GeekWire

Blue Origin New Shepard launch in West Texas

Blue Origin flies its first crew in 21 months — and writes another page in space history

Amazon keeping corporate headcount ‘flat’ but hiring in select areas including generative AI

by Taylor Soper on April 30, 2024April 30, 2024 at 2:51 pm

Amazon wants to keep corporate headcount growth flat but is still hiring selectively in some areas of the company, including generative AI. That’s the word from Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky,… Read More

Amazon stock rises as Q1 earnings top estimates with $143.3B in revenue; AWS sales up 17%

by Taylor Soper on April 30, 2024May 1, 2024 at 10:19 am

Amazon topped estimates for its first quarter earnings, reporting $143.3 billion in revenue, up 13% year-over-year, and earnings per share of $0.98. Analysts expected Q1 revenue of $142.7 billion and… Read More

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Kerry Carter tackles CEO role at Atavus as ex-pro aims to grow adoption of football training technique

by Kurt Schlosser on April 30, 2024April 30, 2024 at 11:09 am

Kerry Carter, a former pro football player with the Seattle Seahawks and other teams, is tackling a new role as CEO at Atavus, the Seattle-based sports technology company that teaches… Read More

Get your GeekWire Awards tickets: May 9 event celebrates the best in tech and innovation

by Kurt Schlosser on April 30, 2024April 30, 2024 at 10:18 pm

The 2024 GeekWire Awards are fast approaching on May 9 in Seattle, and we’ve released a limited number of individual tickets for the big event. Join us in celebrating the… Read More

Bot or Not

AI travel planner tool from Alaska Airlines shows potential future of airfare search

As AI use surges, tech companies race to secure clean energy and preserve climate goals

AI startup’s new tool creates music for video footage without requiring text prompts

Generative AI is a dual concern for cybersecurity industry — and will drive increased labor demand

For more about the evolving relationship between humans and machines, check out Bot or Not.

Video

AI startup’s new tool creates music for video footage without requiring text prompts

by Kurt Schlosser on April 30, 2024April 29, 2024 at 3:02 pm

Another startup has added a new wrinkle to the growing ways artificial intelligence is affecting content creation — this time with a feature that analyzes video and creates music geared… Read More

News Brief

Seattle startup Rippl acquires Kinto to boost dementia care services

by Taylor Soper on April 30, 2024April 30, 2024 at 8:30 am

Rippl, a Seattle startup that supports dementia care, acquired Kinto, a Boston startup that provides coaching services to family caregivers.

Civic

Bump in the boom: Seattle growth slows as city falls out of top 10 fastest-growing big cities in U.S.

Revised minimum wage law for delivery drivers moves forward in Seattle, set for full council vote

Uber CEO says minimum wage law in Seattle has ‘hurt the people that it’s supposed to protect’

Can tech help cities plan for disasters? 7 ideas from an urban resilience hackathon

Read more about tech policy, urban development, transportation, housing, the environment, regulation, and issues impacting the innovation economy.

Capital spending soars in the cloud as Microsoft, Google, and others bet big on AI demand

by Todd Bishop on April 30, 2024April 30, 2024 at 7:56 am

Analysts, investors, and the media are suddenly focused intensely on capital expenditures by tech giants including Microsoft, Meta, Google, and others to size up the industry’s bet on the cloud… Read More

Amazon Q adds feature to create AI apps using natural language

by Todd Bishop on April 30, 2024April 30, 2024 at 2:56 pm

Amazon says it will give non-developers the ability to create apps using natural language as part of a new feature for Amazon Q, the AI assistant unveiled by Amazon Web… Read More

GeekWire Podcasts

The rise of ‘Technocapitalism’ and its impact on humanity, with economist Loretta Napoleoni

Inside the GeekWire Awards: What’s next for AI, the economy, and startups

Amazon vs. Trader Joe’s; Bill Gates still a force at Microsoft; Inside the Binance founder’s sentencing

‘The Everything War’: Inside Amazon with author and Wall Street Journal reporter Dana Mattioli

Listen to more GeekWire Podcasts.

Illustration: Portal Space Systems' Supernova satellite bus in orbit

Portal Space Systems comes out of stealth with satellites that’ll be fired up by the sun

by Alan Boyle on April 30, 2024April 30, 2024 at 6:25 am

A Seattle-area startup called Portal Space Systems is emerging from stealth to share its vision for a type of satellite that’s apparently never been put into space before: a spacecraft… Read More

Video

Tableau Public will finally get local file-saving in latest move to appeal to loyal users

by Todd Bishop on April 30, 2024April 30, 2024 at 5:53 am

Tableau will enable local file-saving for the free version of its data visualization software, no longer requiring Tableau Public users to publish their work online to the community if they… Read More

Tribal company and Oregon battery startup create unique partnership in pursuit of clean energy

by Lisa Stiffler on April 29, 2024April 29, 2024 at 2:03 pm

A startup developing long-duration batteries is teaming up with a Pacific Northwest tribe to build innovative energy storage devices. Puyallup Tribal Enterprises has signed an exclusive manufacturing deal with Portland,… Read More

