Articles about Brad Smith

Archives to avatars: Famed historian is moved by Microsoft’s AI-powered Theodore Roosevelt at new library

With the opening of the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, N.D., earlier this month, visitors can interact with a lifelike, AI-powered avatar of Roosevelt and ask questions about his life, leadership and legacy. Read More

Microsoft cuts 4,800 jobs, about 2% globally, revamps salesforce and launches massive Xbox overhaul

Microsoft is cutting 4,800 jobs and overhauling its Xbox gaming business in what its new gaming CEO calls the biggest restructuring in Xbox history, while reshaping its sales and consulting division amid record AI spending and a 30% stock slide. Read More

Steamboats to software: Microsoft’s Brad Smith mines America’s founding for tech insights

Microsoft is releasing a six-part video series, hosted by President Brad Smith, that uses moments in American history — beginning with patents in Philadelphia and privacy in Boston — to reflect on technology and innovation questions facing the country as it turns 250. Read More

Gov. Bob Ferguson taps Amazon, Microsoft and others as concerns over Washington economy grow

The group includes leaders from technology, aerospace, organized labor, higher education, tribal governments, ports and economic development organizations who will advise the governor on policies aimed at strengthening Washington’s economy. Read More

Microsoft’s Brad Smith: Graduates jeering AI are ‘telling us what we need to hear’

Microsoft President Brad Smith, in a new blog post and a GeekWire interview, argues that AI will reshape work rather than eliminate it, and says the company’s own future depends on people staying employed. He acknowledges the tension with the tech industry’s job cuts while contending that fields like computer science are changing, not disappearing. Read More

‘Strong, strong no’: New filing reveals who Microsoft favored — and opposed — for OpenAI’s board

Newly unredacted documents from the Musk v. Altman trial reveal the names Microsoft executives vetoed, endorsed, and suggested for OpenAI’s board during the November 2023 crisis around Sam Altman’s ouster as CEO. Read More

Musk v. Altman: Satya Nadella was worried about Microsoft being ‘the next IBM’ in OpenAI deal

Satya Nadella testified for roughly two and a half hours in the Musk v. Altman trial in Oakland, revealing internal emails in which he worried about Microsoft’s dependence on OpenAI, and new details about his input regarding OpenAI’s board after the Altman firing. Read More

Podcast

Riding the rails — over a floating bridge: GeekWire Podcast takes the train across the lake to Microsoft

The GeekWire Podcast rides on Sound Transit’s 2 Line, taking the world’s first light rail on a floating bridge from Seattle to Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, joined by special guests. Read More

Donations meet disruption: Nonprofits navigate the AI era with mix of enthusiasm and anxiety

At Microsoft’s global nonprofit summit, 1,500 groups tackled the AI paradox: bridging the gap between tech potential and the high costs of real-world deployment. Read More

Microsoft’s brief in Anthropic case shows new alliance and willingness to challenge Trump administration

Microsoft filed a friend-of-the-court brief in Anthropic’s lawsuit against the Department of War, urging a judge to block the Pentagon’s supply chain risk designation. The move reflects the companies’ growing alliance and Microsoft’s history of taking on Washington, D.C. Read More

Microsoft and Amazon, together on housing: Tech giants find common ground in push for policy changes

Microsoft and Amazon are rivals in the cloud, but on the same page when it comes to Washington’s housing crisis — literally, in the case of a joint op-ed and full-page ad in The Seattle Times. Read More

Podcast

Microsoft’s private OpenAI emails, Satya’s new AI catchphrase, and the rise of physical AI startups

This week on the GeekWire Podcast: Newly unsealed court documents reveal the behind-the-scenes history of Microsoft and OpenAI, including a surprise: Amazon Web Services was the Silicon Valley AI lab’s original partner. We tell the story behind the story, explaining how it came to light. Read More

The Microsoft-OpenAI Files: Internal documents reveal the realities of AI’s defining alliance

Internal emails, texts, slide decks, and deposition testimony show how Microsoft went from being sidelined at OpenAI’s founding to wielding decisive influence over the AI lab that launched the generative AI era — and how that power is now being tested as OpenAI emerges as a platform company with leverage of its own. Read More

Podcast

Amazon fixes Alexa ordering bug, Microsoft rethinks AI data centers, and cameras capture every fan

