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<title>Tech Moves: Microsoft execs depart; TerraClear, UserTesting, EchoMark and Read AI add leaders</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/tech-moves-microsoft-execs-depart-terraclear-usertesting-echomark-and-read-ai-add-leaders/</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2026 16:26:48 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Stiffler]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Startups]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Tech Moves]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Amazon]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bobby Hollis]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[EchoMark]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Frazier Healthcare Partners]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[FruitScout]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[GitHub]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Joy Chik]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Read AI]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[TerraClear]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Thomas Dohmke]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UserTesting]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=922114</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="400" height="400" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Joy-Chik.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Joy-Chik.jpg 400w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Joy-Chik-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Joy-Chik-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Joy-Chik-100x100.jpg 100w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Joy-Chik-200x200.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px"> Microsoft's Joy Chik is retiring after 28 years, the company's VP of energy resigns, and a slate of Seattle-area startups add leaders. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/tech-moves-microsoft-execs-depart-terraclear-usertesting-echomark-and-read-ai-add-leaders/">Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img decoding="async" width="400" height="400" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Joy-Chik.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-922333" style="width:325px" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Joy-Chik.jpg 400w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Joy-Chik-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Joy-Chik-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Joy-Chik-100x100.jpg 100w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Joy-Chik-200x200.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Joy Chik. (LinkedIn Photo)</figcaption></figure>
</div>
— <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-chik/">Joy Chik</a> announced she will retire from Microsoft in July after nearly three decades. Her eight roles there ranged from software design engineer to her current title: president of identity and network access.
“I’m excited to expand my public company board work while also building new muscles in the startup, angel investing, and venture capital spaces, partnering with founders and leadership teams as they scale,” Chik said on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joy-chik_the-knowing-moments-share-7445527870774562816-Ux6Q?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAALbAY8BAMubgbU_YrKPSMQUTb8n4LKdJA0">LinkedIn</a>. 
She has already launched a podcast called The Knowing Moments in which she shares thoughts on her professional transition “and the start of a new era.”
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img decoding="async" width="400" height="400" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bobby-Hollis.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-922334" style="width:225px" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bobby-Hollis.jpg 400w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bobby-Hollis-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bobby-Hollis-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bobby-Hollis-100x100.jpg 100w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bobby-Hollis-200x200.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bobby Hollis. (LinkedIn Photo)</figcaption></figure>
</div>
— <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-hollis-a334474/">Bobby Hollis</a>, Microsoft‘s vice president of energy, has left the company after three years for an undisclosed new role. “Energy and technology have never been at a more important juncture, and it’s so important that we get this right,” Hollis said on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bobby-hollis-a334474_moving-on-news-moves-faster-than-i-hoped-share-7444789134994378753-ohUh/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAALbAY8BAMubgbU_YrKPSMQUTb8n4LKdJA0">LinkedIn</a>. “I won’t be leaving the conversation. I’ll just be doing it with a different hat.”
Before Microsoft, Hollis was at data center company Rowan Digital Infrastructure. Previous roles include head of development at Bill Gates-backed Breakthrough Energy and Facebook’s head of global energy, environment and site selection.
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="400" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Eric-Rombokas.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-922335" style="width:225px" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Eric-Rombokas.jpg 400w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Eric-Rombokas-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Eric-Rombokas-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Eric-Rombokas-100x100.jpg 100w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Eric-Rombokas-200x200.jpg 200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Eric Rombokas. (LinkedIn Photo)</figcaption></figure>
</div>
— Robotic ag-tech company TerraClear has named <a href="https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4655951-1&h=2186289926&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Feric-rombokas-2589099%2F&a=Eric+Rombokas" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eric Rombokas</a> as director of robotics and hardware. The startup, based in Issaquah, Wash., and Grangeville, Idaho, builds technology that autonomously identifies and removes rocks and weeds from farmers’ fields. TerraClear is No. 83 on the <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/geekwire-200/">GeekWire 200</a> index of top Pacific Northwest startups.
Rombokas comes from Ohio’s Cornerstone Research Group and holds an affiliate professor role at the University of Washington in both mechanical engineering and electrical and computer engineering.
“Eric is a rare talent who bridges the gap between fundamental robotic research and rugged, real-world deployment,” said TerraClear CEO Devin Lammers.
— <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/neal-gottsacker/">Neal Gottsacker</a> was named chief technology officer at UserTesting, a Bellevue, Wash.-based company that connects businesses with a global network of testers for on-demand user experience research. Gottsacker, who will work remotely, previously served as chief product officer at the workflow automation company Nintex.
“As AI reshapes how teams build and innovate, the real differentiator will be the ability to connect powerful models with authentic human signals at scale,” he said on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7445182849860702210/?originTrackingId=9WSGPPwl5NErqPqZiJfeMA%3D%3D">LinkedIn</a>.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1054" height="526" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Manish-Powar-and-Pete-Daderko.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-922336" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Manish-Powar-and-Pete-Daderko.jpg 1054w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Manish-Powar-and-Pete-Daderko-768x383.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1054px) 100vw, 1054px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Manisha Powar and Pete Daderko. (LinkedIn Photos)</figcaption></figure>
— EchoMark, a Bellevue startup that uses digital watermarking and forensics to track the source of leaks and data breaches, added two hires to its leadership team:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmanisha/">Manisha Powar</a> is leading product at the startup. She joins from Qualtrics, where she was VP and head of product for the Customer Experience Suite, the company’s largest business line. Before that, Powar was at Facebook for less than two years and spent nearly 17 years at Microsoft, leaving as principal PM manager for Windows Storefronts in 2017.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterdaderko/">Pete Daderko</a> is leading product marketing. He previously served as a senior director at Microsoft, and earlier was a U.S. Navy submarine officer and engagement manager at McKinsey.</li>
</ul>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="400" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Matt-Gamboa.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-922339" style="width:225px" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Matt-Gamboa.jpg 400w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Matt-Gamboa-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Matt-Gamboa-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Matt-Gamboa-100x100.jpg 100w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Matt-Gamboa-200x200.jpg 200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Matt Gamboa. (LinkedIn Photo)</figcaption></figure>
</div>
— <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/">Matt Gamboa</a> is now a principal product manager for Read AI, the Seattle startup that sells enterprise productivity software tools using generative AI. “After two years of a much-needed reset and exploration, I’m back,” he said on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mattgambo_after-two-years-of-a-much-needed-reset-and-share-7444620292032716800-Hwab/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAABwnkgByse8v1wD5QS4WlIjd23WTIi9ilQ">LinkedIn</a>. Gamboa is also co-founder of CertifyIQ, a startup building educational technology for skilled trades. He previously held management roles at Nomad Health, Expedia Group and Rover.
Read AI is No. 16 on the <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/geekwire-200/">GeekWire 200</a> index of top Pacific Northwest startups.
— <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethmbowman/">Ken Bowman</a> is now chief revenue officer for FruitScout. The Seattle ag-tech startup uses AI to monitor crop growth, with a current focus on agave — identifying the optimal harvest time for the tequila-producing plant.
“By using the phones already in workers’ pockets to create digital twins of every plant, in combination with drone imaging to drive cost-effective, accountable scale, we are bringing Industry 4.0 to the field,” Bowman said on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethmbowman/">LinkedIn</a>.
—<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/luli-chaluleu-10232610?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_profile%3AACoAAAIu7xIB2QbBdCX-HHM7m5AU6r40bnrIoL8">Luli Chaluleu</a> has transitioned to Amazon‘s vice president of PXT (People eXperience and Technology) for North America operations. Chaluleu has been with the Seattle-area tech giant for nearly 14 years and was previously VP of HR. 
— <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtom?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_profile%3AACoAAAI3nJgBnf-eqnDtOmkW7zqfbIA0F1Dhp9Q">Thomas Dohmke</a>, former CEO of GitHub, has joined the supervisory board for Deutsche Telekom Group, parent company of T-Mobile. Deutsche Telekom has “touched the foundation of my life many times,” Dohmke said on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7445497074705506304/?originTrackingId=T5Rw9Ty2mjsWdNHHKRvo2g%3D%3D">LinkedIn</a>, starting with an internship in Berlin in the 1990s.
Dohmke spent more than three years as a Microsoft principal director before moving into leadership roles at GitHub following Microsoft’s acquisition of the code-hosting and collaboration platform. He served as GitHub’s CEO for nearly four years, stepping down in September.
— <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-schuster-74314a1/">Steve Schuster</a> is retiring from Amazon after more than 12 years with the company, most recently as vice president of security response and engineering in the tech giant’s Washington, D.C., offices. He previously served in information security leadership at Cornell University.
— Frazier Healthcare Partners, a Seattle-based healthcare investment firm, announced several promotions and a new hire:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-wu-1250/">Andrew Wu</a> was promoted to vice president. </li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-ewnetu/">Daniel Ewnetu</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-ostrander-32661213a/">Luke Ostrander</a> were promoted to senior associate on the investment professional team.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-eckert-b13260122/">Carol Eckert</a> was promoted to senior VP of investor relations.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/migawlik/">Mike Gawlik</a> joins Frazier as a VP and will be based in the firm’s new New York office.</li>
</ul>
]]></content:encoded>
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<item>
<title>Rubin Observatory team discovers 11,000 new asteroids, with help from University of Washington software</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/rubin-observatory-11000-new-asteroids/</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Alan Boyle]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[asteroid]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Asteroids]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Astronomy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DIRAC Institute]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LSST]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Washington]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Vera Rubin Observatory]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=922190</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260402-asteroids-1260x709.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Model of the inner solar system with sprays of light teal representing newly discovered asteroids" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260402-asteroids-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260402-asteroids-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260402-asteroids-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260402-asteroids.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> Advanced algorithms speed up the search for small solar system objects, and astronomers say there's much more to come. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/rubin-observatory-11000-new-asteroids/">Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260402-asteroids-1260x709.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-922193" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260402-asteroids-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260402-asteroids-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260402-asteroids-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260402-asteroids.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A model of the inner solar system shows asteroids discovered by the Rubin Observatory in light teal. Previously known asteroids are dark blue. The model highlights almost 12,700 asteroids that the Rubin team has discovered over the course of a year and a half. (Photo: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory / NOIRLab / SLAC / AURA / R. Proctor. Star map: NASA / GSFC Scientific Visualization Studio. Gaia DR2: ESA / Gaia / DPAC. Image Processing: M. Zamani / NSF NOIRLab)</figcaption></figure>
The <a href="https://rubinobservatory.org/">Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s</a> science team has discovered more than 11,000 new asteroids — a feat made possible by the Simonyi Survey Telescope’s advanced capabilities and data-crunching software developed at the University of Washington.
Rubin’s deluge of discoveries, based on a million early-stage observations that were collected over the course of a month and a half last summer, includes roughly 380 trans-Neptunian objects, or TNOs, and 33 previously unknown near-Earth objects. (Don’t panic: None of those near-Earth objects poses a threat to Earth.)
The data set also includes more than 80,000 previously known asteroids, some of which had been “lost” to science because of uncertainty about their orbits. The findings were confirmed by the International Astronomical Union’s <a href="https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/">Minor Planet Center</a>, the global clearinghouse for small solar system objects.
These aren’t the first finds for the $800 million observatory in Chile, which made its <a href="https://rubinobservatory.org/news/first-imagery-rubin">“First Look”</a> debut <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/rubin-observatory-first-look/">last June</a>. Astronomers previously reported finding more than 1,500 asteroids during earlier test rounds.
“This first large submission after Rubin First Look is just the tip of the iceberg and shows that the observatory is ready,” UW astronomer <a href="https://astro.washington.edu/people/mario-juric">Mario Jurić</a>, who heads Rubin’s solar system team, <a href="https://www.washington.edu/news/2026/04/02/rubin-observatory-11000-new-asteroids/">said in a news release</a>. “What used to take years or decades to discover, Rubin will unearth in months. We are beginning to deliver on Rubin’s promise to fundamentally reshape our inventory of the solar system and open the door to discoveries we haven’t yet imagined.”
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="3D animation of asteroids discovered by NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory (close)" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y07GcptX0XE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This video highlights the asteroids discovered at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. The discoveries come in three bursts: 73 were discovered during the first early test observations using Rubin’s Commissioning Camera in late 2024; 1,514 were discovered during First Look observations in April and May 2025; and 11,000 more asteroids were discovered in Rubin’s early optimization surveys last summer.</figcaption></figure>
The observatory’s centerpiece is the <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2024/charles-simonyi-wide-angle-telescope-rubin/">Simonyi Survey Telescope</a>, named after the family of Seattle-area software billionaire <a href="http://linkedin.com/in/charles-simonyi-b89204">Charles Simonyi</a>. Equipped with the <a href="https://www.universetoday.com/articles/vera-rubin-gets-its-camera-installed">world’s largest digital camera</a>, it can generate 20 terabytes of raw data per night. That data is analyzed and interpreted by scientific institutions around the world — including UW’s <a href="https://dirac.astro.washington.edu/">DiRAC Institute</a>. (DiRAC stands for “Data-Intensive Research in Astrophysics and Cosmology.”)