This startup just raised funding to turn wood pulp into sustainable, biodegradable plastics

by Lisa Stiffler on April 29, 2024April 30, 2024 at 9:34 am

A Vancouver, B.C.-based startup making biodegradable plastics out of wood pulp has raised up to $5 million from Brazil’s Suzano Ventures, the investment arm of a manufacturing giant turning farmed… Read More

Generative AI is a dual concern for cybersecurity industry — and will drive increased labor demand

by Frank Catalano on April 29, 2024April 29, 2024 at 10:25 am

Artificial intelligence is a double-edged sword when it comes to cybersecurity — and will be a core driver of demand for new cybersecurity professionals, according to the keynote speaker at… Read More

Tech Moves: Matt Hulett steps down as PetMed Express CEO; Seattle startup Avante adds execs

by Taylor Soper on April 29, 2024April 29, 2024 at 9:57 am

Matt Hulett, a veteran of the Seattle tech and startup scene, is stepping down as CEO and president of PetMed Express, a publicly traded, Florida-based online pet pharmacy. Hulett joined the… Read More

Amazon earnings preview: Advertising and AWS expected to continue fueling profits

by Taylor Soper on April 29, 2024April 29, 2024 at 8:29 am

Amazon reports its first quarter earnings on Tuesday. Analysts will be watching for continued growth in the company’s key profit drivers: advertising and cloud computing. After dropping in price throughout… Read More

Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of April 21, 2024

by GeekWire on April 28, 2024April 28, 2024 at 8:00 am

See the technology stories that people were reading on GeekWire for the week of April 21, 2024.… Read More

Podcast

‘The Everything War’: Inside Amazon with author and Wall Street Journal reporter Dana Mattioli

by Todd Bishop on April 27, 2024April 27, 2024 at 9:27 am

This week on the GeekWire Podcast: A conversation with Dana Mattioli, Wall Street Journal reporter and author of the new book, “The Everything War: Amazon’s Ruthless Quest to Own the… Read More

AI for AP: High school students create tool that acts as tech tutor for advanced placement courses

by Kurt Schlosser on April 27, 2024April 26, 2024 at 2:46 pm

Frustrated by inadequate resources to help students study for advanced placement courses, two Seattle-area high school teens turned to technology, and put AI to work on AP. Pradyu Kandala and… Read More

News Brief

Amazon keeping corporate headcount ‘flat’ but hiring in select areas including generative AI

Amazon stock rises as Q1 earnings top estimates with $143.3B in revenue; AWS sales up 17%

Latest GeekWire Videos

Kerry Carter tackles CEO role at Atavus as ex-pro aims to grow adoption of football training technique

Get your GeekWire Awards tickets: May 9 event celebrates the best in tech and innovation

Bot or Not

AI startup’s new tool creates music for video footage without requiring text prompts

Seattle startup Rippl acquires Kinto to boost dementia care services

Civic

Capital spending soars in the cloud as Microsoft, Google, and others bet big on AI demand

Amazon Q adds feature to create AI apps using natural language

GeekWire Podcasts

Portal Space Systems comes out of stealth with satellites that’ll be fired up by the sun

Tableau Public will finally get local file-saving in latest move to appeal to loyal users

Tribal company and Oregon battery startup create unique partnership in pursuit of clean energy

This startup just raised funding to turn wood pulp into sustainable, biodegradable plastics

Generative AI is a dual concern for cybersecurity industry — and will drive increased labor demand

Tech Moves: Matt Hulett steps down as PetMed Express CEO; Seattle startup Avante adds execs

Amazon earnings preview: Advertising and AWS expected to continue fueling profits

Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of April 21, 2024

‘The Everything War’: Inside Amazon with author and Wall Street Journal reporter Dana Mattioli

AI for AP: High school students create tool that acts as tech tutor for advanced placement courses

Seattle mayor joins tech leaders on Homeland Security’s new AI safety and security board

Report: Amazon will stream NBA games in latest major sports deal for tech giant

Founders with unique backgrounds unite over climate concerns and launch new venture fund

Tech Moves: Seattle tech vet Dave Parker named CEO of Entrepreneurs’ Organization

Sued by FTC, bill payment company Doxo disputes ‘unjust’ allegations of deceptive billing

What’s the real story of Xbox in 2024? Latest financials from Microsoft offer mixed signals

ZeroAvia opens manufacturing facility in Washington, will start selling clean aviation parts

Haunted by breaches, Microsoft is ‘putting security above all else,’ vows CEO Satya Nadella

Seattle startup Dropzone AI raises $16.8M to develop autonomous agents for cybersecurity

Microsoft beats expectations as quarterly profits rise 20% to nearly $22B

Intrepid Oregon Fund launches with $4M from the state to invest in climate and tech startups

The UW’s Institute for Protein Design keeps boosting startups, fueling AI-powered science