Amazon fixes an Alexa voice-ordering bug after a listener spotted a misleading comment on the GeekWire Podcast. We dig into the limits of voice commerce, Microsoft’s new “community first” approach to AI data centers, and what it says about growing backlash over power and water use. Read More

Microsoft responds to AI data center revolt, vowing to cover full power costs and reject local tax breaks

The tech giant’s new “community first” initiative includes pledges to pay full power costs, reject local tax breaks, and replenish more water than it uses — a response to growing backlash against AI infrastructure expansion. Read More

Microsoft shareholders invoke Orwell and Copilot as Nadella cites ‘generational moment’

Microsoft’s shareholder meeting Friday morning highlighted a sharp divide: executives promoting a “planet-scale” AI future while investors voiced concerns about censorship, bias, privacy, and geopolitical entanglements. All six outside shareholder proposals — focused largely on AI risks — were voted down based on early results, Read More

The ‘enormous barrier’ that threatens economic growth in the Pacific Northwest

Leaders in the Pacific Northwest are largely bullish on the region’s continued economic success — but one threat to the region’s fiscal progress worries them in particular. Read More

Microsoft’s Brad Smith makes nuanced AI pitch: Huge potential, real concerns, and a Jon Stewart clip

Microsoft’s Brad Smith addressed the crowd at the Cascadia Innovation Corridor’s annual summit, pitching AI’s potential benefits while acknowledging the hype. Read More

Microsoft to provide free Copilot tools for Washington state schools amid debate over AI’s role in learning

Microsoft Elevate Washington is a sweeping new initiative that will provide free access to AI-powered software and training for all 295 public school districts and 34 community and technical colleges across Washington state. Read More

Microsoft cuts off Israeli military’s access to tech that was reportedly used in Palestinian surveillance

The move by the Redmond, Wash.-based tech giant is in response to an Aug. 6 report by The Guardian, which revealed how Microsoft Azure was being used to store and process millions of Palestinian civilian phone calls made each day in Gaza and the West Bank. Read More

Brad Smith

Archives to avatars: Famed historian is moved by Microsoft’s AI-powered Theodore Roosevelt at new library

Microsoft cuts 4,800 jobs, about 2% globally, revamps salesforce and launches massive Xbox overhaul

Steamboats to software: Microsoft’s Brad Smith mines America’s founding for tech insights

Gov. Bob Ferguson taps Amazon, Microsoft and others as concerns over Washington economy grow

Microsoft’s Brad Smith: Graduates jeering AI are ‘telling us what we need to hear’

‘Strong, strong no’: New filing reveals who Microsoft favored — and opposed — for OpenAI’s board

Musk v. Altman: Satya Nadella was worried about Microsoft being ‘the next IBM’ in OpenAI deal

Riding the rails — over a floating bridge: GeekWire Podcast takes the train across the lake to Microsoft

Donations meet disruption: Nonprofits navigate the AI era with mix of enthusiasm and anxiety

Microsoft’s brief in Anthropic case shows new alliance and willingness to challenge Trump administration

Microsoft and Amazon, together on housing: Tech giants find common ground in push for policy changes

Microsoft’s private OpenAI emails, Satya’s new AI catchphrase, and the rise of physical AI startups

The Microsoft-OpenAI Files: Internal documents reveal the realities of AI’s defining alliance

Amazon fixes Alexa ordering bug, Microsoft rethinks AI data centers, and cameras capture every fan

Microsoft responds to AI data center revolt, vowing to cover full power costs and reject local tax breaks

The ‘enormous barrier’ that threatens economic growth in the Pacific Northwest

Microsoft’s Brad Smith makes nuanced AI pitch: Huge potential, real concerns, and a Jon Stewart clip

Microsoft to provide free Copilot tools for Washington state schools amid debate over AI’s role in learning

Microsoft cuts off Israeli military’s access to tech that was reportedly used in Palestinian surveillance

Microsoft president calls on businesses and nonprofits to fight back against new taxes

Microsoft President Brad Smith reclaims his office to address infiltration, protests, Israel contracts

Protesters occupy Microsoft president’s office at Redmond HQ in latest action over Israel contracts

In new memo, Microsoft CEO addresses ‘enigma’ of layoffs amid record profits and AI investments

Bill Neukom, 1941-2025: Microsoft’s top lawyer led company through key milestones and battles

Microsoft President Brad Smith on AI investments, job cuts, and the uncertain future of work

As AI reshapes its workforce, Microsoft commits $4 billion to help others adapt