GeekWire Summit 2019 – GeekWire Special Coverage

News
Speakers

Video

Why The New York Times is testing controversial tech including facial recognition and deepfakes

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 27, 2019October 26, 2019 at 4:51 pm

The New York Times of 2019 is a different animal than the daily print newspaper that defined the publication for most of its life. Today, The Times is a multimedia… Read More

Video

Video: ‘Pay equity is not a fad,’ says Syndio CEO on the way to winning GeekWire’s Elevator Pitch

by Kurt Schlosser on October 24, 2019October 26, 2019 at 4:54 pm

“The biggest thing for an early stage entrepreneur is to command people to follow you.” That bit of wisdom about what stands out in a good business pitch was… Read More

Video

It’s true: Amazon has been profitable for nearly two years, even without AWS cloud windfall

by Nat Levy on October 15, 2019October 15, 2019 at 9:19 am

Amazon has compiled a run of record profits over the last few years. There’s a perception that the highly profitable, market-leading Amazon Web Services cloud division has been the sole… Read More

‘The real magic happens in my head’: Illustrations capture and organize GeekWire Summit highlights

by Kurt Schlosser on October 13, 2019October 12, 2019 at 11:16 pm

Like most things related to technology, Guillaume Wiatr’s work and style is evolving. At the 2019 GeekWire Summit, that evolution was once again on full display as the visual strategist… Read More

Podcast

FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra on Big Tech’s antitrust reckoning, and implications for investors

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 11, 2019October 11, 2019 at 1:03 pm

The Federal Trade Commission is ramping up its investigations into Big Tech, and one of the agency’s toughest enforcers visited Amazon’s backyard to discuss the state of competition in the… Read More

How Amazon’s biggest flop paved the way for one of the company’s most important pillars

by Nat Levy on October 11, 2019October 11, 2019 at 8:45 am

A few years ago Amazon was putting the finishing touches on two important pieces of hardware that came out within just a few months of each other: The Fire Phone… Read More

Video

‘Inventions We Love’ features a sip of molecular coffee and devices designed for people — and cats

by Kurt Schlosser on October 10, 2019October 10, 2019 at 3:31 pm

On a stage where a variety of tech leaders discussed some of the most cutting-edge innovation happening in the world today, four inventors stood up to show off their own… Read More

Amazon exec Dave Limp expects Project Kuiper satellites to boost sales and cloud

by Alan Boyle on October 10, 2019October 11, 2019 at 6:16 am

Why is Amazon planning to put thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit? Part of the motivation is to expand Amazon’s footprint in online sales and cloud computing services, says… Read More

GeekWire Summit 2019 recap: Inspiration and innovation highlight our 8th annual tech conference

by Taylor Soper on October 10, 2019October 14, 2019 at 10:04 am

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… Read More

Podcast

Q&A: Jay Carney on the Trump White House, Amazon antitrust scrutiny, and working for Bezos

by Monica Nickelsburg & Todd Bishop on October 10, 2019October 12, 2019 at 10:03 am

Managing public relations for the most powerful country in the world, or one of the most powerful companies, is not a job many people would envy. It’s a field with… Read More

Fred Hutch scientist on how gold nanoparticles could bring CRISPR to the developing world

by James Thorne on October 10, 2019October 10, 2019 at 11:21 am

Genetically editing cells using CRISPR could be the answer to curing genetic disorders such as sickle cell anemia. But in order for the technology to be available for people in… Read More

Video

How ‘avatars’ could let you see the world — and your family — through telepresence

by Alan Boyle on October 10, 2019October 10, 2019 at 8:33 am

When it was time for Kevin Kajitani to put his ideas for traveling through telepresence to the test, he chose a familiar experimental subject: his son. Kajitani — the co-director… Read More

Overheard at the GeekWire Summit, day 2: Diversity, empathy, Alexa, food tech, football and more

by Kurt Schlosser on October 9, 2019October 10, 2019 at 11:31 am

Day two of the 2019 GeekWire Summit in Seattle felt like an endless string of inspiring quotes from leaders in education, the restaurant business, big tech, sports and more. Wisdom… Read More

Video

What Obama and Bezos have in common — from the man who’s called both ‘boss’

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 9, 2019October 12, 2019 at 10:04 am

The list of similarities between Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and President Barack Obama is not long. But the two leaders do have one thing in common. They both enlisted Jay… Read More

Video

Amazon considered stricter privacy settings after criticism over handling of voice recordings

by James Thorne on October 9, 2019October 9, 2019 at 2:45 pm

After it faced public backlash against the practice of using people to review voice recordings from Alexa devices, Amazon gave users increased privacy controls and came clean about how those… Read More

