GeekWire

The pandemic had a seismic impact on in-person meetings and events, requiring organizers and attendees to adjust to a whole new reality. The aftermath could prove even trickier, creating a hybrid audience, with some people attending virtually and others in the flesh.  That's one takeaway from our conversation with Allie Magyar, the CEO of Hubb, a Vancouver, Wash.-based company that makes technology for virtual and in-person events. A veteran of the events industry, Magyar has run some of the world's biggest tech conferences, including Microsoft's Ignite, for which she was the lead planner.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon's agreement to acquire MGM for $8.45 billion has all the makings of a great script, combining a Hollywood icon with an Internet powerhouse. But will this unlikely pairing be a giant blockbuster or a massive flop? Joining us to assess the situation on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast is Sam Blake, a reporter who covers entertainment and media for dot.LA, the technology news site for Southern California. Here's how he put the news in perspective in his coverage this week: "Ninety-six years after Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Pictures merged to form MGM Studios, the Hollywood mainstay best known for its roaring lion mascot is set to join a trillion-dollar business empire best known for selling household items over the internet." MGM would provide Amazon with more than 4,000 films and 17,000 TV shows that have collectively won more than 180 Academy Awards and 100 Emmys. The film library includes the James Bond and Rocky franchises, as well as television shows such as “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Fargo,” and reality shows such as “Shark Tank” and “Survivor.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2021 virtual GeekWire Awards were held this week, recognizing the top companies, innovators, entrepreneurs and technologies in the Pacific Northwest, as nominated and chosen by the GeekWire community — along with  celebrity cameos. On this special episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we’re featuring highlights from a behind-the-scenes conversation with former Docker and Concur CEO Steve Singh, managing director of Madrona Venture Group, which was hosted for finalists in advance of the awards by GeekWire co-founder John Cook.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pandemic upended education in extraordinary ways, and shed new light on the social, economic and racial disparities in schools and communities across the country. But how can teachers, students, parents, schools and the system as a whole apply lessons learned from the past 18 months to ultimately end up in a better place? On this special episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we look ahead with a group of remarkable educators who focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) from different perspectives. They are our STEM Educators of the Year for 2021, presented by DreamBox Learning, as part of our upcoming 2021 GeekWire Awards celebration: Lauren Bricker, a former Lakeside School teacher now on the faculty of the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington. Cathi Rodgveller, CEO and founder of IGNITE Worldwide, which works with school districts to promote STEM education and career advancement for girls and non-binary youth. Kim Williams, science department head, science club faculty advisor at Cougar Mountain Middle School. Joining GeekWire's John Cook to guide the discussion is Jessie Woolley-Wilson, CEO of DreamBox Learning and a former GeekWire Awards CEO of the Year honoree.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reports of the death of coastal cities are greatly overblown. At least that’s the view of renowned urbanist and author Richard Florida who spoke earlier this week with GeekWire contributing editor Monica Nickelsburg about the future of cities as part of the annual Crosscut Festival. “I am just amazed at the amount of gloom and doom pessimism,” said Florida, adding that any out-of-city migration appears to be temporary and is really only happening with small subsets of people. “Net-net, it doesn’t look like we’ve had a great urban exodus.” That’s just one of the fascinating observations from Florida, author of the Rise of the Creative Class and a professor at University of Toronto’s School of Cities and Rotman School of Management. In the interview, Florida talks about the impact of falling birth rates on cities; why Miami appears ready to emerge as a significant tech hub; and how central business districts will need to change to embrace a post-pandemic world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's show is a special presentation of GeekWire's newest podcast, Day 2, about everything Amazon, analyzing the company's record quarterly results and looking ahead to what's next. To hear more episodes, subscribe to Day 2 in any podcast app. Year-over-year quarterly growth of 44% would be significant for any company, but when the numbers were already this big, it starts to qualify as astonishing. Amazon's sales of $108.5 billion in the first quarter compared with $75.5 billion a year earlier, setting a new record for the Seattle-based e-commerce giant and providing a glimpse of its strong position as the world emerges from the pandemic. Amazon is easing its spending on COVID-19 initiatives, but consumers' online purchasing habits appear to have permanently changed. The result: its profits more than tripled, to $8.1 billion, from $2.5 billion a year earlier. The impact of that structural shift on Amazon's bottom line is the big takeaway from its first-quarter results, released Thursday afternoon. We break down the quarter on this episode of Day 2, GeekWire's podcast about everything Amazon, with GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook, and former third-party seller Jason Boyce, co-author of "The Amazon Jungle" and founder and CEO of e-commerce agency Avenue7Media. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week: Washington state is poised to make a significant change in how its citizens gain access to the internet. Gov. Jay Inslee has indicated he’ll sign two pieces of legislation that, for the first time, will allow municipalities to set up their own direct-to-consumer broadband services. We discuss why this is a big deal and how it might work in one county. Washington state legislators appear to be on track to pass a new capital gains tax for the state that would be collected on large sales of stocks, among other holdings. But tech industry leaders warn it might harm the startup scene. What's behind the move and who might it help ... and who might it hurt? Amazon weighed in on a proposed European super league of soccer and said it didn’t like the idea. Did Amazon’s opposition help scuttle the plan? With GeekWire’s John Cook and Mike Lewis. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's one of the hottest topics in tech, but despite broad agreement about the importance of online privacy, the United States has yet to pass comprehensive, modern, federal legislation that addresses the issue. U.S. Rep Suzan DelBene, a Democrat from Washington state, wants to change that. "Technology has created incredible new opportunities, but our laws have not kept up," she says. "So it is incumbent on Congress to make sure that our laws keep up, that we protect people's rights in our changing world, and privacy is a important place to start." DelBene is seeking to address the issue with a new attempt to pass federal privacy legislation, the Information Transparency and Personal Data Control Act. It comes as more states propose and pass their own privacy laws. DelBene warns that this emerging "patchwork" of state laws threatens to deepen the country’s privacy predicament, creating confusing for consumers and businesses, and diminishing the influence of the country on the issue by presenting a divided front on the international stage.  A former Microsoft executive and startup leader, DelBene joins us to discuss the issue on on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast. Read one-page summary of the bill here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we're presenting a special episode of Day 2, our new podcast about Amazon. Subscribe to Day 2 in any podcast app and see geekwire.com/day2 for show notes and more episodes. In a public defeat for organized labor, a sizable majority of Amazon warehouse employees voted against unionization in Bessemer, Ala. in an election overseen by federal authorities Friday. But the process put a harsh spotlight on labor practices in the tech giant's fulfillment centers, and the company's anti-union tactics. In the larger scheme of things, was this really a win for Amazon? On this episode GeekWire reporter Mike Lewis and e-commerce consultant Jason Boyce talk with Margaret O’Mara, a historian, author and University of Washington professor who specializes in the history of tech and politics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Veteran tech executive Scott Moore, CEO of Seattle startup AdLightning, joins GeekWire's John Cook and Mike Lewis to discuss the challenges facing downtown Seattle after the pandemic. AdLightning left its headquarters in the Gibraltar building last March and exited the lease in August. The company is currently working remote, and Moore says he’s committed to getting another office at some point. But when he does, Moore says, the office won’t be in downtown Seattle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Seattle area was already experiencing a massive homelessness, mental health and economic disparity crisis prior to COVID-19 hitting. The pandemic simply exacerbated the issues. But even though the region has been knocked to its knees, several Washington state leaders hold out hope that lessons learned from the pandemic and racial justice reckoning of the past 12 months can lead to a more connected, vibrant and inclusive community. It's going to take every ounce of strength and will to drive the change, but it can happen, they say. Listen to why they are hopeful in this special episode of the GeekWire podcast, drawn from GeekWire's new Civic Conversations event which took place Thursday afternoon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Check out the premiere episode of Day 2, GeekWire's new podcast about Amazon. To hear future episodes, be sure sure to subscribe to Day 2 from GeekWire wherever you listen. What happens when Amazon makes its own, cheaper version of a product another company painstakingly developed? On the debut episode of Day 2, "Amazon Jungle" author Jason Boyce and GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop speak Peter Dering of Peak Design, whose company issued a savagely funny video mocking Amazon for knocking off its popular camera bag. As you'll hear, Dering's take on the issue is much more evolved and pragmatic than a sound bite on a news segment might suggest. Read more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we reached out to entrepreneur and angel investor Spencer Rascoff on Tuesday with notes about appearing on the GeekWire podcast — an appearance that was scheduled several weeks ago — we mentioned possible discussion topics around SPACs, real estate trends and any other big tech news events of the week. And then we made the age-old journalistic error, pointing out that it had been a "pretty slow news week so far, but I am sure something will pop in the next day or two that might make life interesting." Indeed it did. But we had no idea that this week's big news would actually involve the former Zillow CEO. On Thursday, Rascoff — operating through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) known as Supernova — announced the acquisition of Offerpad, a 6-year-old real estate company that, like Zillow, is moving fast to transform the way people buy and sell homes. The deal, which values Offerpad at $3 billion, is fascinating on so many levels with interesting subplots. Obviously, we had a lot to talk about with Rascoff when he joined the show Thursday afternoon, discussing the inner workings of the Offerpad deal, dissecting SPAC mania and learning why the longtime entrepreneur took issue with parts of our original story. We also heard about a number of Rascoff's side hustle entrepreneurial projects, including a stealthy new social network he's building with his 15-year-old daughter and a fast-growing startup called Pacaso that's bringing a fractional ownership model to vacation homes.   Known for an intense working pace, Rascoff also provides hacks on how to better manage your day-to-day work life — hint, he swears by 15-minute meetings and heavy use of Slack. And he offers a few tips for home buyers in this red-hot real estate market. The Los Angeles resident even shares why he calls his venture capital groups 75 & Sunny — yes it harkens back to the many dark and rainy days he spent in Seattle.  Ex-Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff leads SPAC deal to acquire Offerpad, a rival to his former employer Ex-Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff jumps back into real estate, launches startup with former colleagues to help people buy second homesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we're presenting a new episode of the GeekWire podcast 2025: Tomorrow, Today featuring a discussion with Julie Sandler of Pioneer Square Labs. It's one in a series of conversations with technology investors on the 2025 podcast. Find more episodes at geekwire.com/2025podcast. We'll be back next week with our regular weekly show.