Starfish Space loses contact with its Otter spacecraft, ending satellite inspection mission
NASA-funded mission comes to a premature end due to glitch in fault protection system.
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Filing: Amazon’s previously announced layoffs include 95 jobs in Washington state
A notice made public Tuesday evening, disclosing about 95 Amazon job cuts in Washington state, is part of the company's previously reported layoffs in its retail business, not a new round of reductions, a company spokesperson confirmed.
Amazon rewrites its software engineering playbook for an era when AI writes the code
Amazon has revised its role guidelines for software engineers to emphasize results for customers over how much AI they use. Inside AWS, a previously unreported team called Velocity Labs took a new open-source AI model from concept to…
Don’t miss Seattle tech’s biggest holiday party: Get early bird tickets for the GeekWire Gala
The GeekWire Gala returns Dec. 10 with a new venue at The Shop in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. Join hundreds of tech leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators for an unforgettable night of holiday festivities, networking, food, drinks and…
Tech Moves: Microsoft loses a CVP to AWS and gains one from Alteryx; Lila Bio and BECU name execs
After more than 33 years at Microsoft, CVP Mazhar Mohammed has left for AWS, while the Redmond, Wash., company has gained a new CVP in its Agent Cloud group. Seattle's Lila Bio has appointed a chief development officer; the credit union…
Opinion: San Francisco is delivering, while Seattle is still deliberating
Opinion: Seattle Metro Chamber CEO Joe Nguyễn says San Francisco's progress under Mayor Daniel Lurie comes down to leadership, and that Seattle has the talent and resources to do the same. He points to Lurie's approach to open-air drug…
Microsoft opens Imagine Cup to startups, and the new rules show how its AI strategy has changed
Microsoft's Imagine Cup, a student competition since 2003, is opening to startups whose founders aren't in school. The rules no longer require Microsoft's own AI, just its Azure cloud, and diversity criteria are gone from the judging.
Accent bias: AI models penalize certain speakers in interviews and tests, UW study finds
Models from Google and OpenAI scored American and British speakers higher than Chinese and Nigerian speakers, even when everyone read the same script.
How a Starbucks drive-thru ‘fast pass’ could actually work
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol says the company’s drive-thru “fast pass” would use the Starbucks app to recognize customers as they pull up, bring up their usual order and handle payment. Available technology could make the implementation less…
Who gets your vote? What rumors should you spot? Election quiz and bingo offer guidance
A Washington tech entrepreneur built a quiz to help voters sort through candidates and ballot measures, while University of Washington researchers created a bingo card for spotting familiar election-fraud rumors. Both bring a little levity…
Startup uses motion sensors and AI to tell families when an aging parent’s routine changes
After his mother-in-law was hurt in a fall and told no one, ex-Microsoft exec Michael Nassirian built a camera-free way for families to know when something’s off.
Pope Leo XIV on AI
Pope Leo XIV said in an Oct. 30 speech at the Vatican that the future of AI isn't predetermined, that machines are tools rather than persons and that states should move to ban lethal autonomous weapons. Oren Etzioni agrees with four of his…
Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Oct. 25, 2026
See the technology stories that people were reading on GeekWire for the week of Oct. 25, 2026.
Microsoft’s big buyout, Amazon’s trillion-dollar future, and an AI wearable reviews our show
Microsoft offers buyouts to about 60,000 employees, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy predicts two trillion-dollar businesses, and we let Amazon's Bee AI wearable listen to the show and critique our conversation.
Washington governor rips Microsoft over TV ad in leaked audio
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson criticized Microsoft for funding a PAC whose TV ad, aired during Seahawks games, says "Olympia is broken." Microsoft has given the group, Washington Needs to Compete, more than $5 million of the $13.8 million…
Madrona Prize goes to UW research on agents that shrink AI models to run on small chips
A University of Washington project that uses AI agents to fit AI models onto small, low-power chips won the Madrona Prize at the Allen School's annual Research Showcase. Other honorees included AI agents that write custom software for AI…
Filing: Chip startup Powerlattice raises $86M to ease AI’s power crunch
The new funding nearly triples what the Vancouver, Wash.-based semiconductor startup had raised when it came out of stealth last year. Powerlattice says its tech can cut AI chip energy use by more than half.
