June 29, 2024
Big tech takes a backseat to big science in Washington governor’s annual address
January 14, 2026
Gov. Bob Ferguson delivered his State of the State address in Olympia, Wash., on Jan. 13. (Governor’s Office Photo) While artificial intelligence is generating all the buzz, it was Washington state’s climate tech and healthcare innovation that got shoutouts during Gov. Bob Ferguson’s State of...
Magnitude 12s: Seahawks fans will be measured for seismic activity during playoff game in Seattle
January 14, 2026
Lumen Field in Seattle, home of the Seahawks. (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Schlosser) It’ll surely be rocking at Lumen Field in Seattle on Saturday when the Seahawks take on the San Francisco 49ers in an NFL playoff matchup. But will it be “Beast Quake” rocking? Seismic sensors installed at...
Gates Foundation will cut up to 500 positions by 2030 to help reach ‘ambitious goals’
January 14, 2026
The Gates Foundation headquarters in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo / Taylor Soper) The Gates Foundation on Wednesday unveiled a record $9 billion operating budget for 2026 — which includes a plan to reduce its workforce by up to 500 positions over the next five years, or about a fifth of its current...
How this CO2 disposal startup raised investment despite funding and political headwinds
January 14, 2026
Employees at OCOchem who helped produce the world’s first carbon dioxide-derived metric ton of potassium formate at the startup’s Richland, Wash., facility. It was shipped to an OCOchem customer in October. (OCOchem Photo) OCOchem, a clean tech startup turning carbon dioxide into industrial...
Office vacancy hits another record in downtown Seattle despite new tech leases
January 14, 2026
Downtown Seattle. (GeekWire File Photo / Taylor Soper) Tech companies are still signing leases in downtown Seattle — but it’s not enough to reverse a pandemic-era slide that pushed office vacancy to another record high, reaching 34.7% in Q4. The latest numbers from commercial real estate firm...
GeekWire’s new AI summit will explore how agents are transforming business and work
January 14, 2026
We’re excited to announce a new GeekWire event for 2026: “Agents of Transformation: Inside the AI Shift.” This half-day summit will be held the afternoon of Tuesday, March 24, in Seattle, exploring how agentic AI is reshaping work, creativity, and leadership. The event, presented by Accenture,...
Will Bezos step in? FBI searches Wash. Post reporter’s home in classified materials investigation
January 14, 2026
The Washington Post building in Washington, D.C. (Ron Cogswell Photo via Flickr) FBI agents searched the home of a Washington Post reporter on Wednesday morning as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials. The Post...
Orbital Robotics reaches out with a plan to build robotic arms that use AI
January 14, 2026
An artist’s conception shows a spacecraft with robotic arms preparing to grapple the Hubble Space Telescope. (Orbital Robotics Illustration) A space startup founded by veterans of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture is recruiting partners in its quest to build robotic arms powered by...
Washington state bill targets private real estate listings and would require some public marketing
January 13, 2026
The Legislative Building in Olympia, Wash. (GeekWire Photo / Lisa Stiffler) This story originally appeared on Real Estate News. The debate over private listings and pre-marketing in Washington state could soon reach a turning point if a bill requiring the public marketing of residential...
Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman departs after leading Seattle real estate giant for 20 years
January 13, 2026
Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman at the 2018 GeekWire Summit. (GeekWire File Photo / Dan DeLong) Glenn Kelman, the longtime CEO of Redfin and one of the most recognizable leaders in the U.S. real estate industry, is stepping down. Kelman’s departure comes six months after Redfin completed its $1.75...
Amazon supersizes its Walmart rivalry with new big-box retail concept
January 13, 2026
A rendering of the future Amazon superstore outside of Chicago, from an Orland Park, Ill., planning document. Amazon has spent two decades trying to disrupt Walmart’s dominance. Now, it appears the e-commerce giant is taking those efforts to a whole new scale. A new proposal for a massive,...
Tech Moves: Acumatica hires CPO; former Amazon manager named new mayor of Bellevue
January 13, 2026
Jon Pollock. (Acumatica Photo) — Jon Pollock is now chief product officer of Acumatica, the Bellevue, Wash.-based enterprise software giant that was acquired last year by Vista Equity Partners. Pollock joins Acumatica from childcare management software company Procare Solutions, where he was...
