Greg Fyke is president and CEO of ecobee , the Toronto-based smart home company known for its pioneering smart thermostat and a growing ecosystem of devices, including security systems and smart doorbells. A former Amazon Alexa executive, he’s personally based in Seattle, exemplifying how remote work has transformed the geography of the tech industry. Fyke succeeded ecobee founder Stuart Lombard as the company's CEO last fall upon Lombard's retirement. On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, Fy...
Jul 06, 2024•25 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we get a deeper understanding of ADHD and neurodivergence in the tech industry and the workplace. Our guest is Brett Greene , a tech community leader in the Pacific Northwest who specializes in this field in his work with companies and individuals as an executive coach. Related links Find a list of ADHD Resources on Brett Greene's website, brettgreenecoaching.com . Upcoming event: ADHD Strategies for Tech Founders and Investors : Understanding and Leveraging Ne...
Jun 29, 2024•49 min
As the creator and host of the "Startup Project" podcast , Seattle-area tech senior product manager Nataraj Sindam talks with a wide range of investors and entrepreneurs, contributing to his broad perspective on the future of artificial intelligence, investing, startups, and business technology. He's also author of the Above Average email newsletter, and venture partner with Incisive Ventures . Our topics this week include: The opportunity to apply the power of large language models and generati...
Jun 22, 2024•40 min
It was a big week for cybersecurity for Seattle's tech giants. Microsoft President Brad Smith was in Washington D.C., testifying before the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee about the Redmond company's security challenges . Listen for highlights at the end of the show. Meanwhile, Amazon held its annual AWS re:Inforce cloud security conference in Philadelphia.The rise of AI has added some big new wrinkles to the issue of cybersecurity, and AI was one of the main topics in a conversation that...
Jun 15, 2024•34 min
Our guest this week on the GeekWire Podcast is Léonard Boussioux , an assistant professor in the Department of Information Systems and Operations Management at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business, and adjunct assistant professor at the UW Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering. Boussioux received his doctorate in operations research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research combines areas including machine learning and AI with a focus on healthca...
Jun 08, 2024•41 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we explore the frontier of crowd-augmented cognition, the concept of humans working together with the help of technology, including new ways that artificial intelligence is changing the field. Our guest is Aniket (Niki) Kittur , a professor in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, where his research focuses on new methods of augmenting human intellect using crowds and computation. We also talk about a related project that Kittu...
Jun 01, 2024•35 min
Microsoft and major PC makers this week announced a plan to incorporate artificial intelligence directly into personal computers , adding on-board neural processing units (NPUs) as part of a new architecture that promises better performance, longer battery life, and local AI processing that unlocks new capabilities and features. We discuss the new Copilot+ PCs with our guest on this week's GeekWire Podcast, Stefan Weitz , an investor and entrepreneur who worked at Microsoft for 18 years in group...
May 25, 2024•37 min
This week's episode features an interview with Loretta Napoleoni , conducted by Ross Reynolds , the longtime public radio host and occasional GeekWire Podcast guest host, in an event presented by Town Hall Seattle on April 18, 2024. Loretta Napoleoni is an Italian economist and journalist whose books include "Rogue Economics" and "Insurgent Iraq." Her newest book is “ Technocapitalism: The Rise of the New Robber Barons and the Fight for the Common Good. " In this interview, she explains the conc...
May 18, 2024•35 min
This week, we go inside the GeekWire Awards, our annual recognition of the top people, companies and innovations in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, which drew a sold-out crowd to the Showbox Sodo on Thursday May 9 in Seattle. We talk with finalists about AI, the economy and key trends in their industries, and we hear from some of the winners on stage during the program. RELATED Photos: Inside the GeekWire Awards, with the big winners, musical numbers and surprise guests GeekWire Awards 2024 r...
May 11, 2024•25 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we discuss Amazon's efforts to compete with Trader Joe's , and the related tactics revealed in "The Everything War," the new book by Dana Mattioli of the Wall Street Journal. We also revisit last week's episode with Mattioli and share some of the reactions to the discussion. Plus, the FTC probes Amazon's internal use of Signal's disappearing messages featur e, a newly disclosed email shows how Microsoft scrambled to catch up in artificial intelligence , and a n...