“Rubin’s unique observing cadence required a whole new software architecture for asteroid discovery,” said <a href="https://astro.washington.edu/people/aren-heinze">Ari Heinze</a>, a UW astronomer who worked with graduate student <a href="https://astro.washington.edu/people/jake-kurlander">Jacob Kurlander</a> to create the software that detected the asteroids. “We built it, and it works. It seems pretty clear this observatory will revolutionize our knowledge of the asteroid belt.”
Once it ramps up to full operation, the Rubin Observatory is expected to identify almost 90,000 new near-Earth objects, or NEOs, in the zone around our planet’s orbit. Some of those NEOs could be hazardous, and early detection would give scientists, engineers and policymakers a head start on the development of planetary defense strategies.
The trans-Neptunian objects that were found in the broad zone of the solar system beyond the orbit of Neptune include two icy bodies that appear to have extremely elongated orbits. The Rubin team says these two objects — designated <a href="https://sbx.dirac.dev/object/2025%20LS2">2025 LS2</a> and <a href="https://sbx.dirac.dev/object/2025%20MX348">2025 MX348</a> — reach distances that are roughly 1,000 times farther out from the sun than Earth. That would place them among the 30 most distant known celestial objects of their kind.
If the far reaches of the solar system harbor a large trans-Neptunian object — a hypothetical world known as <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/tag/planet-nine/">Planet Nine</a> or <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/tag/planet-x/">Planet X</a> — Rubin <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/planet-x/">should be able to detect it</a>.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/TNOs-1260x709.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-922273" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/TNOs-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/TNOs-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/TNOs-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/TNOs.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The specks of light teal shown in this rendering of the wider solar system represent the roughly 380 trans-Neptunian objects discovered using observations taken during Rubin’s early optimization surveys last summer. i(Photo: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory / NOIRLab / SLAC / AURA / R. Proctor. Star map: NASA / GSFC Scientific Visualization Studio. Gaia DR2: ESA/Gaia/DPAC. Image Processing: M. Zamani / NSF NOIRLab)</figcaption></figure>
“Searching for a TNO is like searching for a needle in a field of haystacks,” said <a href="https://astronomy.fas.harvard.edu/people/matthew-holman">Matthew Holman</a>, a senior astrophysicist at the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and former director of the Minor Planet Center. “Out of millions of flickering sources in the sky, teaching a computer to sift through billions of combinations and identify those that are likely to be distant worlds in our solar system required novel algorithmic approaches.”
Holman worked with <a href="https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/people/kevin-napier">Kevin Napier</a>, a research scientist at the Center for Astrophysics, to develop the <a href="https://arxiv.org/html/2509.26279v1">algorithms</a> for detecting distant solar system objects with Rubin data.
The Rubin discoveries that have been announced to date are only a prelude to Rubin’s 10-year <a href="https://rubinobservatory.org/explore/how-rubin-works/lsst">Legacy Survey of Space and Time</a>. Simulations suggest that over the course of the coming decade, the Rubin Observatory will find <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/sorcha-software-rubin-observatory-millions/">millions of previously undetected asteroids</a>.
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
Operations of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory are funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
This research is available at the <a href="https://sbx.dirac.dev/station/X05">Rubin Asteroid Discoveries Dashboard</a>. In addition to <a href="https://astro.washington.edu/people/mario-juric">Jurić</a>, <a href="https://astro.washington.edu/people/aren-heinze">Heinze</a>, <a href="https://astro.washington.edu/people/jake-kurlander">Kurlander</a>, <a href="https://astronomy.fas.harvard.edu/people/matthew-holman">Holman</a> and <a href="https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/people/kevin-napier">Napier</a>, the research team members include <a href="https://dirac.astro.washington.edu/person/pedro-bernardinelli/">Pedro Bernardinelli</a>, a former DiRAC postdoctoral fellow at the UW, now at the Institute for Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences of the University of São Paulo; <a href="https://astro.washington.edu/people/joachim-moeyens">Joachim Moeyens</a>, a UW research software engineer and B612 Asteroid Institute team member who earned his doctorate in astronomy at the UW; <a href="https://aerospace.illinois.edu/directory/profile/eggl">Siegfried Eggl</a>, a former UW postdoctoral researcher in astronomy, now at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne; and <a href="https://nourbakhsh.astro.princeton.edu/">Erfan Nourbakhsh</a> at Princeton University.
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<title>Flat tire? Dead battery? Speedy’s serves stranded Seattle riders as a quicker e-bike picker-upper</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/flat-tire-dead-battery-speedys-serves-stranded-seattle-riders-as-a-quicker-e-bike-picker-upper/</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:32:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kurt Schlosser]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Startups]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[e-bike]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Speedy's]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921929</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="945" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Tyler-Rear-of-Van-Close-1260x945.png" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Tyler-Rear-of-Van-Close-1260x945.png 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Tyler-Rear-of-Van-Close-768x576.png 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Tyler-Rear-of-Van-Close-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Tyler-Rear-of-Van-Close.png 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> Tyler Swartz, a Seattle native and cycling enthusiast, was laid off from his tech job at Reddit and wanted to start something that served Seattle's community of e-bikers. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/flat-tire-dead-battery-speedys-serves-stranded-seattle-riders-as-a-quicker-e-bike-picker-upper/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="945" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Tyler-Rear-of-Van-Close-1260x945.png" alt="" class="wp-image-921935" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Tyler-Rear-of-Van-Close-1260x945.png 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Tyler-Rear-of-Van-Close-768x576.png 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Tyler-Rear-of-Van-Close-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Tyler-Rear-of-Van-Close.png 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Speedy’s fouder Tyler Swartz with the electric van he uses to pick up and drop off e-bikes. (Speedy’s Photo)</figcaption></figure>
If you’ve ever tried to lift and fit a big, heavy e-bike into the back of a car, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerswartz/">Tyler Swartz</a> feels your pain, and went to work on a solution.
Swartz, a Seattle native and cycling enthusiast, is the founder of <a href="https://joinspeedys.com/">Speedy’s</a>, a roadside service for e-bike owners who are stranded by a flat tire, dead battery, or some other breakdown and need their bike transported to a shop for repair.
Speedy’s doesn’t do the fixing, but it does the heavy lifting, promising a 90-minute emergency response time.
The idea came to Swartz after he was laid off from his product manager job at Reddit in 2023 — during parental leave with his third child. While using his e-bike as the family errand and adventure wagon, he realized how hard it was to get the bulky machine to a bike shop if it stopped working. His brother pitched the idea of AAA for e-bikes — all he would need is a truck.
“My initial reaction was, ‘Wow, that sounds like driving a truck around,'” Swartz told GeekWire. “Doesn’t sound fun. Doesn’t sound like a sexy software solution.”
But the more he wrapped his head around the problem, the more he liked the idea of serving a community of e-bike enthusiasts in a city that values sustainability. 
He launched Speedy’s in 2024 after purchasing an electric cargo van outfitted inside for e-bike transport and wrapped in pink outside with his branding. Two years later the bootstrapped service has attracted more than 325 active members and completed 384 trips across 1,900 miles with a team of five drivers.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="717" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Loading-Van-1260x717.png" alt="" class="wp-image-922209" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Loading-Van-1260x717.png 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Loading-Van-768x437.png 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Loading-Van-1536x874.png 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Loading-Van-2048x1166.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tyler Swartz loads an e-bike from Seattle-based Rad Power Bikes into the Speedy’s van. (Speedy’s Photo)</figcaption></figure>
Speedy’s is partnering with several Seattle-area bike shops, which are offering a free trial of the service with a new bike purchase. Swartz said it was important to him to convey that he was not out to steal the shops’ business — he wanted to help get customers back to shops.
The service costs $99 per year — covering all bikes in a family — and is good for up to six pickups. Speedy’s handles emergency calls and scheduled ones which can be arranged 24 hours in advance with the company’s calendar tool.
Speedy’s covers a big area across Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Bothell, and surrounding communities. And it guarantees its 90-minute response from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. It’s been on time for every call it’s received so far.
Beyond the website, the user-experience is mostly text-based. Swartz did create a feature where he sends customers a link that tracks the location of the Speedy’s van, for an Uber-like experience as they wait.
Swartz is excited about Seattle’s robust e-bike market, especially with <a href="https://ebikerebate.wsdot-sites.com/">Washington state’s e-bike rebate program</a>, which started accepting applications this week and will begin random selections on April 13. 
His goal is to get to 600 customers this year so he can start paying himself. His long-term vision is to be in 30 cities across North America, serving 225,000 members. 
“It’s just slow and steady growing,” Swartz said. “In software you’re used to nothing, nothing, and then it really accelerates. With local services, it’s slow and steady.”
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<title>Stop trying to make people read instructions: 10 startup lessons from Convoy co-founder Dan Lewis</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/stop-trying-to-make-people-read-instructions-10-startup-lessons-from-convoy-co-founder-dan-lewis/</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:11:23 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ken Yeung]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Startups]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Amazon]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[convoy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Dan Lewis]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Henry Kravis]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Hiring]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Jeff Bezos]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[KKR]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Seattle AI Startup Summit]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[startup culture]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[startups]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=922295</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1200" height="800" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dan-lewis.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dan-lewis.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dan-lewis-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"> Convoy co-founder and Microsoft Corporate Vice President Dan Lewis drew on his experience building the one-time unicorn trucking startup to share lessons for entrepreneurs at this week's Seattle AI Startup Summit. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/stop-trying-to-make-people-read-instructions-10-startup-lessons-from-convoy-co-founder-dan-lewis/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1200" height="800" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dan-lewis.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-922302" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dan-lewis.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dan-lewis-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Convoy co- founder and Microsoft Corporate Vice President Dan Lewis at the Seattle AI Startup Summit on April 2, 2026. (Ken Yeung Photo)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/danlewis4545/">Dan Lewis</a>’ career is hard to summarize in a sentence. He was a product manager at Microsoft, then an early employee at the Seattle AI startup Wavii, which Google later acquired. He made a stop at Amazon before ultimately boomeranging back to Microsoft, <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/convoy-co-founder-dan-lewis-joins-microsoft-in-exec-role-leading-work-on-enterprise-ai/">where he is today</a>. 
At this week’s <a href="https://www.seattlestartupsummit.com/">Seattle AI Startup Summit</a>, it was his experience building Convoy, the one-time unicorn trucking startup that <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2023/the-markets-crushed-us-in-tearful-farewell-to-employees-convoy-execs-reflect-on-shutdown/">shuttered in 2023</a>, that he wanted to talk about. 
But instead of relitigating what <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2023/convoy-ceo-makes-first-public-comments-on-companys-shutdown/">led to Convoy’s collapse</a>, Lewis used his time on stage to share lessons to help entrepreneurs build a startup from the ground up.
<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Be deliberate about culture</h5>
Every company develops a culture, whether the founder shapes it or not, Lewis said. “The question is, are you involved in influencing what that is and helping to shape it around something you think aligns with your mission and the people you want in the company?”
<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Codify values only after you see what’s working</h5>
Back when Lewis was at Amazon, he asked then-CEO Jeff Bezos how the <a href="https://www.amazon.jobs/content/en/our-workplace/leadership-principles">leadership principles</a> were derived. Bezos told him that “he started writing stuff down when he first created the company, and then he realized he didn’t quite know what he was doing. So he waited a year to see what was working and what wasn’t, just to get a feel for how things were going.”
Anything that Bezos wanted to keep was codified. Lewis mirrored this approach for Convoy.
<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Make sure people know why, not just what</h5>
Founders shouldn’t have a culture in which workers accept decisions simply because the CEO says so. Lewis called that dynamic “demotivating,” arguing that employees who don’t understand the reasoning behind decisions can’t act independently or feel real ownership. Without that context, he said, people won’t feel like they’re truly part of the company.
<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Name teams after problems, not solutions</h5>
Lewis urged founders to name teams after the customer problems they’re solving, not the products they’re building. He pointed to his time at Amazon, where he built a Q&A tool called  “Ask a Question, Get an Answer” for the ratings and reviews team. 
The team pushed back: their mandate was to grow ratings and reviews, not launch someone else’s product. Had the team been named around a broader goal like customer or buyer confidence, Lewis said, its members would have been more open to creative approaches rather than feeling like they were “executing somebody else’s plan.”
<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Innovate deliberately</h5>
Invest time and energy into the areas that will really differentiate your company and “give you a chance to win.” Lewis acknowledged that it can feel uncomfortable to copy someone else’s innovations in undifferentiated areas, but sometimes it’s OK, especially when you’re not spending time on things “that don’t matter a lot.” 
<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Storytelling is a startup superpower</h5>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1200" height="800" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dan-lewis-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-922303" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dan-lewis-2.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dan-lewis-2-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Convoy co-founder Dan Lewis discusses the power of storytelling at the 2026 Seattle AI Startup Summit. (Ken Yeung Photo)</figcaption></figure>
Another critical cultural value is the company’s story. Have you crafted a narrative that is interesting, something people can relate to, and want to be a part of? 
“Think about for what [you’re] doing, what’s the context in the world?” Lewis said. “What is the opportunity that’s just right there in front of us? What’s the tension point as to why we can’t get that opportunity? What is holding the world back from it, and how are we going to unlock it for everyone so it makes everything better?”