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're sharing this special episode of the GeekWire Health Tech podcast featuring our interview with Walter Isaacson about his new book, "The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race." Hear more episodes of GeekWire's Health Tech Podcast at geekwire.com/healthtech. Read more: ‘The Code Breaker’ author Walter Isaacson on the genetic revolution, regional hubs and ethical linesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Sunday, March 7, will mark 10 years since GeekWire’s launch. Looking back, we couldn’t have picked a better decade as GeekWire’s first, given our focus on Seattle and Pacific Northwest innovation. This was the moment that Seattle tech came into its own. We’ve covered the rise of the cloud, Amazon’s boom, Microsoft’s rebirth, the arrival of Silicon Valley engineering centers, disputes, mergers, IPOs, and the emergence of thousands of startups. And in the past year, we’ve covered Seattle as a center of the scientific and philanthropic response to a world-changing pandemic. What happens here matters everywhere. This has become our mantra. We’ve worked hard, with a great team, and we’ve survived our share of challenges and struggles. But the reason GeekWire is still standing as a profitable media venture is this community, and all of you as readers, sources, listeners, members, sponsors, and supporters. Thank you. GeekWire has been fortunate to get to tell the world about this place for the past 10 years, and we're still at it. We can’t wait to see (and report!) what happens next. Read more in this post. GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when Amazon becomes an integral part of a community? And what does the outcome say about the tech giant's larger impact on the world? This week we explore the double-edged sword of the company's rapidly expanding fulfillment and distribution network, through the lens of its large footprint in Southern California's Inland Empire. We also consider the future of its workforce in the buildup to a pivotal union vote in Alabama, and growing wave of robotics and automation. Our guest is journalist Erika Hayasaki, whose piece, “Amazon’s Great Labor Awakening", in the Feb. 21 issue of the New York Times Magazine, explores the impact of the pandemic and Amazon’s unprecedented growth on its workforce through the lens of the place where she lives, Hayasaki is a freelance writer based in Southern California who teaches in the Literary Journalism Program at the University of California, Irvine  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the show: Amazon vs. Shopify, and what the Seattle tech giant's acquisition of e-commerce startup Selz says about its larger ambitions in retail. Our guest commentator is Jason Boyce, founder & CEO, Avenue7Media, and the co-author of The Amazon Jungle: The Seller’s Survival Guide for Thriving on the World’s Most Perilous E-Commerce Marketplace. Hosted by Todd Bishop; edited by Curt Milton; theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than 25 years after Bill Gates’ first book, The Road Ahead, foretold the impact of personal computers and digital technology on our lives, the Microsoft co-founder is back with his third book, this time with a warning and a call to action for the world.  In “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster," due out Tuesday, Gates presents an ambitious but achievable plan for saving the planet, including scientific and technological breakthroughs, and unprecedented efforts on a global scale.  On this special episode of the GeekWire Podcast, Gates speaks with GeekWire reporter Lisa Stiffler about the book, his reasons for focusing on the climate, and even the potential for collaborating with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on the issue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Jan. 6 breach and riot at the U.S. Capitol, and the larger effort to overturn the results of the election, have brought new attention to the larger need for political reform -- fixing the bugs in the system of democracy, to use a metaphor offered by Jon DeVaan, the former Microsoft engineering leader. DeVaan has become deeply involved in the political reform movement since retiring from Microsoft in 2013 after 36 years at the company. He's on the board of Represent Us, a bipartisan organization seeking to end corruption in politics. In recent weeks, he has served as an informal ombudsman, of sorts, to Microsoft as the company navigated a controversy over its political donations before announcing last week that it would not donate during the 2022 election cycle to members of Congress and other political leaders who who supported efforts to overturn the election. DeVaan joins GeekWire's John Cook and Todd Bishop as the guest on this week's GeekWire Podcast, discussing the events of the past month, the path forward for political reform, and the role that tech companies and other businesses can play in the movement. Below, he shares recommended books, articles and other resources that have informed his understanding of the issues. Jon DeVaan: It was my pleasure to speak with Todd and John about democracy reform in the podcast. I mentioned many references that are interesting to anyone who wants to learn more and get involved in the movement. I list those along with others I think are great primers on democracy reform. Important Articles The first is a study done at Princeton about how citizens have nearly zero impact on public policy. The second is a Harvard Business School analysis of the “Political Industry” and its bad effect on economic competitiveness: The Economist’s ranking of democracy (the USA’s democracy rating has been falling for over a decade): Democracy Index 2020 - Economist Intelligence Unit (eiu.com) Important Books Dark Money by Jane Mayer – This book outlines the political dynamics that birthed the modern conservative movement and the money strategy that bankrolled it. How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt: Why everyone should be afraid of where the USA is right now. Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy by Daniel Ziblatt: Why reform of the GOP is urgently needed (or a new center right party) Also article: Why Conservative Parties Are Central to Democracy - The Atlantic Also podcast: Opinion | An Appalled Republican Considers the Future of the G.O.P. - The New York Times (nytimes.com) On Democracy by Robert A Dahl – This is an academic book but is the best explanation of what democracy is (really self-government in various forms) and why it is the best form of government known so far. This is my philosophical bible on what makes good democracy reform. Movies – Not all of us have time to read books! Dark Money (not related to the book): A deep dive into money’s corrupting influence Slay the Dragon: Why gerrymandering is bad and how to fight it. Eastpointe: How ranked choice voting helps create better representation. National groups: RepresentUs: Champions local and state laws that make the political system work for regular people Unite America: Champions local and state laws emphasizing independent and reform minded political leaders FairVote: Champions ranked choice voting nationwide IssueOne: Champions democracy reforms in Congress ProtectDemocracy: Champions accountability and prevention of presidential power Leadership Now Project: Building a coalition of businesses to champion reform Groups in WA: Fair Vote WA: Championing ranked choice voting in WA Fix Democracy First: Champions a host of reforms The Sightline Institute: An excellent research group working on democracy reforms and other social issues Twitter – Follow these people and groups to gain perspective Charlotte Hill  Lee Drutman Trevor Potter  Marc E. Elias Heather Cox Richardson Teri Kanefield Brennan Center  Evan McMullin  Vote At Home Institute See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How will Amazon maintain its culture as it approaches 1.3 million employees and prepares for its founder Jeff Bezos to step down as CEO? One answer is the set of processes and principles that the company has put into place, the "Invention Machine," created by Bezos and his leadership team inside the company. That's the assessment of Bill Carr, a former Amazon executive and the co-author of the new book, Working Backwards, with fellow Amazon veteran Colin Bryar.  Beyond providing a blueprint for others, he predicts that Amazon's processes and principles will "enable the company to continue to thrive and innovate for decades after Jeff’s departure" as CEO. Bezos will remain involved with the company as executive chairman. On this special episode of the GeekWire Podcast, Carr discusses the new book, describes Amazon's unique approaches, and shares inside stories including the offhand remark by the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs that contributed to the creation of some of Amazon’s most important products and services.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does Andy Jassy's track record at Amazon Web Services say about how he'll lead Amazon as the company's next CEO? What will be Jeff Bezos' ongoing influence as the company's executive chairman? Who will succeed Jassy as the head of AWS? And what should be the tech giant's 15th leadership principle? Those are a few of the questions we ask — and in some cases even answer! — on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast with guest commentator Corey Quinn, the chief cloud economist at The Duckbill Group, the host of the AWS Morning Brief and Screaming in the Cloud Podcasts, and the curator of Last Week in AWS, a weekly newsletter.   Continue reading for links to related coverage. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to step down this year, replaced by AWS chief Andy Jassy in stunning turn for tech giant Amazon’s next CEO, Andy Jassy, is a music-loving, wing-eating, hard-charging disciple of Jeff Bezos Amazon blows past estimates for holiday quarter, sets record with $125.6B in revenue Amazon Web Services posts record $13.5B in *profits* for 2020 in Andy Jassy’s AWS swan song Here’s the biggest challenge facing Amazon’s Andy Jassy — at least in the words of one partner Amazon arrives in rural America: Tech giant delivers hope and concern to California town Edited by Curt Milton; Theme Music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Lewis of KIRO Radio in Seattle speaks with GeekWire's Todd Bishop about a story Todd wrote this week about Amazon in his hometown of Orland, Calif. Read the story: Amazon arrives in rural America: Tech giant delivers hope and concern to California townSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Microsoft's profits rose 33% in the December quarter as CEO Satya Nadella touted a “second wave of digital transformation." But what does the future really hold for the tech giant? What will be the next big opportunity for Microsoft? And what are the biggest threats it faces? We discuss all of that and more this week with veteran technology journalist and Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley, who writes the All About Microsoft blog for ZDNet. She is the author of “Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft Plans to Stay Relevant in the Post-Gates Era,” and is also the cohost of the “Windows Weekly” podcast with Paul Thurrott on the TWiT network. Nadella's tenure at Microsoft has brought a new approach, doubling down on the company's traditional strength in enterprise software, pulling of successful acquisitions, and moving the Office productivity platform into a new era with products such as the Microsoft Teams collaboration software. Discussing Microsoft opportunities and potential areas for future acquisitions, Mary Jo points to security and artificial intelligence as two key sectors for the company. She sees Microsoft Teams as another big area of opportunity. The company’s goal is to make Teams into even more of a platform -- an operating system for work, essentially. One open question: How can Microsoft leverage its momentum with the Xbox game platform to create a stronger benefit for the rest of the company? Microsoft's Project xCloud could be one way, giving the company more of a presence on other platforms. GeekWire's John Cook, citing his son as an example, sees Microsoft's presence in gaming as a long-term benefit to the brand, as the next generation of consumers and IT decision-makers become adults. On the subject of the biggest threats to Microsoft, Mary Jo points out that Google remains a formidable (and perhaps underestimated) rival to Microsoft in cloud productivity software. And then there’s Windows. What’s up with Microsoft’s flagship operating system? Is it truly “back,” as Microsoft would have you believe? Mary Jo has some thoughts … and some doubts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Joe Biden settles into the Oval Office, tech companies in the Seattle region and elsewhere are watching with a sense of optimism to see what the new administration will mean for them and the industry. From the pandemic response to jobs to the climate, there's no shortage of critical issues for the new administration to address. And that has some experts believing that antitrust, content moderation and other regulatory crackdowns pursued by the prior administration might not be a priority in the initial phase of the new one. GeekWire contributing editor Monica Nickelsburg joins co-founders John Cook and Todd Bishop to assess the issues ahead. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was one of the most tumultuous years the country and the world have ever seen. And yet, as we reported on GeekWire last week, venture capital investments in the United States broke another record in 2020, topping $150 billion for the first time, according to Pitchbook and the National Venture Capital Association. In Seattle and across the Pacific Northwest, funding totals came in at $4.4 billion, up 15% year-over-year, according to GeekWire’s tally, derived from our running list of startup investments.  