Metal fabricator NIC Global to cut 103 jobs near Seattle, move production to Eastern Washington
NIC Global plans to close its Seattle-area manufacturing plant and cut 103 jobs, saying work from nearby customers has declined and it hasn’t been able to replace it. Most production will move to Spokane, Wash., as the company sees…
Power outage takes down KEXP streaming for Seattle radio station’s worldwide audience
A failed backup power system left KEXP’s servers dark Friday, cutting off the web stream and mobile app for roughly 175,000 weekly listeners. The station’s 90.3 FM signal is back on the air.
Andy Jassy’s prediction: Amazon could have two $1 trillion businesses within a decade
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says AWS and the company's stores business could each reach $1 trillion in annual revenue in the next five to 10 years, something no business has ever done. AWS is at a $184 billion annual run rate, and Jassy expects…
Tech Moves: Former Amazon execs depart Warner Bros. Discovery; Amazon leader returns to Microsoft
Two former Amazon executives who helped build Discovery’s direct-to-consumer operation in Bellevue, Wash., are stepping down; an Amazon leader is returning to Microsoft to join its CoreAI effort; VertueLab names ED; and more personnel…
AWS growth hits 39%, its fastest in nearly five years, as Amazon misses on earnings
Amazon Web Services revenue grew 39% to $46 billion in the third quarter, its fastest pace in nearly five years, and CEO Andy Jassy said he expects AWS to top 40% growth in 2027 and 2028. Amazon's earnings of $1.89 per share missed analyst…
Coding Dojo co-founder unveils ‘Idea to Launch,’ a 30-day program to help aspiring founders build with AI
Richard Wang’s self-funded program pairs AI coding tools with hands-on engineering help. It takes no equity, and participants can keep their day jobs.
Seattle-area startup Group14 raises $169M, plans battery materials factory in Spain
Group14 has raised $169 million and plans to build a battery materials factory in Spain as it expands beyond Washington and South Korea. Meanwhile, the Seattle-area startup now expects to bring the first module of its delayed Moses Lake…
Zillow agrees to pay $212.5M to settle investor lawsuit over failed home-flipping business
Zillow Group will pay $212.5 million to settle a shareholder class action alleging it misled investors about Zillow Offers, the home-flipping business it shut down in 2021. The deal, which needs court approval, comes three weeks after the…
Bigger than Bing or Xbox: Microsoft’s OpenAI haul reaches $10B in quarterly revenue
OpenAI generated $10 billion in revenue for Microsoft in the quarter ended Sept. 30, about 11% of Microsoft's total, according to the company's quarterly filing. That's more than Microsoft made in the quarter from Xbox, search and…
Microsoft Azure revenue surges 48% to $33.2B, beating expectations as cloud and AI demand grows
Microsoft's Azure cloud business brought in $33.2 billion in the September quarter, up 48%, the first time the company has reported Azure's quarterly revenue. Total revenue rose 19% to $92.3 billion, while capital spending of $45.2 billion…
Seattle farmworker payroll startup Ganaz acquired as CEO Hannah Freeman steps away
Seattle startup Ganaz, which makes payroll and HR software for agricultural employers and workers, has been acquired by Toronto-based Beacon Holdings. Co-founder and CEO Hannah Freeman is stepping away, and the deal’s financial terms…
F5 stock suffers worst day in more than a decade as AI spending shakes investors
F5 shares fell about 20% Wednesday after the company forecast slower revenue growth and lower margins for fiscal 2027, despite beating Wall Street's estimates for its fiscal fourth quarter. F5 also plans to double its team of specialist AI…
PicoBrew’s patents are back on the market, six years after the Seattle homebrew startup’s collapse
Hilco Global is marketing 17 patents and applications from the defunct Seattle homebrew startup on behalf of Pico Craft Group, which bought the assets in 2024.