This week on the GeekWire Podcast: An inside look at Amazon's classic process for strategic thinking and decision-making, with a former Amazon product and technology director who has written new book about the documents used by the company to determine its direction. What can others learn from its approach? Plus, we break down this pivotal moment in Amazon's history, as employees return to the office five days a week; and we check in on the state of the Seattle startup world. Our guest is Marcel...
Jan 18, 2025•37 min
This week, Seattle-area software developer and AI entrepreneur Patrick Husting of Ghostwriter AI and the Equestrian App returns to the show to talk about the evolution of artificial intelligence over the past two years, how people are using the technology today, and where things are headed in 2025. Related links Can Microsoft avoid the ghost of Clippy? Familiar theme emerges in Copilot rollout for Office apps ‘Ghostwriter’ in the machine: How this software developer is integrating AI into work a...
Jan 11, 2025•41 min
What happens when you mix modern AI with a piece of vintage technology and the musical stylings of a very amateur guitarist? You might be surprised. That's the subject of this week's episode. GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop's fun holiday project, revisiting a favorite gadget from his youth, illustrated some bigger themes about the AI that has emerged in the past two years, and the role it can play in life and work. Read more here: 'From impossible to merely difficult': AI meets a vintage 1980s m...
Jan 04, 2025•12 min
Michael Schutzler , the newly retired CEO of the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) , joins us on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast to reflect on his 11 years running the not-for-profit trade association, assess the state of the tech industry in Seattle and Washington state, and discuss what's next for him. Schutzler, who has been succeeded as WTIA's CEO by Kelly Fukai , previously its COO, wrote about the extraordinary history of the state's tech industry in a recent post mark...
Dec 21, 2024•43 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast , we sit down with some of the Seattle region’s “Uncommon Thinkers” — inventors, scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs transforming industries and driving positive change in the world. We recorded the episode on location, backstage at the GeekWire Gala, where we recognized five Uncommon Thinkers through this annual awards program , presented in partnership with Greater Seattle Partners . Speaking on the episode are: Uri Shumlak , co-founder and chief scien...
Dec 14, 2024•32 min
Amazon's AI strategy came into focus this week with the unveiling of Amazon Nova, its new family of homegrown AI models, a new AI model marketplace for Amazon Bedrock, and other news from the AWS re:Invent conference in Las Vegas. It turns out we've seen this before. As the company's AI strategy emerges, there are numerous similarities to its e-commerce business including low cost, broad selection, products from Amazon and its selected vendors, and a marketplace. ( This Fortune piece by reporter...
Dec 07, 2024•31 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, our guest is Sam Schillace , a deputy CTO at Microsoft and author of the new book, "No Prize for Pessimism," the first title from Microsoft's new publishing imprint , 8080 Books. Schillace discusses the importance of optimism in innovation, drawing parallels between the early cloud era and the current AI revolution. He also shares his past experiences as one of the creators of Google Docs, and emphasizes the value of tackling difficult, non-obvious problems. Re...
Nov 30, 2024•44 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we discuss Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI , which now includes Microsoft, and assess the complexities of the OpenAI-Microsoft partnership, as illustrated by early email exchanges revealed in the lawsuit. We also consider the latest update to the GeekWire 200 , our ranked index of Pacific Northwest technology startups, including the rise of Highspot to the top spot, and other trends in the Seattle region's startup ecosystem. And we share highlights from tech...
Nov 23, 2024•35 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we dive into Amazon's launch of a new discount storefront called Amazon Haul, and explore what it says about the future of e-commerce and generational shifts in shopping. Guests Michael Levin and Josh Lowitz of Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) provide insights into the long-term trends around Amazon Prime membership and consumer behaviors on the platform. CIRP : Amazon Report on Substack . (Check out their Apple Report , as well.) GeekWire: Hands-...
Nov 16, 2024•44 min
This special edition of the GeekWire Podcast is the first in a four-episode series that we’ll be publishing in the months ahead as part of our year-long Microsoft @ 50 project , recognizing the company’s 50th anniversary in April 2025. On this episode, we’ll take a fresh look at Microsoft’s startup story with tech historian and author Margaret O’Mara of the University of Washington, author of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America ; plus highlights from a recent conversation with D...