When it came to Convoy, for example, he had his work cut out for him early on trying to sign on new business.“Why would my customer, who’s never worked with a technology company, because they’re shipping freight, want to take a bet?” Lewis explained. “Because they want to be part of the story. It’s interesting.” 
<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Clarify expectations bidirectionally</h5>
Trust between founders and employees doesn’t happen by accident. Lewis recommended sitting down — perhaps over a meal — and laying out expectations from both sides before the work begins. It’s a bidirectional process, meaning that both the leader and employee must be heard.
<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Hire deliberately — and reluctantly</h5>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1200" height="800" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dan-lewis-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-922299" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dan-lewis-1.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dan-lewis-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dan Lewis offers recruiting and hiring insights at the 2026 Seattle AI Startup Summit. (Ken Yeung Photo)</figcaption></figure>
When it comes to hiring, Lewis offered three tips. 
First, every company wants team members who want to “show up every day, knock down walls, and make it happen.” But for more established organizations, they also need an additional type of employee, those capable of operating and innovating existing systems. This creates conflict inside a large business, Lewis said, because two cultures can’t live in harmony, nor is it possible to have “two compensation structures that manage the risk-reward.”
He argued that startups have the “pure play” advantage where there’s one culture, one risk-reward trade-off, and founders can focus on the type of person they need. In fact, Lewis thinks 80% of the workforce should possess that “wall-knocker” mentality.
Second, startups must be deliberate in hiring, applying filters to candidates throughout the candidate funnel, and rating how someone introduced themselves, spoke during the first meeting, and followed up. At the end of the process, companies will “only have people that really want to be there and want to be part of this.” 
Founders shouldn’t invest a lot of time trying to convince someone to join their company. If they are, “you’re working too hard,” and that it’s “probably not the right sign for a startup.”
Lewis’ last tip: Don’t hire. He admitted that it may sound counterintuitive, but he wants founders to think that every time someone new is onboarded, “it was a failure to operate more efficiently and to innovate” in a way that wouldn’t have required bringing a new person aboard. 
Instead, they should first ask whether there was an alternative way to complete the task — perhaps through AI — rather than increasing headcount. 
And to be clear, Lewis isn’t advocating for the end of great hiring. Rather, he wants leaders to approach it this way: “Always consider it to be the thing that you wish you didn’t have to do. You wish you could have gotten it done without hiring that person.”
<h5 class="wp-block-heading">People don’t read instructions</h5>
At Convoy, Lewis said, they designed an operations system assuming people would carefully read each other’s notes during multi-day truck jobs with multiple support shifts. Most skipped the notes and started from scratch, irritating customers who had to repeat themselves. 
When Lewis asked investor Henry Kravis of KKR for advice, the answer was blunt: “Stop building a system that assumes people are going to read.” 
The lesson applies beyond operations. Whether it’s customers, employees, or end users, people scan for a button rather than read text. Founders should design processes and products, especially in the AI era, that work even if nobody reads the instructions.
<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Use data, and embrace concrete examples</h5>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1200" height="800" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dan-lewis-4.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-922304" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dan-lewis-4.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dan-lewis-4-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Convoy founder Dan Lewis urges startups to back up data with concrete examples at the 2026 Seattle AI Startup Summit. (Ken Yeung Photo)</figcaption></figure>
One final piece of advice from Lewis: be data-driven. Leave the jargon behind and look to the data when something’s wrong, or there’s confusion, and you’re talking it through with your team or customer. 
But also be specific — use clear, concrete examples, along with the exact words customers use, to clarify quickly.
Lewis closed his keynote with a note of humility. None of these lessons came easily, he acknowledged. In fact, many of them weren’t obvious to him until his experience at Convoy forced the issue. The company reached the heights of the startup world before closing its doors, but for entrepreneurs trying to build something that lasts, that hard-won experience may be exactly the point.
His talk kicked off a day of conversation at the second annual Seattle AI Startup Summit, a conference that brings together investors, founders, executives and others. 
In addition to Lewis, attendees heard from <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/filings-ai2-incubator-raises-third-fund-to-back-more-early-stage-startups/">AI2 Incubator’s</a> Managing Director, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/zhangyifan/">Yifan Zhang</a>, CopilotKit’s CEO, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/atai-barkai/">Atai Barkai</a>, Edge Delta’s Founder and CEO, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ozanu/">Ozan Unlu</a>, MotherDuck Co-Founder and CEO, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordantigani/">Jordan Tigani</a>, and OSS4AI CEO, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/yujiantang/">Yujian Tang</a>, who heads up the conference.
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<title>Ground control to Microsoft: Artemis 2 astronauts deal with Outlook hiccup in deep space</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/ground-control-to-microsoft-artemis-2-astronauts-deal-with-outlook-hiccup-in-deep-space/</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:51:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Todd Bishop]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Artemis 2]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[space]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=922219</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="919" height="628" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/artemis.png" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/artemis.png 919w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/artemis-768x525.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 919px) 100vw, 919px"> Bound for the Moon, astronauts aboard NASA's Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft encountered a challenge familiar to many of us back here on terra firma: Microsoft Outlook. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/ground-control-to-microsoft-artemis-2-astronauts-deal-with-outlook-hiccup-in-deep-space/">Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="919" height="628" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/artemis.png" alt="" class="wp-image-922220" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/artemis.png 919w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/artemis-768x525.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 919px) 100vw, 919px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Artemis 2 astronauts are using Microsoft Surface Pro computers on board the Orion spacecraft. (GeekWire Illustration)</figcaption></figure>
Updated below with details from NASA press conference.
Bound for the Moon, astronauts <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/nasa-countdown-artemis-moon-2/">aboard NASA’s Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft</a> experienced a challenge familiar to many of us back here on terra firma: Microsoft Outlook.
Commander Reid Wiseman radioed Mission Control on the crew’s first day in space to report that he had two instances of Outlook running on his computer — a <a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20230017638/downloads/1325_Melendrez_Orion%20Imaging%20Capabilities.pdf">Microsoft Surface Pro</a> — and neither seemed to be working. 
Like any good IT support team, Houston said it would <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/02/nasa-artemis-microsoft-outlook-astronauts/">jump in remotely</a> and take a look. About an hour later, ground controllers reported they had resolved the issue and gotten Outlook open, though it would display as offline, which they said was expected.
The moment, captured on NASA’s livestream, quickly went viral. A Bluesky user <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/nikigrayson.com/post/3miiiys3sqk2c">clipped the exchange</a>, writing, “I’m so sorry we’ve sent these souls to the moon and they’re using outlook?”
Outlook is part of the commercial off-the-shelf software NASA provides astronauts for scheduling, personal communications and other routine tasks. The spacecraft’s primary flight systems run on separate, radiation-hardened hardware.
Update: During a press conference, Judd Frieling, the Artemis 2 ascent flight director, said the Outlook issue was not uncommon. He said the app sometimes has configuration problems when there’s no direct network connection, and the ground team resolved it by reloading Wiseman’s files in Outlook.
The Outlook glitch wasn’t the crew’s only mundane challenge. Shortly after launch, the toilet fan jammed, though ground teams managed to fix that, too.
We contacted Microsoft for comment and a rep said they’d let us know if the company had anything to say. At least we know the message went through.
<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Alan Boyle’s Cosmic Log: <a href="https://cosmiclog.com/2026/04/02/orion-moonship-fires-up-its-engines-to-leave-earth-behind/">Moonship fires its engine to leave Earth behind</a></h5>
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<title>Startup launched by former AWS energy team emerges with $7M to help solve data center power crunch</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/startup-launched-by-former-aws-energy-team-emerges-with-7m-to-help-solve-data-center-power-crunch/</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:27:34 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Stiffler]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Startups]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sustainability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ath Caramanolis]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Funding]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Soma Energy]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=922147</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1203" height="529" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Soma-Energy-cofounders.png" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Soma-Energy-cofounders.png 1203w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Soma-Energy-cofounders-768x338.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1203px) 100vw, 1203px"> Founded by former AWS energy leaders, British Columbia-based Soma Energy emerged from stealth with $7 million and tech to optimize the power grid for data centers and utilities. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/startup-launched-by-former-aws-energy-team-emerges-with-7m-to-help-solve-data-center-power-crunch/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1203" height="529" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Soma-Energy-cofounders.png" alt="" class="wp-image-922179" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Soma-Energy-cofounders.png 1203w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Soma-Energy-cofounders-768x338.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1203px) 100vw, 1203px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Soma Energy’s co-founders, from left: CEO Ath Caramanolis, Chief Technology Officer Mario Souto and Chief AI Scientist Henrique Hoeltgebaum. (Soma Energy Photos)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.soma.energy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Soma Energy</a>, a startup founded by former Amazon energy managers, emerged from stealth Thursday with $7 million in funding. 
The Vancouver, B.C.-based company has built an AI platform serving power producers and data centers, helping both optimize their energy assets in real time to save money and extend their available power. The technology coordinates resources including wind, solar and batteries and the management of energy demands such as data center workloads.
CEO <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/athanasios-caramanolis-51b5364/">Ath Caramanolis</a> said you can visualize an electrical system as a complex network of roads and highways on which electrons — instead of cars and trucks — are traveling. 
“Our software is sort of a control plane that helps provide the self-driving for electrons on these highway systems,” Caramanolis said in a GeekWire interview. 
More efficient routing of electron traffic can bring more power to bear for the grid’s competing needs. 
“There is low hanging fruit everywhere, and the opportunities for large energy users like data centers to better utilize the grid exist all across North America,” Caramanolis said. 
Industries, utilities and elected officials worldwide are racing to expand energy supply as data centers and electrification of transportation, heating and other sectors drive surging demand. Data centers alone are expected to more than double their power draw — from 82 gigawatts in 2025 to 219 by 2029 — with most of that growth fueled by AI, according to <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/week-in-charts/data-center-demands">McKinsey</a>.
Amazon hired Caramanolis in 2018 to create the energy optimization team at AWS, which managed about 10 gigawatts of renewable energy across its global network of data centers. Seattle City Light, by comparison, has a generation capacity of about 2 gigawatts. 
Caramanolis then recruited <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mario-souto/">Mario Souto</a>, Soma Energy’s co-founder and chief technology officer, to build the machine learning platform AWS used to optimize its renewable portfolio. The startup’s third co-founder, Chief AI Scientist <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrique-helfer-hoeltgebaum-ba56a9a1/">Henrique Hoeltgebaum</a>, is an expert in AI-driven forecasting and anomaly detection for energy systems.
Soma Energy launched in February 2024 and has 18 employees. The startup has deployed 2 gigawatts of assets in the U.S. with customers including several independent power producers and five data center companies — among them H5 Data Centers, whose sites include a large facility in <a href="https://h5datacenters.com/seattle-data-center.html">downtown Seattle</a>. 
“By coordinating existing resources, we were able to access capacity significantly sooner than expected, accelerating our time to power and removing a critical constraint on expansion,” said Josh Simms, CEO of H5 Data Centers, in a statement.
The seed round was led by Category Ventures, with participation from Haystack, Panache Ventures, RRE Ventures, TO.VC, Uncork Capital and Walter Kortschak. The investment will allow the team to hire new employees in engineering and commercial roles and expand its reach across North America.
“Having managed hyperscale power systems firsthand, the founders built Soma Energy as if they were the customer themselves,” said Villi Iltchev, partner at Category Ventures.  



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<title>This video on Seattle’s KEXP has music fans celebrating human creativity in an age of AI slop</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/this-video-on-seattles-kexp-has-music-fans-celebrating-human-creativity-in-an-age-of-ai-slop/</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 19:15:52 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kurt Schlosser]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Geek Life]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Angine de Poitrine]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[KEXP]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[music]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[viral video]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[YouTube]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=922148</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/this-video-on-seattles-kexp-has-1260x709.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/this-video-on-seattles-kexp-has-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/this-video-on-seattles-kexp-has-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/this-video-on-seattles-kexp-has.jpg 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> The performance by Canadian duo Angine de Poitrine was uploaded to KEXP on Feb. 5. Since then it's attracted more than 6.7 million views and the greatest comment section we've seen in some time. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/this-video-on-seattles-kexp-has-music-fans-celebrating-human-creativity-in-an-age-of-ai-slop/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Angine de Poitrine - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Ssi-9wS1so?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Seattle independent radio station <a href="https://www.kexp.org/">KEXP</a> prides itself on being a leader in new music discovery. They may have moved the bar up several notches with a band and video that is going viral on YouTube.
The performance by Canadian duo Angine de Poitrine, playing live during the Trans Musicales festival last December in France, was uploaded to KEXP on Feb. 5. Since then it’s attracted more than 6.7 million views, making it one of the most-watched videos on the station’s channel over the past several years.
Khn de Poitrine, on microtonal guitars, and Klek de Poitrine, on drums, wear polka-dot costumes with large headpieces and elongated nose masks. The instrumental music is groovy, psychedelic, surfy and surreal, with spare, robotic vocals that sound otherworldly. A barefooted Khn de Poitrine manipulates effects pedals with his toes, and the two members communicate with triangle hand gestures.