What in the heck is going on? My colleague, GeekWire co-founder John Cook, put that question to Mike Davidson, a Seattle-based tech and media veteran who was Twitter’s vice president of design from 2012 to 2016, during the recording of our most recent GeekWire podcast episode. This portion of the conversation didn't make the final cut, but we found the analysis illuminating, so we're presenting it here as a bonus episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twitter didn't set out to ban Donald Trump. The president gave it no choice. That's the assessment from Mike Davidson, a Seattle-based tech and media veteran who was Twitter's vice president of design from 2012 to 2016, sharing his perspective  as the guest commentator on this week's show. "This was something that many employees have wanted the company to do for a long time; I wanted the company to do this for a long time," Davidson said. "But the company itself is not out to get Donald Trump. If anything, they let him stick around on their platform for too long." The breaking point was Trump's incitement of the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters. "If you run one of these private companies, you have to ask yourself, 'Am I OK being complicit in an insurrection of the United States government? Am I OK with that?' ... The answer to that question has to be no," Davidson said. "There is no concept of of owning a platform and being able to stay neutral about something like that." So what went wrong with social media? And where do we go from here? Those are some of the topics on this podcast discussion between Davidson and GeekWire co-founders John Cook and Todd Bishop. Podcast produced and edited by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twitter's decision Friday to join Facebook in permanently suspending President Trump's account underscored the fundamental role of social media in one of the most tumultuous periods in American history. If it feels strange and unusual, that's because there's no historical precedent, neither in media nor the presidency. "This has not happened before," says Margaret O’Mara, a historian, author and University of Washington professor, our guest commentator on this week's show. "Particularly in the modern period, what the president says and does has always been covered, because it's always been newsworthy," said O'Mara, who specializes in the history of tech and politics. "Particularly as the presidency grew into becoming the most important job on the planet, and the U.S. was becoming a military and economic superpower, what the president said mattered -- it had credibility." We also discuss the future of Seattle, Silicon Valley and other established tech hubs in the aftermath of the pandemic, a topic of O'Mara's recent New York Times opinion column, "California May Lose Some of Its Stars. But Silicon Valley Is Forever." And we wrap the show with highlights from O'Mara's bookshelf: "Uncanny Valley," by Anna Wiener; "Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership," by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor; and "The Cigarette: A Political History," by Sarah Milov. Produced and edited by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When (and how) will we all return to the office? How can startups position themselves to succeed in 2021? Which innovations will define the coming year? And which technologies will be overhyped? Last week, we recapped the top stories of 2020. This week, we look ahead to anticipate the coming year in technology and innovation. Our guest commentator is computer scientist Peter Lee, Microsoft’s corporate vice president for research and incubations, one of several tech and business leaders based in the Seattle region who responded to a GeekWire survey about what to expect in the year ahead.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been quite a year. But were you paying attention? Before we wave goodbye to 2020, we thought it would be fun to test your GeekWire news knowledge. Play along on this special episode as GeekWire co-founder John Cook quizzes editor Todd Bishop and managing editor Taylor Soper. It's a fun one, but before we start, a spoiler alert: we reveal the answers on this episode as we go, so if you want to challenge yourself first, go to geekwire.com/2020quiz before listening.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To say that 2020 unfolded in unexpected ways would be an epic understatement. The changes caused by the pandemic promise to impact tech, business and everything else for years to come. And that's just the start. The influence of Seattle's tech and scientific communities rippled throughout the world. The region's life sciences institutions played a key role in uncovering and battling COVID-19, and Bill Gates emerged as a leading voice for science and equity in the pandemic. Enterprise tech companies provided the bedrock for a massive global acceleration of digital technologies. A national reckoning over race, sparked by the killing of George Floyd, brought renewed attention to the tech industry's diversity and inclusion problems, and fueled what will hopefully become lasting momentum to address them.  MacKenzie Scott’s bold approach to philanthropy set an example for her fellow billionaires, as she took extraordinary steps to distribute her Amazon wealth. As if 2020 wasn't eventful enough, the tech industry and U.S. government grappled with an unprecedented cyberattack in the final weeks of the year in the form of the SolarWinds hack, threatening to undermine key institutions and organizations, and prompting an extraordinary response from Microsoft. We reflect on this unprecedented year on a new episode of the GeekWire Podcast, as viewed through our focus on technology, business and innovation in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Joining GeekWire co-founders John Cook and Todd Bishop for the discussion is guest commentator Ed Lazowska, computer science professor at the University of Washington's Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. To inform our discussion, we each reviewed lists of top stories on GeekWire for the full year and each month, as determined by overall readership, then offered our own perspectives on the trends, stories and issues that mattered most.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rob Glaser is best known as the founder and CEO of RealNetworks, the Seattle-based company that specializes in digital media, games and computer vision technology. But for about two decades, he was also part of the ownership group for the Professional Bowlers Association, along with his former Microsoft colleagues Chris Peters and Mike Slade.  