May 04, 2024•28 min
A conversation with Dana Mattioli , Wall Street Journal reporter and author of the new book, "The Everything War: Amazon’s Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power." With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 27, 2024•38 min
This week on the show, we get a sneak preview of the GeekWire Awards, coming up at the Showbox SoDo in Seattle on Thursday, May 9. We look back at the past winners of the Next Tech Titan title in the awards, and consider the event's track record in predicting major companies to emerge from Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. We also contemplate the evolution of the "Workplace of the Year" category through the rise of remote and hybrid work. And finally, we consider the impact of migration on anot...
Apr 20, 2024•30 min
This week on the show, we sit down with Werner Vogels , the Amazon chief technology officer, at Amazon in Seattle. We talked about the evolution of artificial intelligence, the promise of AI in healthcare and the environment, his broader tech predictions for the year, and one of his most iconic traditions at the company's annual cloud conference. Read more on GeekWire: Amazon CTO Werner Vogels on the rapid progress of AI, and its impact on society Werner Vogels - All Things Distributed Archive o...
Apr 13, 2024•43 min
This week on the show: Computer scientist Juan Lavista Ferres is corporate vice president and chief data scientist at Microsoft, and the lab director of Microsoft's AI for Good research lab , leading a team of data scientists and researchers in AI, machine learning and statistical modeling, focusing on global challenges like health, climate change, and digital literacy. He's one of the editors and authors of the new book AI for Good, Applications, in Sustainability, Humanitarian Action and Healt...
Apr 06, 2024•27 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast : Reporter Kurt Schlosser takes us inside a Tesla Cybertruck , explains what it was like to drive one, and tells us how people reacted to the futuristic vehicle as it debuted on the streets of Seattle. Also on the show, Kurt shares details from his recent story about Nala , the Seattle Police Department's electronics-detecting police dog, and explains how these law-enforcement K9s are trained to find all sorts of devices. And in our final segment, we hear a clip...
Mar 30, 2024•22 min
This week on the show, we peel back the layers of Microsoft's hiring of AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman and colleagues from Inflection AI, considering how it plays into the trend of the Redmond company striking deals that look a lot like acquisitions, without actually being acquisitions. Then, we delve into the U.S. Justice Department’s landmark antitrust lawsuit against Apple, and consider the parallels to the DOJ's prior case against Microsoft. And finally, we ponder Washington state's plan to fig...
Mar 23, 2024•28 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast : The rise, fall, and revival of Zulily. We revisit one the most prominent ecommerce brands to come out of Seattle, explain its decline, and consider a plan by Beyond Inc. , led by investor and entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis, to acquire its brand assets and relaunch the site. With GeekWire managing editor Taylor Soper and co-founder Todd Bishop. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 16, 2024•25 min
Artificial intelligence is a powerful technology that promises to reshape the future, but it also poses many risks. One of the most pressing issues is the lack of regulation and oversight of the data used to train AI models. A new nonprofit, the Seattle-based Transparency Coalition (transparencycoalition.ai) aims to address this issue. The co-founders of the group, veteran startup founders and technology leaders Rob Eleveld and Jai Jaisimha , join us on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast to di...
Mar 09, 2024•40 min
A new report points to a crisis of trust in innovation, and the risk that rapid technological change — especially in the field of artificial intelligence — will fuel increased populism and polarization across societies. Richard Edelman , CEO of Edelman , discussed these and other findings from the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer during visits last week with the global communications firm's clients in tech-heavy Seattle and San Francisco. GeekWire sat down with Edelman during his visit to the firm's...
Mar 06, 2024•17 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, our guests are John Rossman and Kevin McCaffrey, authors of the new book, "Big Bet Leadership." It's a playbook for business leaders to systematically make bets in a way that reduces risk and increases long-term flexibility. The book draws lessons from the likes of Microsoft, Amazon, T-Mobile and SpaceX, while also leaning heavily on the first-hand experience of the authors overseeing and implementing big bets. With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop; Audio editin...