I saw someone refer to it as “math rock” — a style of progressive indie rock “characterized by complex, unconventional time signatures, angular melodies, and intricate, often tapping-based guitar work,” as Wikipedia describes it. If that’s not geeky I don’t know what is.
The visual and musical impact is evident in what might be the greatest comment section — 38,000 and counting — I’ve waded through in some time. In an era when digital feeds are increasingly loaded with content created by artificial intelligence and promoted by big-tech algorithms, people are clearly starved for other creative humans.
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>“This is what humanity can do without the hindrance of influence. This is the peak unfiltered madness of creativity.”</li>
<li>“Can’t believe the most human music I’ve seen all year sounds like it’s made from another planet and dimension.”</li>
<li>“First time I’ve been proud to be human in weeks.”</li>
<li>“Thank God there are still humans making real art in this world.” … “Pretty sure these are aliens.”</li>
</ul>
Surely there are plenty of reasons why people are looking for an escape in today’s world. The rise of AI might be one of them. Regardless, nearly 28 minutes of sensory-altering music and video is a good reminder of what people can make with their real brains.
Turn it up.
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<title>Like digital paper dolls: New Armoire feature uses AI to show an array of choices in outfit selection</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/like-digital-paper-dolls-new-armoire-feature-uses-ai-to-show-an-array-of-choices-in-outfit-selection/</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:25:27 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kurt Schlosser]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Startups]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ambika singh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[armoire]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[fashion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Morgan Cundiff]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[style]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=922019</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="900" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/armoireoutfits-1.png" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/armoireoutfits-1.png 900w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/armoireoutfits-1-768x605.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px"> The company was inspired by old paper dolls, where pants, shirts, jackets and other items can be moved around. In this case, clicking on images creates instant digital paper dolls. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/like-digital-paper-dolls-new-armoire-feature-uses-ai-to-show-an-array-of-choices-in-outfit-selection/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/armoireoutfits-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-922112" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/armoireoutfits-1.png 900w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/armoireoutfits-1-768x605.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Armoire’s “Outfit Inspiration” feature allows shoppers to cycle through a number of options for pieces to create the right outfit. (Armoire Image)</figcaption></figure>
Seattle-based online clothing rental company <a href="https://www.armoire.style/">Armoire</a> is leaning into the AI in fashion with a new feature called “Outfit Inspiration” that allows customers to create desired looks in an instant from dozens of available style and size choices.
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ambika-singh1/">Ambika Singh</a>, CEO and founder of the 10-year-old startup, said she hadn’t seen anything from retail and fashion competitors that looks quite like it and enables such “builder” interactivity. The company was inspired by old paper dolls, where pants, shirts, jackets and other items can be moved around. In this case, clicking on images creates instant digital paper dolls.
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="630" height="473" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/ambika-singh.png" alt="" class="wp-image-677897" style="width:350px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Armoire CEO Ambika Singh.</figcaption></figure>
</div>
“It is fun, but it’s also useful,” Singh said of the feature, which shows up for now when a member is logged in.
The tech relies on a series of pre-made outfits, suitable for a variety of occasions, created by Armoire’s stylists and head buyer.
“If you click into one of them, you can see all of the backup options, and these are actually all AI generated with visual similarity,” said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-cundiff/">Morgan Cundiff</a>, who recently joined Armoire as head of product and machine learning.
AI makes it possible to track a huge amount of inventory across a range of styles while knowing if those items make sense for the given outfit — and if the right sizes are currently available for rent. 
“AI has really allowed us to unlock and dynamically be grabbing those items [in real time], so we know exactly what’s available when we’re grabbing them for you,” Cundiff said. “Without the AI assist, creating this number of permutations felt impossible.”
Armoire, which Singh has previously referred to as “a very human-powered business,” made its first big AI splash <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/no-chatbot-energy-here-armoire-weaves-ai-into-its-clothing-rental-service-after-a-decade-of-pivots/">last November</a> with the launch of a virtual stylist to help clothing renters find the perfect items.
Outfit Inspiration builds on that use of AI while adhering to Armoire’s core principle of personalization. And it will continue to grow beyond the launch offering of outfits, as different customers will see different main outfits as well as the many clickable options inside each.
“It’s not AI for AI’s sake,” Singh said. “It’s some old problem that you have been trying to solve, that you now have an opportunity to actually go get.”
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Retail Apparel and Fashion • Seattle, Washington
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</aside>
 Armoire, which works out of a 60,000-square-foot warehouse space in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood, employs 100 people. 
The startup has raised <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2021/clothing-rental-service-armoire-adapts-pandemic-raises-cash-microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella/">$12 million from investors</a>, including a $3.5 million round in 2021 that included backing from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, GoDaddy CEO Aman Bhutani and others. Armoire reached break-even near the end of 2025, a first for the business.
The company is ranked No. 40 on the GeekWire 200 index of the Pacific Northwest’s top startups and won <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/geekwire-awards-2025-revealed-community-alive-and-well-at-annual-celebration-of-best-in-pnw-tech/">Workplace of the Year</a> last April at the annual GeekWire Awards.
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<title>GeekWire Awards: From the farm to space, Next Tech Titan finalists growing to meet big challenges</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/geekwire-awards-from-the-farm-to-space-next-tech-titan-finalists-growing-to-meet-big-challenges/</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:29:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kurt Schlosser]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Startups]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[carbon robotics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Chainguard]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MotherDuck]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[next tech titan]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Overland AI]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Stoke Space]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921662</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="774" height="403" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/techtitan.png" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/techtitan.png 774w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/techtitan-768x400.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 774px) 100vw, 774px"> This award takes notice of the next dominant force in Pacific Northwest tech, and the finalists are: Overland AI, Carbon Robotics, Stoke Space, Chainguard, and MotherDuck. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/geekwire-awards-from-the-farm-to-space-next-tech-titan-finalists-growing-to-meet-big-challenges/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="774" height="403" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/techtitan.png" alt="" class="wp-image-922084" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/techtitan.png 774w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/techtitan-768x400.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 774px) 100vw, 774px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">(Company logos)</figcaption></figure>
The path from successful startup to industry heavyweight is often marked by the ability to solve massive, complex problems at scale — whether those challenges are on a farm, battlefield or in low-Earth orbit.
This GeekWire Award, presented by <a href="https://www.rwbaird.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Baird</a>, takes notice of the next dominant force in Pacific Northwest tech. The Next Tech Titan finalists are: Overland AI, Carbon Robotics, Stoke Space, Chainguard and MotherDuck.
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="143" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Baird-Next-Tech-Titan-300x143.png" alt="" class="wp-image-921887" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Baird-Next-Tech-Titan-300x143.png 300w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Baird-Next-Tech-Titan.png 1260w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure>
</div>
Now in its 18th year, the <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/events/2026-geekwire-awards/">GeekWire Awards</a> is the premier event recognizing the top leaders, companies and breakthroughs in Pacific Northwest tech, bringing together hundreds of people to celebrate innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit. It takes place May 7 at the Showbox SoDo in Seattle.
<a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/geekwire-awards-2025-revealed-community-alive-and-well-at-annual-celebration-of-best-in-pnw-tech/">Last year’s Next Tech Titan winner</a> was Truveta, a Bellevue, Wash.-based company that aims to aggregate medical records data from partner institutions to link treatments with outcomes and underlying health. Truveta raised $320 million in fresh funding in 2025 to push its valuation above $1 billion.
Continue reading for information on the 2026 Next Tech Titan finalists, who were chosen by a panel of independent judges from community nominations. You can help pick the winner: <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BJQ2PM9?name=%5Bname_value%5D">Cast your ballot here</a> or in the embedded form at the bottom. Voting runs through April 10.
<a href="https://overland.ai/">Overland AI</a> develops autonomous vehicle software and hardware designed specifically for complex, off-road environments. The company’s platform allows robotic vehicles to navigate high-speed, unpredictable terrain where GPS and cellular signals are often unavailable. Overland is focused on operational integration with the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, and is a key player in the emerging defense-tech corridor of the Pacific Northwest.
GeekWire first <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2023/new-startup-led-by-univ-of-washington-robotics-expert-tackles-off-road-autonomous-vehicles/">covered Overland AI in 2022</a> when it was a small, stealthy group of researchers spinning out of the University of Washington’s Robot Learning Laboratory. The company, No. 12 on the <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/geekwire-200/">GeekWire 200</a>, has grown to more than 100 employees, raised more than $140 million, and opened a 22,000 square-foot production facility in Seattle since then.
Ag-tech startup <a href="https://carbonrobotics.com/">Carbon Robotics</a> builds AI-powered machinery designed to eliminate weeds without the use of chemical herbicides. Its flagship LaserWeeder uses computer vision to identify and zap weeds with lasers, a process powered by the company’s “Large Plant Model.” This AI model, trained on 150 million labeled plants, allows the machines to adapt to new crops and environments in minutes. The company is also expanding into autonomous farm equipment with its Carbon ATK platform and an unrevealed new AI robot.
Founded in 2018 by Isilon Systems co-founder <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-mikesell-4b63a9/">Paul Mikesell</a>, the Seattle-based company has raised $177 million to date and employs about 260 people. Its LaserWeeders are now active on hundreds of farms across 15 countries, helping growers significantly reduce labor and pesticide costs. Carbon is No. 10 on the GeekWire 200.
<a href="https://www.stokespace.com/">Stoke Space</a> is developing Nova, a medium-lift rocket designed for 100% reusability and rapid turnaround between flights. Unlike competitors that focus on heavy-lift vehicles, the Kent, Wash.-based company is targeting the medium-lift market with a unique second-stage design featuring an actively cooled heatshield for atmospheric reentry. The goal is to provide a more flexible and cost-effective launch platform that can be reused as seamlessly as an aircraft.
Founded by former Blue Origin and SpaceX engineers, Stoke Space has raised $1.34 billion to date, including a massive $860 million Series D round concluded in early 2026. The company, No. 8 on the GeekWire 200, is currently preparing for its first orbital launch from Cape Canaveral later this year and has already been selected by the U.S. Space Force for national security launches.
<a href="https://www.chainguard.dev/">Chainguard</a> secures the “software supply chain” by protecting the open-source components and container images used in modern cloud applications. The company’s tools allow developers to use verified, vulnerability-free code, automating the process of keeping foundational software secure. By focusing on the root of software production, Chainguard helps engineering teams eliminate security risks without slowing down development cycles.
Founded in 2021 and based in Kirkland, Wash., the startup has raised $892 million to date, reaching a $3.5 billion valuation. In fiscal year 2025, the company grew its annual recurring revenue sevenfold to $40 million. Now employing more than 500 people and serving over 200 customers — including GitLab and Hewlett Packard Enterprise — Chainguard is No. 2 on the GeekWire 200.
<a href="https://motherduck.com/">MotherDuck</a> provides a serverless analytics platform built on the open-source DuckDB database engine. Designed for “small data” that doesn’t reach petabyte scale, the technology allows users to run fast SQL queries locally in a browser or in the cloud without the complexity of distributed architectures. By merging local processing speed with cloud scalability, the platform aims to make data analysis more cost-effective and accessible.
Founded in 2022 by former Google BigQuery founding engineer <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordantigani/">Jordan Tigani</a>, the Seattle startup has raised more than $100 million and is No. 25 on the GeekWire 200.
<a href="https://www.astound.com/business/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Astound Business Solutions</a> is the presenting sponsor of the 2026 GeekWire Awards. Thanks also to gold sponsors <a href="https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/">Amazon Sustainability</a>, <a href="https://www.rwbaird.com/corporations-and-institutions/discover-the-baird-difference-institutional/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Baird</a>, <a href="https://www.becu.org/">BECU</a>, <a href="https://www.us.jll.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JLL</a>, <a href="https://www.firsttechfed.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">First Tech</a> and <a href="https://www.wsgr.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wilson Sonsini</a>, and silver sponsors <a href="https://www.primeteampartners.com/">Prime Team Partners</a>.
The event will feature a VIP reception, sit-down dinner and fun entertainment mixed in. Tickets go fast. A limited number of half-table and full-table sponsorships available. Contact <a href="mailto:events@geekwire.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">events@geekwire.com</a> to reserve a spot for your team today.