The future of food is mobile, plant-based, and sustainable, experts say

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 9, 2019October 10, 2019 at 12:45 pm

Technology is transforming every sector of the economy, including the supply chain that gets food to our kitchen table. It’s an industry ripe for innovation as concerns about climate change… Read More

Video

Live from the GeekWire Summit: Seahawks legend Doug Baldwin; Expedia CEO Mark Okerstrom; Amazon exec Jay Carney

by Taylor Soper on October 9, 2019October 12, 2019 at 10:05 am

Good afternoon from the GeekWire Summit in Seattle! We’re headed into the home stretch of our annual conference with an epic afternoon lineup: Seahawks legend Doug Baldwin, Amazon exec Jay… Read More

Want to build a successful organization? Embrace diversity, risk-taking and nimble thinking

by Lisa Stiffler on October 9, 2019October 10, 2019 at 10:20 am

To build successful, impactful businesses, leaders need to do more than just manage diversity goals. “We try to see diversity as something to leverage, something that we want to lean… Read More

Video

Live from the GeekWire Summit: Leaders share tips on how to build impactful organizations

by Taylor Soper on October 9, 2019October 9, 2019 at 9:05 am

Good morning from Seattle, where we’re kicking off Day 2 of our eighth annual GeekWire Summit tech conference. Watch our first session of the morning above: a panel about learning how… Read More

Universal blood test from Microsoft and Adaptive is a Google-sized data challenge

by James Thorne on October 9, 2019October 9, 2019 at 7:46 am

A novel effort from Microsoft and Adaptive Biotechnologies to diagnose multiple diseases from a single blood test is a data challenge on the scale of Google search. “Google categorized the… Read More

Geek on the Street: Who inspires you? Summit attendees point to tech leaders, family and others

by Kurt Schlosser on October 9, 2019October 9, 2019 at 1:14 pm

It was an inspiring first day at the 2019 GeekWire Summit. We heard Monday from leaders in technology, business, government, health care and more. And we heard from some of… Read More

How the WeWork saga is forcing startup investors ‘to look around the curtain’

by Taylor Soper on October 9, 2019October 8, 2019 at 9:09 pm

WeWork isn’t quite working out as some expected. The once high-flying startup canceled an IPO; forced its founder to step down; and is now reportedly laying off one-third of its… Read More

Overheard at the GeekWire Summit: Speakers talk AI, privacy, basketball, aging, unicorns and more

by Kurt Schlosser on October 8, 2019October 11, 2019 at 6:38 am

Steve Ballmer came out of his chair over his enthusiasm for new Microsoft devices. Brad Smith took a more measured, but equally determined approach, in reiterating his stance that Microsoft… Read More

Video

Too big to fail? FTC commissioner sees parallels between Big Tech and bank crisis

by Alan Boyle on October 8, 2019October 10, 2019 at 7:33 pm

During his first year and a half on the Federal Trade Commission, Rohit Chopra has built a reputation as Big Tech’s toughest critic — and today at the GeekWire Summit,… Read More

Billion-dollar startup founders share advice on how to build teams, establish values, scale, and more

by James Thorne on October 8, 2019October 8, 2019 at 6:38 pm

Manny Medina may be the head of a billion-dollar startup, but when asked what mythical creature represents the company, it’s not a unicorn — it’s the mythical flying horse Pegasus.… Read More

Video

LIVE: FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra at the GeekWire Summit

by Todd Bishop on October 8, 2019October 8, 2019 at 4:11 pm

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… Read More

Microsoft’s Brad Smith cites Boeing crisis as cautionary tale for intelligent machines, calls for AI kill switch

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 8, 2019October 9, 2019 at 1:20 pm

For decades, sci-fi movies have predicted a future in which humans lose control of intelligent machines and chaos ensues. Those apocalyptic portrayals of artificial intelligence may seem like a distant… Read More

Video

In the absence of regulation, tech companies and law enforcement are left policing themselves

by Lisa Stiffler on October 8, 2019October 8, 2019 at 12:51 pm

As surveillance technology is rapidly advancing — including facial recognition and devices such as Amazon’s Ring doorbell cameras — the ability to regulate these tools is not keeping pace, agreed… Read More

Video

Steve Ballmer on leadership lessons from the NBA; China dilemma; Microsoft’s new devices; and more

by Taylor Soper on October 8, 2019October 12, 2019 at 9:59 am

Steve Ballmer spent more than two decades at Microsoft, leading the company from 2000 to 2014 as its CEO. But some of his most important business-related lessons have come from… Read More