Mar 02, 2024•46 min
Entrepreneur and investor Chris DeVore had an inside view of Techstars Seattle as one of the original leaders of the local startup accelerator in 2010, serving as its managing director from 2014 to 2019. His Feb. 21 post "What went wrong at Techstars," looked closely at the organization's evolution — including its increased focus on corporate sponsorships and shift to centralized fundraising — as the backdrop for the news last week that Techstars is closing its Seattle accelerator as part of a b...
Feb 28, 2024•23 min
Techstars Seattle helped launch more than 160 startups over the past decade, partnered with the likes of Microsoft and Amazon to spark even more startups, and led to the creation of three companies currently valued at more than $1 billion — making it one of the most successful programs in the Techstars network. Founded in 2006 in Boulder, Colo., Techstars provides fledgling startups with early capital, coaching, mentorship, a chance to pitch to investors, and an opportunity to work for three mon...
Feb 24, 2024•21 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, stick around to the end for a late-breaking addition to the show — a bonus segment about OpenAI's new AI video generation technology Sora . Joining the show is Rahul Sood , CEO and co-founder of Irreverent Labs , a Seattle-area startup that is working on AI to turn images and text into video. We also discuss the Seattle-area startups that are bringing employees into the office five days a week; look ahead to the upcoming release of what appears to be a juicy Am...
Feb 17, 2024•36 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, Todd Bishop and John Cook examine the timing of Jeff Bezos' plan to sell up to 50 million shares of Amazon stock, in the context of his public announcement that he would be moving to Miami; assess Satya Nadella's track record as Microsoft CEO as he reaches 10 years in the role ; and test an example of how text-to-speech applications could change the way we engage with printed books — or maybe not, based on the way one of them reacts. Audio editing by Curt Milto...
Feb 10, 2024•31 min
First up this week on the GeekWire Podcast: an inside take on developing software for the Apple Vision Pro. We talked with a longtime software developer for Apple platforms, Ken Case, co-founder and CEO of Seattle-based Omni Group , which makes productivity apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad, and just released a version of its OmniPlan project management software for the newly launched Apple Vision Pro. Related story: Apple Vision Pro: Why one longtime software shop is jumping head-first into spatia...
Feb 03, 2024•33 min
Our guest this week is someone who is experimenting every day with AI, pushing the capabilities of the existing tools and technologies: Kevin Leneway , principal software engineer at the Pioneer Square Labs startup incubator in Seattle. He talks about the tools he's using across his personal and work life, and how they're transforming the process of innovation and creativity. He also shares details about a new project he's been working on, an AI coding assistant called JACoB . Hosted by GeekWire...
Jan 27, 2024•39 min
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we consider Microsoft's latest AI product, the $20/month Copilot Pro, compare it to the likes of ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro and Otter.ai — and realize in the process that one of us is already paying way too much for AI assistants on a monthly basis. Plus, a deep dive on Zulily bolsters a hypothesis about the motives of the private equity firm that acquired and later shut down the online retailer. And finally, we compare, contrast, and appreciate the very differen...
Jan 20, 2024•26 min
Liz Hamren has been CEO of Amazon's Ring business for almost a year, as the successor in the role to Ring founder Jamie Siminoff. Hamren previously held technology and business leadership positions at companies including Dropcam, Microsoft, Oculus, and Discord, and was involved in product launches including Xbox consoles and Meta VR headsets. In addition to Ring, she leads Blink, Amazon Key, and Amazon Sidewalk in her current role. She spoke with us recently in her first public interview since b...
Jan 13, 2024•24 min
This week's guest, Nancy Wang, is a technology product and engineering executive, advisor, and investor. A former Amazon Web Services general manager and former Google lead product manager, she is a venture partner at Felicis Ventures, where she invests in early-stage startups in cybersecurity, enterprise infrastructure, and business-to-business software as a service. She is also founder and board chair of Advancing Women in Tech , and a contributor to Forbes. With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bisho...
Jan 06, 2024•40 min
Our guest this week on the GeekWire Podcast is computer scientist and entrepreneur Oren Etzioni , assessing the past year in AI, and looking ahead to what's next. Etzioni, an AI leader for many decades, is professor emeritus at the University of Washington, Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence board member, AI2 Incubator technical director, and Madrona Venture Group venture partner. In the first segment of the show, GeekWire's John Cook and Todd Bishop discuss the big AI news of the week:...
Dec 30, 2023•51 min