That's how Glaser landed in the PBA Hall of Fame earlier this year, despite never having been a pro bowler himself. It also makes Glaser the answer to what turned out to be a real stumper of a trivia question on the latest episode of the GeekWire Podcast. As part of our regular tech trivia contest for listeners, we asked, "Which current CEO of a Seattle tech company has been inducted into the hall of fame of a professional sport?" We received lots of guesses, but only one right answer. So we decided to call Glaser up and get his bowling backstory for this special bonus episode of the podcast. We also talked about RealNetworks' new MaskCheck app, which uses computer vision to detect whether people are wearing masks properly in compliance with public health guidelines.  Congrats to our contest winner Isaac Alexander, who will receive a GeekWire mask and mug as his prize. We'll be back this weekend, Saturday, Dec. 26, with a special year-in-review episode of the GeekWire Podcast with guest commentator Ed Lazowska, University of Washington computer science professor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this special episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we present an essay written and read by Frances McCue a Seattle-based poet, writer, co-founder of nonprofit community writing center Hugo House, and a teaching professor at the University of Washington. She is also the writer and producer of Where the House Was, a feature documentary about gentrification and poetry in the city. Find her online at francesmccue.com, and read this essay at geekwire.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle's tech community just reached a new milestone: 10 unicorns, privately held companies valued at more than $1 billion. Their characteristics say a lot about the direction and state of the tech industry in the region, both positive and negative. Read more: Seattle area boasts 10 fast-growing unicorns: Can you name the billion-dollar startups? Joining us as a guest commentator this week: Heather Redman, co-founder and managing partner of Flying Fish Partners, a Seattle-based venture capital firm that focuses its investments on machine learning and artificial intelligence.  Also up for discussion: the challenges of running a big tech hub like Seattle. Mayor Jenny Durkan recently announced that she wouldn't be running for a second term. She faced numerous challenges during her tenure as mayor, but one of the biggest was bridging the divide between the tech industry, particularly Amazon, and the rest of the Seattle community. Read more: Balancing act: What Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s short tenure says about running a tech hub, by Monica Nickelsburg. And in our final segment, it's the return of the GeekWire Trivia challenge, with a chance to win your choice of a GeekWire mask or socks. Our question: Which current CEO of a Seattle tech company has been inducted into the hall of fame of a professional sport? Listen to the third segment for clues, and send your answer (or guess!) to [email protected]. From the pool of correct answers, we'll pick one person at random to win their choice of swag. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the GeekWire Podcast: How the antitrust case against Facebook could impact the rest of the tech industry; the state of Seattle as "Cloud City"; and first impressions of SpaceX's Starlink satellite broadband service from a user of the company's "Better Than Nothing Beta." Our guest commentator this week is Seattle-area angel investor Charles Fitzgerald, co-organizer of the Cloud City Meetup and a tech industry veteran who worked in product management and platform strategy with companies including Microsoft, Mozy and VMware. He blogs at platformonomics.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you get sick with flu-like symptoms in the first few months of this year, or know someone who did? Do you suspect it might have been COVID-19? On the Season 5 premiere of the GeekWire Health Tech Podcast, we revisit the early days of the pandemic in a quest to figure out a mysterious illness, and share what we learned along the way from experts at University of Washington Department of Medicine, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research and ZOOM+Care.  We're sharing the episode here as a bonus but to get future Health Tech episodes, be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast app, or go to geekwire.com/healthtech.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon is often described as innovative, creative, experimental and ruthless. It's also very, very big — and getting bigger. With a market value of $1.6 trillion — nearly the equivalent of Russia's gross domestic product — Amazon now dwarfs many of its retail rivals who've struggled to compete with a fast-moving organization whose expansive appetite seems endless. But some retailers are finding ways to exist, even thrive, in a world increasingly dominated by Amazon. In today's special episode of the GeekWire podcast, we take a close look at Amazon and hear from former Amazon executives, leading third-party sellers and competitors who are trying to survive in the shadows of the world's most powerful retailer. We also hear from critics who feel Amazon's power has grown so immense that the only way to curb the company's power is through government intervention. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the GeekWire Podcast: Salesforce strikes a deal to acquire Slack for $27.7 billion; Amazon Web Services makes some surprising news at its annual re:Invent cloud conference; and a new tech giant arrives in our backyard. Joining us on this episode is Matt McIlwain, managing director at Seattle-based venture capital firm Madrona Venture Group, offering his commentary on the implications of these developments in the world of cloud and enterprise technology. Special bonus: Listen to the end of the show for a new installment of our GeekWire Podcast trivia contest, with a chance to win a GeekWire mask or socks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon's big move into the pharmacy business last week wasn't a surprise at all, and it's just part of a larger plan to reinvent a trillion-dollar industry. Coming soon from Amazon: health insurance, predicts serial entrepreneur and NYU marketing professor Scott Galloway in his new book, "Post Corona: From Crisis to Opportunity." "Amazon knows a great deal about its best customers: what do they eat, do they buy exercise equipment or video games, do they have children, and are they in a relationship," Galloway writes in the book. "Between Amazon and Whole Foods purchases, the Amazon card, and all the 'pay with Amazon' merchants, the company has vastly more individualized data than any insurance actuary." That might sound like the makings of an Orwellian future, but it's just one of the ways that the crisis of the past year has rapidly accelerated the inevitable in