<script>(function(t,e,s,n){var o,a,c;t.SMCX=t.SMCX||[],e.getElementById(n)||(o=e.getElementsByTagName(s),a=o[o.length-1],c=e.createElement(s),c.type="text/javascript",c.async=!0,c.id=n,c.src="https://widget.surveymonkey.com/collect/website/js/tRaiETqnLgj758hTBazgd5M58tggxeII7bOlSeQcq8A_2FgMSV6oauwlPEL4WBj_2Fnb.js",a.parentNode.insertBefore(c,a))})(window,document,"script","smcx-sdk");</script><a style="font: 12px Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; text-decoration: none;" href=www.surveymonkey.com> Create your own user feedback survey </a>
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<title>‘Wood is wood’: WSU research finds Yankees’ viral ‘torpedo’ bats perform the same as traditional bats</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/wood-is-wood-wsu-research-finds-yankees-viral-torpedo-bats-perform-the-same-as-traditional-bats/</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:06:39 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kurt Schlosser]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Geek Life]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sports Tech]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Baseball]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[science]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Washington State University]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=922090</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1024" height="676" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/baseball-bats-and-ball-on-floor-1024x676-1.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/baseball-bats-and-ball-on-floor-1024x676-1.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/baseball-bats-and-ball-on-floor-1024x676-1-768x507.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"> Scientists took their best swing at the torpedo bat design, which relies on a slightly different shape in which wood is removed from the barrel tip and added to the bat's sweet spot. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/wood-is-wood-wsu-research-finds-yankees-viral-torpedo-bats-perform-the-same-as-traditional-bats/">Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="676" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/baseball-bats-and-ball-on-floor-1024x676-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-922092" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/baseball-bats-and-ball-on-floor-1024x676-1.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/baseball-bats-and-ball-on-floor-1024x676-1-768x507.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A research team determined that the torpedo bat, left, and traditional bat perform equally well in hitting power with only a slight difference in the location of the bat’s sweet spot (WSU Photo / Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture) </figcaption></figure>
The New York Yankees just cruised through Seattle and won two out of three games against the Mariners. On the other side of Washington state, the Bronx Bombers’ “torpedo bats” were being scientifically scrutinized.
In what Washington State University is calling the first-ever laboratory experiments on the new baseball bat design, researchers found that torpedo bats and traditional bats basically perform the same.
It didn’t look that way last season, when the Yankees hit a franchise-record <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OgteC_qjXE">nine home runs</a> in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers and <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44468125/after-homer-barrage-yankees-address-attention-drawing-bats">drew viral attention</a> to the bats that they were swinging.
The torpedo bat design relies on a slightly different shape in which wood is removed from the barrel tip and added to the bat’s sweet spot, so that the diameter tapers down, a little like a bowling pin. But the hype appears overblown.
“Wood is wood,” Lloyd Smith, a professor in WSU’s School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and director of the university’s Sports Science Laboratory, told <a href="https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2026/04/02/science-confirms-torpedo-bat-works-as-well-as-regular-bat/">WSU Insider</a>. “When it comes to baseball, there’s not a lot you can do with wood. If your goal is to keep the game steady and consistent and not have a lot of change, wood bats are good.”
Smith is part of a research team that includes Alan Nathan from University of Illinois and Daniel Russell from Penn State University. They’ll present <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.PSkKAuCO95JrJ2z0aXRG207hTXoDcd0DUfPMZnWqROIgFGTaHklaRtvBSamu5vBQvxYpE548d8YDcZV9ftikqlDmn7bFLz-2BfWWAaHQmKn7o-3DpxxH_bCCMJci0k4SrOcy6Qlkbd2YLXKmAAdfGzUCKE4JqicLHXg2WM-2Fd4751-2BA0LsW3YSl6yDbYtvt7-2F84w5T-2Bvs8cXLfEfn56TxmLUVkG1bWvryrPHoD1G43HPsa70XGxK8JAZZryKq-2BBX7DCcx5-2FROKEyNsMqTShqphUZUjMlOL7TQhjxdwRdZf7oPVgbW-2B-2BKfN7edB2Jg0W5dTB2XdDisyNFSnEHeooL-2FSDPax7Lwz2que6kJKzJJeflDuBeGEFvGsbraEc-2FAEto2ZQf1m4V7Vt-2F4zarjBmgsfHwpTSFH-2BMNT2ztifoYB8Agdxyr0RmFnUbYYS7o0-2FB7aSrQTJVwB8M70zY0JDyKTTkTXd6lxfAi7WCQEs9uOsDu-2BgHUE3lY4u" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">their findings</a> at the upcoming <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.PSkKAuCO95JrJ2z0aXRG24wfUAzUFkQjdD-2BUwGMEgDooWZLFxB3rU6s5zaCoMlVARL3r_bCCMJci0k4SrOcy6Qlkbd2YLXKmAAdfGzUCKE4JqicLHXg2WM-2Fd4751-2BA0LsW3YSl6yDbYtvt7-2F84w5T-2Bvs8cXLfEfn56TxmLUVkG1bWvryrPHoD1G43HPsa70XGxK8JAZZryKq-2BBX7DCcx5-2FROKEyNsMqTShqphUZUjMlOL7TQhjxdwRdZf7oPVgbW-2B-2BKfN7edB2Jg0W5dTB2XdDisyNCVhk6xsS81ASlqHb5Yc-2BpOY5tgQ67fT2stfIyQlnSgZvNJSPbhGmT9zUJ3ygASWfGBESTze5IzDxCWVfCXw4qP04Lin5MBepTxLi2STn5lXP5kpTD9kBLw91aSZZr3eEpaQ1GHtkqEoc1cUvGv70s5Wu3MVvhIRdzE4jHxTj3NY" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">International Sports Engineering Association</a> conference, June 1–4 in Pullman, Wash.
According to WSU Insider, the researchers created two maple bats that were duplicates of a standard Major League Baseball bat. Two additional maple bats were made with a torpedo-shaped barrel that gave them the same swing weight as the standard bat. 
They measured how much energy the bat returns to the ball by firing baseballs from an air cannon at a stationary bat and using light gates and cameras to measure the speed of the incoming and rebounding ball.
The team found nearly identical performance for the torpedo and standard bats except that the sweet spot for the torpedo bat was a half inch farther from the bat tip than the standard bat.
“It was actually pretty phenomenal how close they were,” said Smith.
While some Yankees players said last year that any little tweak could provide an advantage, the team’s captain wasn’t convinced.
Aaron Judge hit an American League-record 62 homers in 2022, 58 in an MVP season in 2024 and 53 as repeat MVP in 2025. He had three homers using a traditional bat in that much-talked-about rout of the Brewers.
“The past couple of seasons kind of speak for itself,” Judge told ESPN last May. “Why try to change something?”
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<title>Microsoft releases new AI models to expand further beyond OpenAI</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/microsoft-releases-new-ai-models-to-further-expand-beyond-openai/</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:58:29 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Todd Bishop]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[artificial intelligence]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MAI-Image-2]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MAI-Transcribe-1]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MAI-Voice-1]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Microsoft AI]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Microsoft Foundry]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Mustafa Suleyman]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[OpenAI]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=922087</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="841" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mustafa-1260x841.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mustafa-1260x841.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mustafa-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mustafa-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mustafa-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mustafa-630x421.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> Microsoft announced MAI-Transcribe-1, a new speech-to-text model, and made its in-house MAI-Voice-1 and MAI-Image-2 models broadly available to developers for commercial use for the first time, expanding its proprietary AI capabilities beyond its OpenAI partnership. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/microsoft-releases-new-ai-models-to-further-expand-beyond-openai/">Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="841" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mustafa-1260x841.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-866091" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mustafa-1260x841.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mustafa-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mustafa-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mustafa-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mustafa-630x421.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI. (GeekWire File Photo / Kevin Lisota)</figcaption></figure>
Microsoft is expanding its roster of in-house AI models, releasing a new speech-to-text system and making two existing models broadly available to developers for the first time.
The moves by Microsoft AI (MAI) are part of a broader effort by the company to expand its proprietary AI capabilities beyond its partnership with OpenAI, giving Microsoft more control over its own destiny in the competition against Google, Amazon, and others.
Microsoft <a href="https://microsoft.ai/news/today-were-announcing-3-new-world-class-mai-models-available-in-foundry/">announced</a> MAI-Transcribe-1 on Thursday, a speech-to-text model that it says is the most accurate currently available. The company also released its existing voice and image generation models, known as MAI-Voice-1 and MAI-Image-2, for broad commercial use.
It’s Microsoft’s first major model release since <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/microsoft-revamps-copilot-structure-elevating-former-snap-exec-as-suleyman-shifts-to-ai-models/">a March reorganization</a>, announced by CEO Satya Nadella, in which Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman shifted away from day-to-day Copilot oversight to focus on frontier model development and superintelligence.
Suleyman <a href="https://www.theverge.com/report/905791/mustafa-suleyman-microsoft-ai-transcription-model">told The Verge</a> that the transcription model runs at “half the GPU cost of the other state-of-the-art models.” He <a href="https://venturebeat.com/technology/microsoft-launches-3-new-ai-models-in-direct-shot-at-openai-and-google">told VentureBeat</a> that the model was built by a team of just 10 people, and that Microsoft plans to eventually build a frontier large language model to be “completely independent” if needed.
Microsoft also recently hired former Allen Institute for CEO Ali Farhadi and other top AI researchers from the Seattle-based institute to further bolster Suleyman’s team, as <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/microsoft-hires-former-ai2-ceo-ali-farhadi-and-key-researchers-for-suleymans-ai-team/">GeekWire reported</a> last week.
MAI-Transcribe-1 is designed to handle noisy real-world conditions such as call centers and conference rooms, and Microsoft says it is testing integrations with Copilot and Teams. Microsoft says it offers the best price-performance of any large cloud provider, competing directly with OpenAI’s Whisper and Google’s Gemini on the FLEURS benchmark.
In <a href="https://microsoft.ai/news/today-were-announcing-3-new-world-class-mai-models-available-in-foundry/">a blog post</a>, Suleyman called the model “not just the most accurate but also lightning fast.”
MAI-Voice-1 generates natural-sounding speech and now lets developers create custom voices from short snippets of sample audio. MAI-Image-2 ranks in the top three on the Arena.ai image generation leaderboard and is rolling out in Bing and PowerPoint.
All three are available on the Microsoft Foundry developer AI platform and MAI Playground.
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<title>From kelp pots to kilns: UW’s CoMotion Labs reveals 8 startups joining its newest climate cohort</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/from-kelp-pots-to-kilns-uws-comotion-labs-reveals-8-startups-joining-its-newest-climate-cohort/</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Stiffler]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Startups]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sustainability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Astraeus Ocean Systems]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Benchmark Star]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Climate Solutions International]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Climate Tech Incubator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[CoMotion Labs]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[CoMotion Labs Climate Tech Incubator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[EVQ]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[FlameWise]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[OceanMade]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[REearthable]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Seattle Climate Innovation Hub]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Seeking Ferments]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Washington]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921937</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="720" height="540" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-Cohort-Geekwire-Article-Images1.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy"> University of Washington’s CoMotion Labs selects its second climate tech cohort. Meet the eight startups tackling EV adoption, biochar and sustainable packaging. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/from-kelp-pots-to-kilns-uws-comotion-labs-reveals-8-startups-joining-its-newest-climate-cohort/">Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="720" height="540" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-Cohort-Geekwire-Article-Images1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921997"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Emily Power, CEO of Ocean Made, shows the difference in the root structure of tomato plants grown in the startup’s kelp-based pots, on the left, versus plastic pots. (Ocean Made Photo)</figcaption></figure>
The University of Washington’s <a href="https://comotion.uw.edu/startups-incubation/comotion-labs/">CoMotion Labs</a> has selected the second cohort of startups for its <a href="https://comotion.uw.edu/startups-incubation/comotion-labs/comotion-labs-climate-tech-incubator/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Climate Tech Incubator</a>. The founders are tackling wide-ranging sustainability challenges including boosting EV adoption, reducing plastic use, supporting local food and beverage production, and developing smart climate strategies for cities.
The six-month program is located at the <a href="https://comotion.uw.edu/startups-incubation/comotion-labs/seattle-climate-innovation-hub/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Seattle Climate Innovation Hub</a>, a public-private partnership in the city’s downtown. The venue supports climate entrepreneurship beyond the incubator and hosts regular public events. 
Eight early-stage startups participating in the program receive support in building teams, developing their business plans, forging strategic partnerships and preparing to make their pitch to investors. The cohort will share their progress at a demo day in September.
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-scott-silvia/">Jared Silvia</a>, partner at <a href="https://www.glidingant.com/">Gliding Ant Ventures</a> and former CEO of BlueDot Photonics, is a CoMotion mentor. 
“If our region is serious about being a leader in climate tech, we need to find more ways to support more founders,” Silvia said. “The Climate Tech Incubator is a fantastic addition to the support ecosystem.”
Here are the participants:
<a href="https://almanac.astraeusocean.com/#">Astraeus Ocean Systems</a> is a maritime ag-tech startup, offering water-quality monitoring and crop modeling for shellfish and seaweed growing operations. The Bellingham, Wash.-based company’s founding team includes two Ph.D.-holding research scientists and a leader in business development.
<a href="https://www.benchmarkstar.com/">Benchmark Star</a> helps facilities managers comply with clean building regulations by automating regulation tracking and streamlining utility data reporting. The effort launched out of a Seattle Climate Innovation Hub hackathon last year and is led by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneegastineau/">Renee Gastineau</a>, who has worked in clean energy for more than a decade. 
<a href="http://www.climatesolutionsintl.com" type="link" id="www.climatesolutionsintl.com">Climate Solutions International </a>is the brainchild of <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-whittington-a6b68210/">Jan Whittington</a>, a UW urban planning professor. Whittington developed strategies for helping cities take action on climate change while making their infrastructure more resilient in a warming world. The World Bank funded her to apply the approach across 300 cities in 30 countries, and her startup is turning that expertise into a business.
