ways emerging technologies can be adopted for our own use, in the service of our journalism and storytelling. The Times’s Research & Development team, embedded in our newsroom, plays a role in that journey by scanning for problems that might be solved with new tools and technologies, and finding ways to experiment in the news cycle. In this talk, Mr. Lavallee describes how this works (spoiler alert: it’s messy) and shares lessons learned along the way that could be applied to any fast-paced environment. Video link here. Slides here.

Fireside Chat: Federal Trade Commissioner Rohit Chopra

In the year and change that Rohit Chopra has served on the Federal Trade Commission, he’s quickly emerged as one of Big Tech’s biggest skeptics. He frequently breaks ranks with his colleagues on the FTC, calling for steeper penalties and broader antitrust enforcement against tech companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Google. Chopra discusses how tech giants ascended to the position of power they occupy today and what can be done to rein in the industry during this fireside chat. Moderated by GeekWire Civic Editor Monica Nickelsburg. Video link here.