Will Seahawks fans have reason to cheer against 49ers? Stadium cameras will capture the reaction
January 13, 2026
In an image captured by Momento, fans react in the stands at Lumen Field in Seattle as the Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 18. (Momento Photo) For every action during Saturday’s Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers NFL playoff game, there will hopefully be an equal and positive...
From bitcoin ATMs to M&A: Seattle startup Coinme to be acquired by Polygon Labs
January 13, 2026
(Coinme Image) Coinme, a Seattle-based cryptocurrency startup that got its start more than a decade ago with a network of bitcoin ATMs, has agreed to be acquired by blockchain payments company Polygon Labs. Polygon said it also plans to acquire wallet provider Sequence as part of a combined...
Microsoft responds to AI data center revolt, vowing to cover full power costs and reject local tax breaks
January 13, 2026
Microsoft’s Fairwater data center near Atlanta is part of the company’s broader AI expansion. (Microsoft Photo) President Trump was right about Microsoft — but he only leaked part of the story. Microsoft is changing its approach to building massive data centers for artificial intelligence,...
Report: Meta plans to cut around 10% of Reality Labs workforce
January 12, 2026
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. (Meta File Photo) Meta is planning to lay off around 10% of the employees in its Reality Labs division, The New York Times reported Monday. The division — which employs roughly 15,000 people — has a strong presence in the Seattle area and is responsible for the...
Google makes a big move into agentic commerce, raising questions about Amazon’s retail dominance
January 12, 2026
(Google Image) Google is making a key push into AI-powered shopping with the unveiling of Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a new open technical standard aimed at letting shoppers buy products directly through AI chatbots and search interfaces. The protocol has backing from major retailers and...
5 new proposals to regulate AI in Washington state, from classrooms to digital companions
January 12, 2026
The Legislative Building in Olympia, Wash., is home to the state’s Legislature. (GeekWire Photo / Lisa Stiffler) Washington state lawmakers are taking another run at regulating artificial intelligence, rolling out a slate of bills this session aimed at curbing discrimination, limiting AI use in...
Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Jan. 4, 2026
January 11, 2026
Get caught up on the latest technology and startup news from the past week. Here are the most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Jan. 4, 2026. Sign up to receive these updates every Sunday in your inbox by subscribing to our GeekWire Weekly email newsletter. Most popular stories on...
GeekWire Podcast: Alexa’s next act, Microsoft’s retail play, Google’s AI Inbox, and a smart bird feeder fail
January 10, 2026
This week on the GeekWire Podcast: Amazon and Microsoft are racing to define the next era of consumer AI, on multiple fronts. We discuss Amazon’s attempt to upgrade Alexa into a true generative AI home chatbot — complete with a new web portal and updated Alexa app — while Microsoft tries to win...
Ex-Expedia employee gets 4 years for planting spy cameras across Seattle campus in voyeurism case
January 09, 2026
Marcelo Vargas-Fernandez (left), a former Expedia Group employee, stands with his attorney, Court Will, during his sentencing hearing Friday in King County Superior Court in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) A former Expedia Group employee who amassed 20 terabytes of illicit footage of...
Microsoft’s big lease renewal in Redmond helps buoy Eastside office market near Seattle
January 09, 2026
Microsoft’s headquarters campus in Redmond. (GeekWire Photo / Taylor Soper) Microsoft’s decision to renew a large swath of office space in Redmond is emerging as a key stabilizing force for the Eastside office market near Seattle. That’s one takeaway from a new report by commercial real...
Rad Power Bikes rider’s DIY solution for potential battery fire sparks broader safety discussion
January 09, 2026
A Rad Power Bikes e-bike owned by Eric Stahl of San Francisco, parked in his garage next to a DIY battery containment solution made out of cinderblocks that he hopes would help contain a battery fire if one started. (Photo courtesy of Eric Stahl) A Rad Power Bikes rider, alarmed by reports of...
Tech Moves: AWS VP switches roles; Seattle’s new economic development head; Microsoft Teams exec departs
January 09, 2026
Uwem Ukpong. (LinkedIn Photo) — Amazon’s Uwem Ukpong has a new title, moving from vice president of Global Services to VP of AWS Industries. Ukpong has been with the tech giant for more than four years, joining from energy technology company Baker Hughes. Ukpong’s resume is dominated by a...