Nov 13, 2024•32 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast , it's a grab-bag of topics, including self-driving wheelchairs, Expedia Group Chairman Barry Diller's comments on the prospects for an acquisition by Uber, and an update on GeekWire's upcoming events and coverage. In the final segment, we discuss what the new Trump administration could mean for technology regulation, including the FTC's antitrust case against Amazon and oversight for tech M&A. Related coverage and links NYT: Tech Giants Face a Familiar Unce...
Nov 09, 2024•25 min
This week, with just days to go before the Nov. 5 election, we take a fresh look at AI, social media, and some surprising trends in the spread of fake content and misinformation, with Danielle Lee Tomson , research manager for election rumors at the University of Washington Center for an Informed Public . Guest host Ross Reynolds speaks with Tomson about AI, social media, and some surprising trends in the spread of rumors online. Related links and stories: Substack: Election Rumor Research @ Cen...
Nov 02, 2024•32 min
Our guest on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast is Panos Panay , Amazon's senior vice president of Devices & Services, a longtime leader in the world of consumer technology. It has been one year since he started at Amazon , after his surprise departure from Microsoft , where he oversaw products including Surface and Windows. Panay's division at Amazon includes the Alexa voice assistant and Echo devices, but that's just the start. His purview also spans Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets, Zoox ...
Oct 30, 2024•27 min
Our guest this week is Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who says he has never been as excited about anything in his career as he is about the latest developments in artificial intelligence — AI agents that can autonomously reason, plan, and take action on behalf of businesses. Benioff is almost as strong in his negative sentiments toward Microsoft's Copilot. He calls Copilot the second coming of Microsoft's much-maligned "Clippy" Office assistant, and asserts that the Redmond company is giving AI a ...
Oct 26, 2024•36 min
This week, we imagine the possibility of Uber buying Expedia Group , based on a report by the Financial Times this week that the ride-hailing company has considered a bid for the online travel giant. It would be notable in part because Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi was Expedia Group’s CEO from 2005 to 2017 and remains on the company’s board. In the second segment, we enjoy highlights from the "60 Minutes" profile of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer , and a separate appearance by University of Was...
Oct 19, 2024•36 min
Artificial intelligence and automation are transforming the way companies get stuff to stores and doorsteps, changing the world of logistics, transportation and the supply chain, as demonstrated by a few Amazon-related stories we covered this week: Amazon's unveiling of a new "Vision-Assisted Package Retrieval (VAPR) system for the cargo hold of its electric Rivian vans; The announcement of Amazon’s next-generation fulfillment center , with updated and expanded versions of its robotics systems i...
Oct 12, 2024•28 min
We were looking for a guest expert to discuss the new Microsoft Copilot features on the show this week, when we realized, why not go straight to the source? Our guest host for the first segment of the show is Microsoft Copilot, taking advantage of the new voice interaction mode rolled out by the company this week. RELATED: New Microsoft Copilot features include natural AI voice interactions and daily news summary In the second segment, we get a behind-the-scenes view of this and other new featur...
Oct 05, 2024•29 min
Charles Simonyi is known in the tech industry for his work at Microsoft. He played a leading role in creating Word, Excel and other programs back in the 1980s. He rejoined the company in 2017 with its acquisition of his startup, Intentional Software. But he's had a longtime fascination with space, taking two trips to the International Space Station, in 2007 and 2009, and helping to fund a long-awaited new space survey telescope in Chile that bears his family's name. On this episode of the GeekWi...
Sep 28, 2024•37 min
Amazon's decision to bring its employees back to the office five days a week is a window into the challenges facing the e-commerce and technology giant, and CEO Andy Jassy's larger plan to get the company to operate like "the world's largest startup" again. Plus, GeekWire's John Cook gets into the back seat of a driverless car for the first time since 2018 , and has a very different experience . Coverage of Amazon's announcement: Amazon ‘will return to being in the office the way we were’ before...