the economy and society, as Galloway sees it. After going through years of change in a matter a months, he writes, the result will be a very different landscape on the other side. The book looks ahead to the day when we put this pandemic behind us and find that some of the most powerful companies in the world have only become more powerful, for better or worse for the rest of us. So where does that leave us? Scott Galloway joins us for a conversation about the "Post Corona" world on this episode of the GeekWire PodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A group of architects released their concept for a Seattle skyscraper suited to life in the post-pandemic world, where you might live and work all in the same place. Seattle 2030 would stand 1,030 feet tall and have a cloud walk observatory and drone ports at the top. But will it ever be built? Wheels, the latest electric scooter share service to launch in Seattle, has a unique feature: a seat. We took one for a ride over bumpy streets and railroad tracks on a wet and miserable day earlier this week. In other words, a typical Seattle commute. Listen to see if we liked it. And we have a winner of last week's Trivia Contest! The question focused on satellite broadband venture from the 1990s, and the two Seattle tech billionaires who  funded it. Listen to the third segment for the answer and the winner.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re excited to introduce you to our new podcast, 2025: Tomorrow, Today, produced by GeekWire Studios, and co-hosted by someone who will be a familiar voice to GeekWire Podcast listeners, GeekWire’s John Cook, along with Jordon Voss of Northern Trust, our partner on this new show. They will be exploring the future of retail, work and more on this new podcast with help from leading experts in each field. Coming up, you’ll hear the first episode of 2025 Tomorrow Today, digging into the question of whether the shopping mall will survive. Be sure to subscribe to 2025: Tomorrow, Today in any podcast app. Go to geekwire.com/2025podcast for links to subscribe.  Here’s a special first look at the premiere episode of 2025: Tomorrow Today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week: OthersideAI thinks it can help you be more productive by using artificial intelligence to write your emails for you. But is that really a good idea? The months-old firm announced a $2.6 million seed round this week. It's one of several startups creating email products based on OpenAI's GPT3 language processing technology. We talk about the long-term implications for the industry and for humanity. Tom Alberg was an internet financial pioneer when he became one of the first investors in Amazon in 1995. He didn't stop there. He was also one of the founders of Madrona Venture Group, a venture capital firm that has backed some of the Northwest's biggest tech companies. But what's especially notable about Alberg, at age 80, is his continued focus on what's next. We share highlights and takeaways from this new GeekWire profile of Alberg by journalist Lisa Stiffler. And the GeekWire Trivia Challenge is back! Listen to the third segment of the show for the question, and details on how to enter the contest. From the pool of correct answers, we'll pick one person at random to win a rare and special GeekWire face mask. With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop and John Cook. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week: Just before the election, Joe Biden's campaign released a list of its top "bundlers," people who raise big donations to the campaign. Several well-known Seattle tech names were on the list. We look at who they are and why they were raising money for Biden. Amazon released a Smart Shelf that can keep track of things like your toilet paper and then automatically reorder them when you start to run out. Another Seattle firm, Bottomless, has a similar gadget to keep you in fresh coffee beans. Cool concepts but ... do we really need these gizmos? Robo-commerce: Amazon’s auto-reordering Dash Smart Shelf goes on sale for $19.99 Built to scale: Seattle startup weighs its own success as Amazon releases similar smart shelf Valve's Gabe Newell announced this week that he has arranged to launch a garden gnome into space. The interesting part of the story is why he's doing it and, even more interesting, is where Newell has been since last March. With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop and John Cook. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The past year has brought a pandemic, a national reckoning over race, plus antitrust investigations and charges against major tech companies, with massive swaths of the tech workforce working from their bedrooms. But also record profits, a booming IPO market, and trillion-dollar valuations at the same time. Does this suggest a disconnect, or point to a “correction” in the future?  That's the first question we posed this week on our GeekWire Summit panel, "View from the Press Box: Tech in 2020 and Beyond," with Ina Fried, chief technology correspondent for Axios and editor of its daily tech newsletter, Login; and Karen Weise, Seattle tech correspondent for The New York Times. This week's episode of the GeekWire Podcast features highlights from the discussion, including thoughts on the direction of the tech economy, the future of Amazon and Microsoft, the antitrust cases against US tech giants and the potential implications of the upcoming election.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I don't know when it's going to be announced. But the day there's a vaccine announced that people really believe in will be our highest booking day in history.” That was Peter Kern, the CEO of Expedia Group, the Seattle-based online travel giant, speaking this week at the GeekWire Summit. On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we’re featuring highlights from our conversation with Kern about the future of travel. Expedia Group includes major travel brands such as vrbo, Orbitz, Hotwire, Trivago, Hotels.com, and Egencia in addition to the flagship Expedia.com. But we started with the big news of the day, the U.S. government’s antitrust complaint against Google. The case spotlights the difficult position Expedia and many other companies find themselves, competing with Google while simultaneously relying on and paying the search giant to direct customers to their services. Our full conversation and other GeekWire Summit sessions are available on-demand exclusively to attendees of the virtual event, which runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays through Oct. 29. Register here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's GeekWire Podcast features highlights from the first week of the virtual GeekWire Summit, including what's next in the quest for a COVID-19 vaccine, a conversation with Panos Panay, Microsoft's chief