Bill Gates says there’s ‘no upper limit’ on AI, citing opportunity and risk
January 09, 2026
Bill Gates says he’s still optimistic about the future overall, with some “footnotes” of caution. (GeekWire File Photo / Kevin Lisota) Bill Gates had a front-row seat for the rise of AI, from his longtime work at Microsoft to early demonstrations of key breakthroughs from OpenAI that illustrated...
Seattle-area nuclear company TerraPower signs deal with Meta for up to 8 reactors
January 09, 2026
TerraPower and Meta have an agreement to launch a two-reactor nuclear power plant as soon as 2032. (Artist rendering provided by TerraPower) TerraPower, a Bill Gates-backed next-gen nuclear company, on Friday announced a deal with Meta to build up to eight small modular reactors in the U.S. with...
Bill Gates makes nearly $8B payout to Melinda French Gates as part of divorce settlement
January 09, 2026
Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. (GeekWire File Photo, left, and Jason Bell Photo) Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates paid his ex-wife Melinda French Gates nearly $8 billion as part of the settlement from the former couple’s 2021 divorce. The $7.88 billion payout was revealed in new tax...
Microchipped at work? Washington state bill aims to ban employers from using ‘dehumanizing’ tech
January 09, 2026
Microchips implanted under the skin could be portrayed as a convenient way to store and access employment and personal data. (BigStock Photo) A bill introduced in the Washington state Legislature would ban employers from requiring or pressuring workers to be microchipped, a practice lawmakers...
‘Once-in-a-generation’ opportunity: Amazon and Boeing execs help launch sustainable aviation accelerator to fuel innovation
January 08, 2026
Elected officials including Gov. Bob Ferguson, center, and corporate and academic leaders gathered at an event celebrating the launch of the Cascadia Sustainable Aviation Accelerator held at the Boeing Future of Flight Aviation Center. (GeekWire Photo / Lisa Stiffler) MUKILTEO, Wash. — Pacific...
Rad Power Bikes closing stores in Vancouver, B.C., and Florida; 7 more will remain open
January 08, 2026
A Rad Power Bikes e-bike rider in Vancouver, B.C. (Rad Power Bikes Photo) Rad Power Bikes is shutting down retail stores in Vancouver, B.C., and St. Petersburg, Fla., on Friday as the embattled electric bike manufacturer deals with its ongoing bankruptcy proceedings. The Seattle-based company...
Here’s where Seattle ranks among U.S. cities based on capital raised
January 08, 2026
The Seattle skyline. (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Schlosser) Seattle’s startup scene stayed consistent with its venture capital activity in 2025. Financial tech company Carta is out with its latest annual list of U.S. cities as measured by total capital raised by startups on its platform, from...
Ai2 CEO Ali Farhadi named to ‘AI Power List,’ with a nod to institute’s open-source focus
January 08, 2026
Ali Farhadi, CEO of the Allen Institute for AI, during a GeekWire Podcast recording at the non-profit’s Seattle HQ last year. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) Business Insider’s latest list of the most influential people in artificial intelligence is a who’s who of key players shaping what the...
Startup’s radar tech in a handheld scanner could change how police conduct weapons searches
January 08, 2026
Lassen Peak is developing a handheld radar system for concealed weapon detection. (Lassen Peak Image) A Bellevue, Wash.-based startup is moving closer to commercialization of a handheld scanning device that it says could change one of the most dangerous and controversial procedures in policing:...
Microsoft debuts Copilot Checkout, joining AI shopping race vs. Amazon, Google and OpenAI
January 08, 2026
Microsoft’s Copilot Checkout lets users browse and buy products without leaving the chat. (Microsoft Image, click for larger version) [Editor’s Note: Agents of Transformation is an independent GeekWire series and March 24, 2026 event, underwritten by Accenture, exploring the...
Former Amazon execs raise $15M for agentic commerce startup that uses AI to generate custom storefronts
January 08, 2026
Spangle co-founders Maju Kuruvilla (left) and Fei Wang. (Spangle Photo) Spangle AI, a new Seattle startup that helps online retailers build customized shopping experiences in real-time, announced a $15 million Series A investment round led by NewRoad Capital Partners. The company is now valued...