Video

Steve Ballmer

Co-Founder, Ballmer Group

Doug Baldwin

Former NFL Wide Receiver, Seattle Seahawks

Ana Mari Cauce

President, University of Washington

Brad Smith

President, Microsoft

Chief Carmen Best

Chief of Police, Seattle Police Department

Manny Medina

CEO, Outreach

Amy Bohutinsky

Partner, Technology Crossover Ventures

Dave Limp

SVP, Amazon Devices and Services

Jessie Woolley-Wilson

President & CEO, DreamBox Learning

Mark D. Okerstrom

President & CEO, Expedia Group, Inc.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

Representative, Washington's 7th District

Dr. Leroy E. Hood

SVP & Chief Science Officer, Providence Health Services

Eugenio Pace

Co-Founder & CEO, Auth0

Dan Lewis

Co-Founder & CEO, Convoy

Dr. Jennifer Adair

Assistant Member, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Rohit Chopra

Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission

Chad Robins

Co-Founder & CEO, Adaptive Biotechnologies

Dr. Shannon McWeeney

Professor, Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, OHSU

Luke Larson

President, Axon

Heather Redman

Co-Founder, Flying Fish Partners

Jay Carney

SVP, Global Corporate Affairs, Amazon

Christie Lagally

Founder & CEO, Rebellyous Foods

Kristine Ashcraft

CEO, YouScript

Matthew Trunnell

Vice President & Chief Data Officer, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Shyam Gollakota

Associate Professor, Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, UW

Amira Valliani

Co-Founder & CEO, Glow

Luke Timmerman

Founder & Editor, Timmerman Report

T.A. McCann

Managing Director, Pioneer Square Labs

Kyle Quinn

Senior Vice President & CTO, PACCAR Inc.

Amanda Cuda

Medical Director, 98point6

Hope Cochran

Managing Director, Madrona Venture Group

Charlene Li

Author, The Disruption Mindset

Sarah Masoni

Director, Product & Process Development, OSU Food Innovation Center

Chris Satchell

CTO, Zume

Megan Quinn

General Partner, Spark Capital

Leslie Alexandre

CEO, Life Science Washington

Corey Schmid

General Partner, Seven Peaks Ventures

Kevin Kajitani

Co-Director, Avatar Division, ANA Holdings

Lara Mangravite

President, Sage Bionetworks

Amanda Enstrom

Chief Product Officer, Amplion

Dana Settle

Co-Founder & Partner, Greycroft

Luc Delany

CEO, International Social Games Association

Kristina Hudson

Executive Director, OneRedmond; Washington Interactive Network

Alice Chen

Vice President, Accelerator Life Science Partners

Marilyn Strickland

President & CEO, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce

Nirav Shah

Co-Founder & CEO, Sentinel Healthcare

Anthony Bontrager

Managing Director, WestRiver Group

Laurel Buckner

Managing Director, WestRiver Group

Kiran Bhageshpur

Co-Founder & CEO, Igneous Systems

Tom Douglas

Founder, Tom Douglas Seattle Kitchen Restaurant Group

Marty Roberts

CEO, Wicket Labs

Andy Kleitsch

Co-Founder & CEO, Atomo Coffee

Ann Torres

SVP of Engineering & Managing Director, Synapse

Greg Newbloom

CEO, Membrion

Paul D. Mathews

Founder & President, PLAYSTUDIOS

Terry Myerson

Venture Partner, Madrona Venture Group

Derrick Morton

Co-Founder & CEO, FlowPlay

Phyllis Fletcher

Podcast Editor, American Public Media Group

Brad Gray

President & CEO, NanoString

David Payne

President, RainStream Media

Mike Nash

Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer, Lumedic

John Cuddihy

SVP & Deputy General Counsel, Scientific Games Corporation

Laura Yurdin

Principal, Laura Yurdin, LLC

Sara Vaezy

Chief Digital Strategy Officer, Providence St. Joseph Health

Benjamin Hamm

Senior Technical Product Manager, Amazon

Nir Pechuk

Co-Founder & CEO, Extentek

Steve Henn

Content Strategy Lead, News on Assistant, Google

Laurent Rotival

SVP Strategic Health Solutions & Chief Information Officer, Regence

Kirsten Morbeck

Managing Director, SpringRock Ventures

Mackenzie Andrews

Co-Founder, Nanodropper

Marc Lavallee

Executive director of the R&D team at The New York Times

Jean Gabarra

General Manager of Health AI, Microsoft Healthcare

Neil Rao

McKinsey & Company

Keith McCall

Founder & CTO, Pollen Systems