Sep 21, 2024•33 min
Our guest this week is Anupreeta Das, author of the new book, "Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and His Quest to Shape Our World." Das is the South Asia correspondent for The New York Times. This week's guest host, Ross Reynolds , is an interviewer and moderator who is well-known in the Seattle region from his 34 years at KUOW, the public radio station from which he retired in 2021. Edited by Curt Milton. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 14, 2024•29 min
The market for E Ink tablets reached a pivotal moment this week with reMarkable's unveiling of its new Paper Pro — now with color E Ink, not just black-and-white. Now the big question is whether Amazon will join the trend with a color Kindle e-reader or Kindle Scribe. The technology enabling the shift from black-and-white to color is the Gallery 3 color display , from E Ink Holdings , a company that spun out of the MIT Media Lab in 1997. On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we learn more fro...
Sep 07, 2024•30 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we revisit the controversy over Starbucks' hybrid work policy for its new CEO, Brian Niccol; discuss the cyberattack that crippled computer systems at Sea-Tac Airport in the Seattle area this week; and provide an update on last week's episode about AI text-to-music generators . Articles and topics discussed on this episode: Hybrid policy for new Starbucks CEO sparks debate over remote work, corporate jet emissions Starbucks’ New CEO Has a Big Carbon Footprint -...
Aug 31, 2024•25 min
Our regular GeekWire Podcast segment “My AI” didn’t have a musical jingle. So of course, we decided to use AI to create one. You can hear the results and our reactions on this week’s show. It's a glimpse into the issues rattling the music industry. Even when the music isn't great, the technology is pretty incredible. But as we discuss, the underlying issues are a lot more complicated. With John Cook, Todd Bishop, and Taylor Soper; Audio editing by Curt Milton. See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...
Aug 24, 2024•33 min
The naming of Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol as the new Starbucks CEO on Tuesday gives the Seattle-based coffee giant a new leader from the restaurant and fast casual industry with experience leading a digital transformation. We discuss what that could mean on this special mid-week episode of the GeekWire Podcast. Related Coverage : Starbucks’ new CEO brings extensive digital experience from prior role leading Chipotle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Aug 13, 2024•19 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we look at the implications of the Google antitrust ruling for Microsoft Bing, and conclude that they probably aren't as rosy for the Redmond company as they might have appeared initially. Plus, a rural community offers a window into Amazon's relationship with the independent companies that deliver its packages around the world. And finally, the City of Seattle gets support from Amazon and resistance from workers in response to its decision to bring them back t...
Aug 10, 2024•27 min
Zillow Group named a new CEO, longtime company executive Jeremy Wacksman, announcing that co-founder and two-time CEO Rich Barton will be shifting to the new role of co-executive chair of the real estate media and technology company, joining co-founder Lloyd Frink in the role. Barton and Wacksman join GeekWire co-founders John Cook and Todd Bishop to talk about the transition on this special episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Aug 07, 2024•42 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast , we take a closer look at the earnings reports from Microsoft and Amazon this week, as a litmus test for artificial intelligence demand and the state of the economy. We also consider the implications of Boeing's new CEO being based in the Seattle region, discuss a new AI tool that aims to streamline marketing tasks, and weigh in on the backlash to Google's Olympics ad for its Gemini AI chatbot Microsoft capital spending soars to $19B, betting big on AI, as Azur...
Aug 03, 2024•20 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, our guest is entrepreneur and investor Ben Gilbert , co-founder and co-host of the hit podcast Acquired . Ben and his colleague David Rosenthal have developed a huge following for their deep-dive, long-form podcasts telling the stories behind some of the most successful companies in the world, and they recently released Microsoft Volume II , the second installment in their epic exploration of the Redmond-based technology giant. We talk about Microsoft's misunde...
Jul 27, 2024•54 min
This week: the aftermath of the CrowdStrike outage, the larger forces at play, the future of cybersecurity, and where the world is headed long-term. Our guest is Erik Moore , a veteran of the cybersecurity field and program director for the online Master of Science Program in Cybersecurity Leadership at Seattle University's Albers School of Business and Economics. Moore says cybersecurity companies are facing faster and more complex threats due to factors including AI, and geopolitical and finan...
Jul 20, 2024•26 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we catch up on the latest twist in the New York Times' lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft over the alleged use of its reporting to train GPT-4 and other large language models. The NYT is fighting OpenAI’s request to turn over reporters’ notes, interview memos, and other materials used to produce stories, to prove they were worthy of copyright. On a related topic, we take a closer listen to Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman's comments about AI and fair use at ...
Jul 13, 2024•22 min