<a href="http://EVQEngage.com" type="link" id="EVQEngage.com">EVQ </a>is a one-stop, AI-powered platform helping drivers find, buy and operate electric vehicles, demystifying battery charging and other hurdles to EV ownership. The Seattle startup spun out of Coltura, a nonprofit promoting EV policies and research founded by EVQ CEO <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-metz-04b1137/">Matthew Metz</a>. 
<a href="https://www.flamewise.com/">FlameWise</a> produces portable kilns for individuals and communities to turn unwanted woody debris into biochar that sequesters carbon and provides soil benefits. The kilns are a low-smoke alternative to burn piles. Seattle’s <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/korbodo/">Korina Stark</a> launched the effort following challenges to manage wood waste on her own 20-acre forested property. 
<a href="http://www.ocean-made.com" type="link" id="www.ocean-made.com">OceanMade </a>offers seaweed-based pots for nurseries, landscapers, gardeners and small farms who want to avoid plastic waste. The kelp containers also support root development and naturally degrade in the soil after planting. CEO <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilybpower/">Emily Power</a> previously worked at Microsoft for nearly eight years before founding the Seattle startup in 2021. 
<a href="https://REearthable.com/" type="link" id="https://REearthable.com/">REearthable</a> is manufacturing biodegradable plastics from waste limestone recovered from mining operations. The material from the Seattle-area startup is suitable for cosmetics, food packaging and other applications. CEO <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/wintermann">Charlotte Wintermann</a> is a serial entrepreneur with a background in sales, marketing and business strategy. 
<a href="https://www.seekingferments.com/">Seeking Ferments</a> produces fermented beverages and kombucha that are brewed in Seattle from locally sourced ingredients. Co-founders <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanette-macias/">Jeanette Macias</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyz-ashley-macias-3b7272117/">Lyz Macias</a> launched their startup in 2019 and now sell their beverages online and at farmers markets and their “filling station.” 
Related: <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/uws-comotion-labs-names-six-startups-for-inaugural-climate-and-green-tech-incubator/">UW’s CoMotion Labs names six startups for inaugural climate and green tech incubator</a>

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<title>‘Let’s go!’ NASA launches humanity’s first moon voyage in nearly 54 years</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/nasa-countdown-artemis-moon-2/</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 23:37:44 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Alan Boyle]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Artemis]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Moon]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Orion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SLS rocket]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Space Launch System]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921805</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260412-sls2-1-1260x709.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="SLS launch from Florida pad" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260412-sls2-1-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260412-sls2-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260412-sls2-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260412-sls2-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> Artemis 2 mission will send four astronauts around the moon during the 'opening act' of a new age of discovery. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/nasa-countdown-artemis-moon-2/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260412-sls2-1-1260x709.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-922018" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260412-sls2-1-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260412-sls2-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260412-sls2-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260412-sls2-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">NASA’s Space Launch System rises from its Florida launch pad, sending the Artemis 2 crew into orbit. (NASA via YouTube)</figcaption></figure>
After years of postponements and close to $100 billion in spending, NASA has launched the first mission to send astronauts around the moon since <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission/apollo-17/">Apollo 17 in 1972</a>.
The 10-day Artemis 2 mission began today with the liftoff of NASA’s 322-foot-tall Space Launch System rocket from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Space_Center_Launch_Complex_39B">Launch Complex 39B</a> at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. ET (3:35 p.m. PT). NASA is streaming coverage of the flight via <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3kR2KK8TEs">YouTube</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0GQS8BY5L/">Amazon Prime</a>.
During the last two hours of the countdown, engineers addressed concerns about the rocket’s flight termination system and instrumentation for a battery on the launch abort system. “Godspeed, Artemis 2,” launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson told the crew just before liftoff. “Let’s go!”
Artemis 2 is the first crewed test flight in a series leading up to a moon landing that’s currently scheduled for 2028. It follows Artemis 1, which <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2022/nasa-orion-artemis-splashdown/">sent a crewless Orion around the moon in 2022</a>. This time, four astronauts are riding inside Orion: NASA mission commander Reid Wiseman, NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Victor Glover, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
“Great view,” Wiseman told Mission Control during the rocket’s ascent. “We have a beautiful moonrise, we’re headed right at it.”
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Koch will be the first woman to go beyond Earth orbit. Similar firsts apply to Glover as a Black astronaut, and Hansen as a non-American astronaut.
Although Artemis 2’s astronauts won’t be landing on the lunar surface, they’ll follow a figure-8 trajectory that will send them 4,700 miles beyond the far side of the moon and make them the farthest-flung travelers in human history.
Last week, <a href="https://cosmiclog.com/2026/03/24/nasa-pivots-to-moon-base-and-nuclear-mars-mission/">NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman laid out a plan</a> for establishing a permanent base on the moon and preparing for even farther trips into the solar system. Today, Isaacman said Artemis 2 is “the opening act” of that golden age of science and discovery.
Senior test director Jeff Spaulding, a veteran of the space shuttle program, said he was looking forward to the mission. “I’m excited about going to the moon,” he told reporters on the eve of the launch. “I’m excited about establishing a presence there. It’s something that I have had a desire for, for a great many years — and then to get humans out to Mars as well.”
The <a href="https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/missions/artemis-ii/in-flight-milestones.asp">mission timeline</a> calls for Orion to adjust its orbit around Earth today and go through system checkouts. An hour after launch, Mission Control had to troubleshoot a dropout in communications with the crew. After a gap of several minutes, Wiseman reported that he could hear capsule communicator Stan Love “loud and clear.” The crew also worked with Mission Control to fix a balky space toilet.
On Thursday, Orion is due to fire its engines for about six minutes to leave orbit and head for the moon. The engine burn is designed to put the space capsule on a free-return trajectory, which takes advantage of orbital mechanics to slingshot around the moon for the return trip.
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<iframe loading="lazy" title="NASA's Artemis II Live Mission Coverage (Official Broadcast)" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m3kR2KK8TEs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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The health of the Artemis 2 astronauts will be monitored during the flight to gauge the effects of deep-space travel. The crew will also assess Orion’s performance and practice in-flight safety procedures. For example, they’ll rehearse the protocol for <a href="https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/how-the-artemis-2-astronauts-could-weather-a-solar-storm-during-their-moon-mission">taking shelter from radiation storms</a> that might flare up during trips <a href="https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14988/">beyond Earth’s protective magnetosphere</a>. They’ll also <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/general/artemis-ii-crew-both-subjects-and-scientists-in-nasa-deep-space-research/">participate in experiments</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncd11lvOhZo">make observations of the moon’s far side</a>.
The climactic lunar flyby is due to take place on April 6. “They’re going to be able to see the whole moon as a lunar disk on the lunar far side,” Marie Henderson, lunar science deputy lead for the Artemis 2 mission, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncd11lvOhZo">said in a NASA video</a>. “So, that’s a brand-new, unique perspective that humans haven’t been able to look at before.”
The astronauts will also get an opportunity to capture a 21st-century <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2018/engineers-astronauts-made-apollo-8s-earthrise-possible-50-years-ago/">“Earthrise” photo</a>, and they may be able to glimpse a solar eclipse made possible by the lunar flyby. “They will be able to see the sun’s corona, which is kinda cool,” said Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate.
At the end of the trip, the crew and their Orion capsule are due to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. They’ll be brought to a recovery ship for medical checkouts and their return to shore, following a routine that became familiar during the Apollo era.
Artemis 2 is about the history of America’s space program as well as its future. The round-the-moon mission profile matches that of Apollo 8, which served as a unifying event for a nation riven by the social tumult of the time. That mission’s commander, Frank Borman, reported receiving a telegram reading, “Congratulations to the crew of Apollo 8. <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/moon-event-saved-1968/">You saved 1968</a>.” Notably, <a href="https://data.census.gov/table?q=Population+by+age">less than a third of Americans living today were around</a> when Apollo 8 flew.
The main motivation for the Apollo program was America’s superpower competition with the Soviet Union, and today, the geopolitical stakes are similarly high. NASA and the White House are seeking to jump-start progress on Artemis in part because <a href="https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-267/">China is targeting a crewed moon landing by 2030</a>.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said this week during a visit to Seattle-area suppliers for the Artemis program that it’s important for America to get to the moon first. “We’re trying to get the best real estate on the moon,” she said. “So, to do that, you’ve got to get up there to claim it.”
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<iframe loading="lazy" title="Animation of Artemis II Flight Path" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/68XQzgLFS_A?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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The course of the Artemis program, which is named after the goddess of the moon and the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, hasn’t always run smooth. When the program was given its name in 2019, the Artemis 2 mission was planned for <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2019/nasa-em1-commercial-moon-orion/">2022</a> or <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2019/white-house-seeks-1-6b-payment-nasas-newly-named-artemis-moon-program/">2023</a>, with the moon landing scheduled for 2024. The cost of the program <a href="https://www.space.com/nasa-artemis-moon-program-93-billion-2025">has been estimated at $93 billion through 2025</a>, with each Artemis launch costing $4.1 billion.
Artemis 2’s launch team ran into several challenges during this year’s preparations for launch. Liftoff was initially scheduled for February, but a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/02/03/artemis-ii-wet-dress-rehearsal-test-terminated-at-t-515/">liquid hydrogen leak</a> forced NASA to <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/02/13/following-confidence-test-nasa-continues-artemis-ii-data-review/">reset the launch for March</a>. The launch date was reset again when a <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/helium-problem-nasa-delay-artemis-2-launch-rollback/">helium pressurization problem</a> required a rocket rollback for repairs. The problem was resolved, and the SLS was <a href="https://cosmiclog.com/2026/03/20/nasas-moon-rocket-returns-to-launch-pad-after-tune-up/">brought back out to the pad</a> on March 20.
Several companies with a presence in the Seattle area are banking on Artemis’ success. For example, a facility in Redmond operated by L3Harris (previously known as Aerojet Rocketdyne) <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/nasa-trip-redmond-artemis-aerojet-l3harris/">builds thrusters for the Orion spacecraft</a> and is already working ahead on the <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2023/aerojet-rocketdyne-orion-thrusters/">Artemis 8 mission</a>.
Boeing is the <a href="https://www.boeing.com/space/space-launch-system">lead contractor for the SLS rocket’s core stage</a>. Karman Space & Defense in Mukilteo provides <a href="https://karman-sd.com/news/karman-space-defense-manufactures-nasas-orion-spacecraft-hardware/">hatch release mechanisms and parachute deployment hardware</a> for Orion. And Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture, based in Kent, is <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2023/jeff-bezos-nasa-chief-blue-origin-moon-lander/">developing a Blue Moon lander</a> that future Artemis crews could ride to the lunar surface.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is expected to send an uncrewed cargo version of its lander to the moon <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/space/blue-origin-could-land-on-the-moon">sometime in the next few months</a>.
This report has been updated frequently during the countdown and mission.
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/nasa-artemis-moon-mission-pacific-northwest-tech/">Artemis 2 gets a push from Pacific Northwest tech</a></h4>
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<title>Report puts Seattle among leading global innovation cities, but it needs more premium office space</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/report-puts-seattle-among-leading-global-innovation-cities-but-it-needs-more-premium-office-space/</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 22:41:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kurt Schlosser]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[commercial real estate]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[JLL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Office]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921958</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="859" height="635" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-01-at-3.19.39-PM.png" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-01-at-3.19.39-PM.png 859w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-01-at-3.19.39-PM-768x568.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 859px) 100vw, 859px"> The latest edition of commercial real estate firm JLL's Innovation Geographies report reveals that while Seattle is outpacing traditional hubs like New York and London in talent migration, a shortage of "investment-grade" real estate is creating a bottleneck for the city's next era of tech expansion. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/report-puts-seattle-among-leading-global-innovation-cities-but-it-needs-more-premium-office-space/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="859" height="635" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-01-at-3.19.39-PM.png" alt="" class="wp-image-921996" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-01-at-3.19.39-PM.png 859w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-01-at-3.19.39-PM-768x568.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 859px) 100vw, 859px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The downtown Seattle skyline. (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Schlosser)</figcaption></figure>
Seattle has officially leveled up from a “secondary” tech market to a critical “reinforcer” of the global innovation economy — but the city is running out of room to grow, according to a new report. 
The latest edition of commercial real estate firm JLL’s<a href="https://www.jll.com/en-us/insights/innovation-geographies"> Innovation Geographies report</a> reveals that while Seattle is outpacing traditional hubs like New York and London in talent migration, a shortage of “investment-grade” real estate is creating a bottleneck for the city’s next era of tech expansion.
Seattle lands among 18 so-called reinforcer markets, where it is classified in the report as a “tech powerhouse” alongside cities like Austin, Berlin, and Tel Aviv. Reinforcers also include Los Angeles, Shanghai, Toronto, Washington, D.C., Raleigh, N.C., and others.
While diverse in what makes them attractive, the cities share the common characteristics of much higher rates of net migration, JLL says, having seen population inflows that are 3.8 times higher than the San Francisco Bay Area — the lone “core” city — and eight other “anchor” cities.
The 135 cities ranked in the report are scored based on an analysis of talent concentration and innovation output. While talent concentration measures the human capital and educational pipeline, the output score focuses on the tangible results and financial activity of a city’s innovation ecosystem, such as VC funding, startup activity, R&D spending, and more.