product officer, and Bill Gates' comments on what's keeping him optimistic in these tumultuous times. Full GeekWire Summit sessions are available on-demand exclusively to attendees of the virtual event, which runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays through Oct. 29. Learn more and register here. Race to a COVID-19 Vaccine: We spoke with Dr. Deborah Fuller, professor of microbiology at the University of Washington; Dr. Lynda Stuart, deputy director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Dr. Melanie Ivarsson, chief development officer at Moderna, one of the major biopharmaceutical companies with a COVID-19 vaccine candidate in Phase 3 tests. Panos Panay rose to prominence in the tech industry as the leader of Microsoft’s Surface hardware business. Now, in his expanded role as the company’s chief product officer, he’s leading the unified Windows software and hardware teams just as the pandemic renews the relevance of desktop and laptop computers in our lives. One of our topics this week at the GeekWire Summit was Microsoft’s dual-screen Surface Duo device. Where do dual-screen devices fit in the evolution of computing? And finally, we were fortunate to talk with Bill Gates about the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and his thoughts on the tech industry's current antitrust challenges. Toward the end of our conversation, we asked him for some big-picture takeaways, including what keeps him optimistic in these tumultuous times. Listen to the final segment for his answer. Produced by Curt Milton. Music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week: A long-awaited report from a U.S. House antitrust subcommittee landed this week, and it slammed Amazon, Facebook, Google and Apple for their alleged monopolistic practices in the online marketplaces they operate. Amazon responded with a scathing blog post that said the report featured “flawed thinking.” House antitrust probe says Amazon has ‘monopoly power’ over sellers, company slams ‘fringe’ findings 20 years after Microsoft’s antitrust fight, Steve Ballmer betting that Big Tech won’t be broken up Amazon says internal investigation into WSJ report on third-party sales data finds no policy violations Read the complete U.S. House subcommittee report Lots of tech people are working from home due to the pandemic, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has some tips on how to do it and maintain your health and well-being. Schedule some short meetings, he says, and don't forget your transition times. Some related, late-breaking news: Microsoft’s new ‘hybrid workplace’ policy will make working from home a permanent part of the mix A new story from the Medium business publication Marker paints an extraordinary portrait of the life of one of the richest women in the world, MacKenzie Scott, which is all the more remarkable because she hasn’t given any interviews about her split from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos or her philanthropic pursuits since their divorce. And the GeekWire Summit is going virtual this year, with sessions from Oct. 13-29, and special guests, including Bill Gates. Most sessions will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Check out the event site to register and get a sneak peek at who will be appearing. With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop and Taylor Soper. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our signature technology conference, the GeekWire Summit, kicks off next week. Now in its ninth year, this annual event is known for offering a glimpse of the future through the eyes of leaders in technology, science and business, and in these challenging and uncertain times, this annual tradition has never been more important. You may have seen the news that Bill Gates has joined the lineup for an hour-long interview on Oct. 15. But the Microsoft co-founder and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation co-chair is just one part of a larger lineup. In this special episode of the GeekWire Podcast, GeekWire's John Cook and Todd Bishop offer a sneak preview of what’s in store. The GeekWire Summit will be held virtually over three weeks, from Oct. 13 to 29, with sessions taking place twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from late morning to early afternoon. The full content can be accessed live and on-demand, exclusive to event attendees. Our event platform will offer attendees a chance to connect, network, and engage in the conversation. See the full lineup and register here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week: The results are in from the first-ever GeekWire 200 CEO Insights survey and they may surprise you. Startup CEOs in Seattle are generally optimistic about the state of the economy for the next 18 months. And they have some thoughts on who should be president. Amazon's latest offering is virtual tourism through its new Amazon Explore service. GeekWire's Todd Bishop went for a walk around Quebec City with a local guide and took a cooking lesson in Buenos Aires, all without leaving the office. Ex-Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff jumps back into real estate, but this time with a new service called Pacaso that helps people buy shares in a second home. We look at how it pencils out. And the GeekWire Summit is going virtual this year, with events — and special guests — from Oct. 13-29. Most events will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Check out our link to register and get a sneak peek at who will be appearing. With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop, John Cook and Taylor Soper. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Angiulo worked at Microsoft for 25 years as an engineering manager and vice president for products including Windows PCs, Microsoft Outlook, Xbox, Surface, and cloud and artificial intelligence technologies. But it was actually not the work Angiulo originally envisioned doing. He had planned to be a lawyer, delaying those plans after he started at Microsoft in his early 20s. Now, at age 47, nearly three decades later, he’s circling back to his original plan -- going back to school and preparing for a second career, as a lawyer focused on some of the most interesting and difficult questions facing the same types of technologies that he helped to create for so many years. "I am a big believer that just the prevalence of big data, the speed of the cloud platforms, the modernity of the algorithms, combine to the point where every single business is going to be relying on deep data insights, probably to some automated extent," he says. "And increasingly, people won't be able to explain how they work." And that raises all sorts of interesting questions about the future of technology and the law, as we learn on this special episode of the GeekWire Podcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.