Seattle ranks 12th in innovation output and 23rd in talent concentration. The Bay Area is No. 1 in both categories.
But high-tier hubs are facing a global undersupply of premium, investment-grade real estate that is attractive to innovative companies, according to JLL, which says that only 11% of global office space was built after 2020.
Meanwhile, reinforcer markets like Seattle have seen surging prime rents, averaging $837 per square meter. And while some markets have seen an occupancy recovery, Seattle and others are still below pre-pandemic occupancy highs.
Commercial real estate firm CBRE <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/office-vacancy-hits-another-record-in-downtown-seattle/">reported</a> earlier this year that Seattle’s office vacancy reached another record high at 34.7% in Q4. The numbers underscore how hybrid work and shrinking office footprints continue to weigh on a tech-heavy market like Seattle.
In nearby downtown Bellevue, vacancy rates still remain high, reaching 25.4% at the end of last year, according to Broderick Group. But OpenAI <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/openai-inks-huge-lease-in-bellevue-doubling-down-on-seattle-region-near-microsoft-and-amazon-hqs/">signed a big new lease</a> in February, reflecting a growing role for the Eastside in the AI boom.
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<title>On Apple’s 50th, recalling the time a Microsoft engineer drove Steve Jobs so crazy he invented the iPad</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/on-apples-50th-recalling-the-time-a-microsoft-engineer-drove-steve-jobs-so-crazy-he-invented-the-ipad/</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:35:30 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Todd Bishop]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Apple history]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bill Gates]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[David Pogue]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[iPad]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Steve Jobs]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921910</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/on-apples-50th-recalling-the-tim-1260x709.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/on-apples-50th-recalling-the-tim-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/on-apples-50th-recalling-the-tim-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/on-apples-50th-recalling-the-tim.jpg 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> David Pogue's new book "Apple: The First 50 Years" is packed with stories about the rivalry between Apple and Microsoft. One stands out: the time a Microsoft engineer drove Steve Jobs so crazy at a birthday party that he went home and invented the iPad. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/on-apples-50th-recalling-the-time-a-microsoft-engineer-drove-steve-jobs-so-crazy-he-invented-the-ipad/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<iframe loading="lazy" title="David Pogue on Apple’s 50th Birthday" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e30bJ3dQJr0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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David Pogue’s new book, “<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Apple/David-Pogue/9781982134594">Apple: The First 50 Years</a>,”is packed with stories about the rivalry between Apple and Microsoft. But one stands out above the rest.
In late 2005, Steve Jobs attended the 50th birthday party of a Microsoft engineer, the husband of a friend of his wife, Laurene. Over dinner, the guy lectured Jobs on how Microsoft had solved the future of computing with a tablet and stylus.
It wasn’t the first time, as Pogue recounts the story. Jobs had heard this pitch from the same person roughly ten times before.
“I was so sick of it that I came home and said, ‘Fuck this, let’s show him what a tablet can really be,’ ” Jobs said later, as reported in the book. The Apple co-founder and CEO walked into Apple’s Monday morning meeting riled up. “We need to show the world how to create a real tablet,” he told his team. 
To him, that meant no stylus: “God gave us ten styluses,” he said, waggling his fingers. 
The eventual result was the iPad, according to popular Apple lore.
The story is one of dozens of Microsoft anecdotes that appear in Pogue’s epic book. Across 50 years of Apple history, Microsoft shows up in almost every chapter, playing a different role each time — collaborator, copycat, existential threat, unlikely savior, and humbled rival.
Apple is <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/03/apple-to-celebrate-50-years-of-thinking-different/">celebrating its 50th anniversary today</a>. Microsoft <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/special-coverage/microsoft-at-50/">marked its own</a> a year ago. And the real question now is what comes next for both companies in an era when AI is reshaping the industry as significantly as the graphical interface did in the 1980s. 
The popular perception about Apple these days is that it’s an also-ran in AI. Microsoft, despite its <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/mary-jo-foley-what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-microsoft-lately/">recent struggles</a>, has positioned itself more strategically to capitalize on the AI boom.
If Pogue’s book is any guide, that’s exactly the kind of moment when someone in Cupertino might just get riled up enough to do something about it.
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">921910</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>Robinhood sues WA state to block enforcement of gambling laws against prediction markets</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/robinhood-sues-wa-state-to-block-enforcement-of-gambling-laws-against-prediction-markets/</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:38:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Todd Bishop]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[CFTC]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[fintech]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Gambling]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[kalshi]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Legal]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Nick Brown]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[prediction markets]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Robinhood]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Washington state]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921878</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="610" height="374" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/robinhood-1.png" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/robinhood-1.png 610w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/robinhood-1-300x184.png 300w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/robinhood-1-200x123.png 200w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/robinhood-1-150x92.png 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px"> Robinhood filed a preemptive federal lawsuit to block Washington state from enforcing gambling laws against its prediction markets business, days after the state's attorney general sued Kalshi over the same issue. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/robinhood-sues-wa-state-to-block-enforcement-of-gambling-laws-against-prediction-markets/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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Robinhood isn’t waiting to get sued in Washington state. 
The financial services company filed a preemptive federal suit against Washington’s attorney general and gambling commission, arguing the state can’t use its gambling laws to shut down prediction market trading that it contends is authorized under federal commodities law.
The suit comes a few days after Washington Attorney General Nick Brown <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/no-more-washington-state-sues-kalshi-alleging-prediction-market-amounts-to-illegal-gambling/">sued</a> prediction market platform Kalshi in state court. The state takes the position that event contracts — which let users wager on the outcome of real-world activities ranging from NFL games to elections to the number of measles cases in a given year — amount to illegal gambling.
In its lawsuit, filed March 30 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Wash., Robinhood argues that federal law preempts Washington’s gambling statutes as applied to event contracts traded on exchanges regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. 
<a href="https://robinhood.com/us/en/about-us/">Robinhood Markets</a>, based in Menlo Park, Calif., is known for popularizing commission-free stock trading. The suit was filed by its Chicago-based subsidiary, <a href="https://robinhood.com/us/en/support/robinhood-derivatives/">Robinhood Derivatives</a>. 
The company, which is registered with the CFTC as a futures commission merchant, offers event contracts through the Kalshi and ForecastEx exchanges and says it plans to launch trading on a third exchange, Rothera, later this year, according to the complaint.
Pre-emptive move: The company points to the Kalshi suit and <a href="https://wsgc.wa.gov/news/2025/prediction-markets">a December warning</a> from the state Gambling Commission declaring prediction markets “unauthorized” as evidence that enforcement against the company is imminent. 
The complaint was filed on behalf of Robinhood by the law firms Davis Wright Tremaine in Seattle and Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York.
Robinhood’s suit cites Brown’s statement, at <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/kalshi-prediction-market-violates-wa-anti-gambling-laws-ag-says/">a press conference last week</a>, that Kalshi is “just a bookie with a fancy name, and a huge amount of venture capital behind them.” 
The suit says the company had “no choice but to file this lawsuit to protect its customers and its business.”
“[W]e believe in the power of prediction markets and the important role they play at the intersection of trading, news, economics, politics, culture, and sports,” a Robinhood spokesperson said via email, noting that the markets are federally regulated. “This step, consistent with our past actions in other jurisdictions, aims to preserve access for customers in Washington.”
GeekWire has reached out to the Washington AG’s office for comment.
Broader landscape: The case is part of a national wave of litigation over prediction markets. Kalshi is fighting more than 20 civil lawsuits, and Arizona’s AG <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/03/17/nx-s1-5751165/kalshi-criminal-charges-arizona">filed criminal charges</a> last month. 
Courts are split on the issue. Federal judges in New Jersey and Tennessee, for example, have ruled that states cannot enforce their gambling laws against federally regulated prediction markets, while state courts in Massachusetts and Ohio have ruled that they can.
Washington state has staked out a broader position than other states in this fight, arguing that all event contracts — not just sports bets — are illegal under state law. Other states have focused their enforcement on sports-related contracts specifically.A <a href="https://www.curtis.senate.gov/press-releases/curtis-schiff-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-ban-sports-prediction-market-contracts/">bipartisan bill</a> introduced last week by Sens. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and John Curtis (R-Utah) would ban sports betting on prediction market platforms.
Read <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/1020630439/Robinhood-v-WA-state">the full complaint</a> below.
<iframe loading="lazy" class="scribd_iframe_embed" title="Robinhood v. WA state " src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/1020630439/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-uFxZkLNl9UfBibtgRKlv" tabindex="0" data-auto-height="true" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0" ></iframe> <a title="View Robinhood v. WA state on Scribd" href="https://www.scribd.com/document/1020630439/Robinhood-v-WA-state#from_embed" style="color: #098642; text-decoration: underline;"> Robinhood v. WA state </a> by <a title="View GeekWire's profile on Scribd" href="https://www.scribd.com/user/330039756/GeekWire#from_embed" style="color: #098642; text-decoration: underline;" > GeekWire </a>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">921878</post-id> </item>
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<title>GeekWire Awards: Sustainable Innovation finalists tackle energy, fashion and farming</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/geekwire-awards-sustainable-innovation-finalists-tackle-energy-fashion-and-farming/</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:31:47 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Stiffler]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Startups]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sustainability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[climate tech]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Helion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Helion Energy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[iunu]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[OCOchem]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ravel]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[TerraPower]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=920705</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="795" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Untitled1-1260x795.png" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Untitled1-1260x795.png 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Untitled1-768x484.png 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Untitled1-1536x969.png 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Untitled1-2048x1292.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> The Sustainable Innovation Award finalists this year are energy companies Helion, OCOChem and TerraPower; fashion recycler Ravel; and agtech startup IUNU. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/geekwire-awards-sustainable-innovation-finalists-tackle-energy-fashion-and-farming/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Finalists for GeekWire’s 2026 Sustainable Innovation Award, from left going clockwise: Helion Energy fusion device (Helion Photo), OCOchem team (OCOchem Photo), TerraPower’s mock fuel rods (TerraPower Photo), Ravel team (Ravel Photo), and IUNU’s image capturing system. (IUNU Photo)</figcaption></figure>
Climate change is battering the earth with record-setting high temperatures, more powerful storms and devastating wildfires. A slate of cutting-edge sustainability companies are fighting back with technologies that aim to curb carbon emissions and help humanity navigate a change world.
This award, presented by <a href="https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/">Amazon</a>, recognizes the Pacific Northwest’s leaders in this space. The Sustainable Innovation Award finalists this year are Helion, IUNU, OCOChem, Ravel and TerraPower.
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<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="600" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sustainable-Innovation-Amazon-Sustainability.png" alt="" class="wp-image-921882" style="width:300px" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sustainable-Innovation-Amazon-Sustainability.png 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sustainable-Innovation-Amazon-Sustainability-768x366.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /></figure>
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Now in its 18th year, the <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/events/2026-geekwire-awards/">GeekWire Awards</a> is the premier event recognizing the top leaders, companies and breakthroughs in Pacific Northwest tech, bringing together hundreds of people to celebrate innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit. It takes place May 7 at the Showbox SoDo in Seattle.
<a href="https://carbonrobotics.com/">Carbon Robotics</a>, an ag-tech company building weed-killing machines that use artificial intelligence and computer vision to recognize and zap unwanted plants, won the category last year.
Continue reading for information on this year’s finalists, which were chosen by a panel of independent judges from community nominations. You can help pick the winner: <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BJQ2PM9?name=%5Bname_value%5D">Cast your ballot here</a> or in the embedded form at the bottom of this story. Voting runs through April 10.
<a href="https://www.helionenergy.com/">Helion Energy</a> has spent 13 years working to replicate the physics that power the sun and stars — pursuing nearly limitless clean energy for the grid. The Everett, Wash.-based company is currently developing its seventh-generation prototype while simultaneously building what it hopes will be the world’s first commercial fusion plant, in Eastern Washington.
Backers include OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Microsoft has signed a deal to purchase power from that first facility. Helion has raised more than $1 billion toward its goal — though whether it can deliver remains an unanswered question.
The Seattle ag tech startup <a href="https://iunu.com/">IUNU</a> wants to bring computer vision and AI to the commercial greenhouse — deploying autonomous rail-mounted cameras and canopy-level sensors that can spot early signs of disease, track plant growth, and tell growers exactly what to do about it.
Pronounced “you-knew,” IUNU was founded in 2013 by CEO <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamgreenberg1">Adam Greenberg</a>, the son of a botanist and co-founder of a clean water startup called Pure Blue Technologies. The company has deployed its technology across six countries, has additional offices in Canada and Netherlands, and has raised $60 million.
Unwanted carbon dioxide has a higher purpose thanks to <a href="https://ocochem.com/">OCOchem</a>. The Richland, Wash., startup is taking water and captured industrial CO2 and turning them into chemicals that can be converted into clean-burning hydrogen fuel, used in aviation deicers, or fed to microorganisms that biosynthesize proteins. 
The company has raised $11.2 million from investors plus additional grant dollars, and has multiple pilot projects underway as it scales up production. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-brix-518693">Todd Brix</a> launched OCOchem in 2017 after a nearly two-decade career at Microsoft.
Seattle’s <a href="https://www.ravelfuture.com/">Ravel</a> has developed a proprietary, planet friendly technology that unwinds the components of fabric blends through a process it calls “purification recycling.” Ravel’s target is elastane, which is known as spandex or Lycra and added to essentially every category of apparel. 
The startup recovers the elastane, turning it into cost-competitive, recycled plastic pellets that serve as the raw material for making polyester fabrics. Ravel launched in 2019 and last year announced a pre-seed funding round. 
In March, <a href="https://www.terrapower.com/">TerraPower</a> became the first next-generation nuclear company in the U.S. to receive <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nrc-approves-the-natrium-reactor-construction-permit-302704125.html">federal construction approval</a> — a milestone for the Bill Gates-backed startup, which is engineering smaller, modular reactors designed to be assembled from factory-built components. Each reactor generates 345 megawatts and pairs with a molten salt energy storage system that can supply additional power.
The Bellevue, Wash., company broke ground on a demonstration plant in Kemmerer, Wyo., in 2024 and aims to start splitting atoms there by the end of 2030. TerraPower has raised $1.66 billion from investors and secured a $2 billion federal grant.
<a href="https://www.astound.com/business/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Astound Business Solutions</a> is the presenting sponsor of the 2026 GeekWire Awards. Thanks also to gold sponsors <a href="https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/">Amazon Sustainability</a>, <a href="https://www.rwbaird.com/corporations-and-institutions/discover-the-baird-difference-institutional/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Baird</a>, <a href="https://www.becu.org/">BECU</a>, <a href="https://www.us.jll.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JLL</a>, <a href="https://www.firsttechfed.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">First Tech</a> and <a href="https://www.wsgr.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wilson Sonsini</a>, and silver sponsors <a href="https://www.primeteampartners.com/">Prime Team Partners</a>.
The event will feature a VIP reception, sit-down dinner and fun entertainment mixed in. Tickets go fast. A limited number of half-table and full-table sponsorships available. Contact <a href="mailto:events@geekwire.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">events@geekwire.com</a> to reserve a spot for your team today.
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">920705</post-id> </item>
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<title>Donations meet disruption: Nonprofits navigate the AI era with mix of enthusiasm and anxiety</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/donations-meet-disruption-nonprofits-navigate-the-ai-era-with-mix-of-enthusiasm-and-anxiety/</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:00:41 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Stiffler]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Philanthropy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[agentic AI]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[artificial intelligence]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Brad Smith]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Children International]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[goodwill]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Justin Spelhaug]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Microsoft Elevate]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[nonprofits]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Project C.U.R.E.]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=920955</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="891" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Container-Delivery1-1260x891.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Container-Delivery1-1260x891.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Container-Delivery1-768x543.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Container-Delivery1-1536x1086.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Container-Delivery1-2048x1448.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> At Microsoft’s global nonprofit summit, 1,500 groups tackled the AI paradox: bridging the gap between tech potential and the high costs of real-world deployment. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/donations-meet-disruption-nonprofits-navigate-the-ai-era-with-mix-of-enthusiasm-and-anxiety/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="891" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Container-Delivery1-1260x891.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921087" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Container-Delivery1-1260x891.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Container-Delivery1-768x543.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Container-Delivery1-1536x1086.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Container-Delivery1-2048x1448.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A delivery of medical supplies by Project C.U.R.E. (Project C.U.R.E. Photo)</figcaption></figure>
[Editor’s Note: <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/special-coverage/agents-of-transformation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Agents of Transformation</a> is an independent GeekWire series, underwritten by Accenture, exploring the adoption and impact of AI and agents. See coverage of <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/beyond-the-chatbot-at-geekwire-summit-ai-leaders-say-the-era-of-autonomous-agents-is-already-here/">our related event</a>.] 
<a href="https://projectcure.org/">Project C.U.R.E.</a> had the answers. Decades of repair manuals for X-ray machines, anesthesia equipment and other medical devices — plus inventory data for the 250 semi-truck containers of supplies it ships to clinics worldwide every year. The problem was access: the archives had grown too large for any one person to navigate.
Now the nonprofit is turning to AI to start unlocking those resources, using the technology to predict future supply needs and search its manuals database for specific fixes.
“We’ve got almost 40 years of manuals,” said Doug Jackson, CEO of Project C.U.R.E., a Denver nonprofit providing medical aid. “There’s no way that any one person can sit down in a room and read through all those manuals. But AI can.”
Project C.U.R.E. was among 1,500 organizations in Bellevue, Wash., last week for Microsoft’s Global Nonprofit Leadership Summit, which centered on a high-stakes paradox for the social sector. The event’s focus was accelerated AI adoption and agentic tools, but the move toward automation keeps running into the gap between the technology’s potential and the real costs, skills and time required to deploy it.
<a href="https://www.children.org/">Children International</a>, a Kansas City-based organization serving impoverished youth, found a way to bridge that divide. Its employees are using AI agents to automate tasks including bulk translation of the letters sent from donors to children receiving their support.
“We had to do something different,” said Tim Batcha, vice president of Global Information Technology at Children International, speaking at the summit. He explained that too much effort was going toward day-to-day operations instead of advancing the nonprofit’s core mission.
To help others eager to deploy AI, the tech giant last Wednesday unveiled <a href="https://aka.ms/MicrosoftElevateforChangemakers">Microsoft Elevate for Changemakers</a>, which expands the company’s Elevate program <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/as-ai-reshapes-its-workforce-microsoft-commits-4-billion-to-help-others-adapt/">launched </a>last July.
The initiative has three components:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>“AI for Nonprofits” credential: The professional certificate created with LinkedIn and NetHope develops skills applicable for this specific sector.</li>
<li>AI skills training: Live and on-demand instruction modules are focused on nonprofit needs and target areas such as Microsoft Copilot’s agentic tools, change management and responsible AI governance.</li>
<li>Changemaker Fellowship: The program creates a global cohort supporting fellows deploying AI in their operations and is funded by Microsoft, EY, Caribou and others.</li>
</ul>
<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Inclusion and anxiety</h5>
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"69cff9c91d046"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="69cff9c91d046" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="945" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PXL_20260325_1632089301-1260x945.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921866" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PXL_20260325_1632089301-1260x945.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PXL_20260325_1632089301-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PXL_20260325_1632089301-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PXL_20260325_1632089301-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><button
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</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Justin Spelhaug, president of Microsoft Elevate, left, and Tim Batcha, vice president of Global Information Technology at Children International, speaking at a Microsoft summit on March 25. (GeekWire Photo / Lisa Stiffler)</figcaption></figure>
Changemakers aims to address challenges Microsoft own leaders’ repeatedly acknowledged at the summit — that while AI is likely to be one of the most influential technologies of this era, it’s also creating widespread concerns around job loss and other community impacts and threatens to further widen tech inequities worldwide.
“This defining moment of our time can either be more inclusive or it can be less inclusive based on the decisions that we make in rooms like this all around the world,” said Justin Spelhaug, director of Microsoft Elevate, addressing attendees.
Microsoft President Brad Smith said that one of the best ways to overcome fears and build support for AI is to get people using the technology at home and in their work.
“Anxiety, especially in the United States, has reached people before AI has,” Smith said. 
The company has committed to providing more than <a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2026/03/25/empowering-the-nonprofit-sector-to-meet-tomorrows-challenges/">$5 billion in support</a> for nonprofits over the next year alone through discounts and donations of its technology, as well as grants.
In an interview with GeekWire, Spelhaug pointed to two key operations where AI is likely to have the greatest impact for nonprofits:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Answering calls from the people served by the organizations to answer basic questions and address straightforward needs, replacing automated phone systems with a “press 1, press 2” menu.</li>
<li>Improving fundraising by tracking donor information, providing personalized communications and supporting lead follow ups.</li>
</ul>
“There’s no shortage of problems in the world to solve,” Spelhaug said. “Let’s get people solving those problems and AI taking care of the work that it can take care of.”
<h5 class="wp-block-heading">AI ambitions and experiments</h5>
Seattle-based <a href="https://evergreengoodwill.org/">Evergreen Goodwill</a> is testing AI as a tool for managing the millions of pounds of donated apparel and household goods every year that it sells or tries to recycle.
The century-old nonprofit was selected last year as an AI for Good Lab grant recipient and is using the funds to pilot the use of AI in pricing some of the roughly 26 million items it processes annually. It’s testing computer vision tech at one site that scans items and suggests prices — currently requiring staff to display individual items, but eventually aimed at an automated system.
Manually sorting and pricing “is very high stress,” said Brent Deim, Goodwill’s vice president of technology. The tech should help employees work faster, build AI skills, and its language capabilities can open up roles for people with limited English.
The AI-enabled tech should also result in more consistent pricing, prevent undervaluing of items, and ultimately increase proceeds that fund its free education and job training programs. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="841" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/EvergreenGoodwill_Summer2023-2422-1-1260x841.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921231" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/EvergreenGoodwill_Summer2023-2422-1-1260x841.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/EvergreenGoodwill_Summer2023-2422-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/EvergreenGoodwill_Summer2023-2422-1.jpg 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Evergreen Goodwill needs to price 26 million donated items each year to sell in its stores. (Evergreen Goodwill Photo)</figcaption></figure>
And those initiatives are another opportunity for integrating AI, said Huan Do, Goodwill’s VP of mission advancement. Do is eager to apply the Changemakers’ AI credential to the programs to “enable our students to be the best employees available for a 21st century workforce.”
<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Rapid pace of change</h5>
Jackson of Project C.U.R.E. has his own ambitious ideas for AI. One is to create videos with avatars that guide healthcare workers in remote communities in repairing broken medical devices themselves — avatars that reflect the people being assisted, speaking their language and dialect.
But he also recognizes the hurdles to making AI initiatives a reality. For his 35-person team — even with 35,000 volunteer supporters — budget and staffing constraints loom large. 
So do the challenges of digitizing historic paper records, persuading clinics to enter current operational data, and navigating privacy and data-use concerns. Keeping pace with rapidly evolving technologies, and ensuring those technologies can talk to one another, add further pressure.
“I’m just sitting here thinking, ‘Oh man, we are so far behind already,'” Jackson said after a tech demo at the summit. “We’ll try to get there.”
]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Oracle cuts 491 jobs in Washington state as it embraces AI-led engineering</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/oracle-cuts-491-jobs-in-washington-state-as-it-embraces-ai-led-engineering/</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 02:40:03 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Stiffler]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[layoffs]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Oracle]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921813</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="945" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/oracle-1260x945.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/oracle-1260x945.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/oracle-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/oracle-630x473.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> Oracle's layoffs affect more than 230 software developers and an additional 48 software development employees in Washington and include workers in senior director and vice president roles. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/oracle-cuts-491-jobs-in-washington-state-as-it-embraces-ai-led-engineering/">Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="945" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/oracle-1260x945.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-518062" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/oracle-1260x945.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/oracle-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/oracle-630x473.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Oracle’s Cloud Experience Center in downtown Seattle. (GeekWire File Photo / Todd Bishop)</figcaption></figure>
Oracle is laying off 491 employees in Washington state, according to a <a href="https://esd.wa.gov/employer-requirements/layoffs-and-employee-notifications/worker-adjustment-and-retraining-notification-warn-layoff-and-closure-database?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery">filing</a> Tuesday from the state Employment Security Department.
The cuts impact workers at two Seattle offices as well as remote employees and take effect June 1. The cloud and database giant stated in its WARN letter that the offices will not be closing.
Earlier this month, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-05/oracle-layoffs-to-impact-thousands-in-ai-cash-crunch?sref=CUpXQy6u">Bloomberg </a>and others reported that Oracle was planning to cut thousands of jobs across the company as it tries to fund the high-cost deployment of new data centers. The reductions are also the result of AI-driven efficiencies within the organization, according to comments by Mike Sicilia, Oracle’s co-chief executive, in an <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm296jzzl9yo">earnings call</a> March 10.
“The use of AI coding tools inside Oracle is enabling smaller engineering teams to deliver more complete solutions to our customers more quickly,” Sicilia said, according to the publication <a href="https://www.cio.com/article/4144164/oracle-to-shed-developers-as-it-brings-in-ai-tools.html">CIO</a>. 
Oracle declined to comment on the newest job cuts.
The Washington layoffs affect more than 230 software developers across multiple seniority levels and an additional 48 employees with the title of software development. The cuts include workers in senior director and vice president roles, as well as managers, product developers, product managers, program managers, site reliability developers, technical analysts, user experience developers and others.
The layoffs are the latest in a series of Oracle reductions. In August the company laid off <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/oracle-lays-off-161-employees-in-seattle-as-part-of-broader-reported-cuts-impacting-cloud-business/">161 workers</a>, followed by <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/oracle-layoffs-impact-101-employees-in-washington-state/">101 employees</a> in October. By last fall, Oracle had approximately 3,800 employees in the Seattle area, according to LinkedIn.
Oracle has <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2019/oracle-plans-hire-2000-cloud-workers-hundreds-open-positions-listed-seattle/">grown its presence</a> in the region over the past decade, tapping into the area’s engineering talent pool as it battled Amazon and Microsoft in the cloud. In recent years, the company has <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2023/microsoft-and-oracle-frenemies-at-last-what-others-can-learn-from-their-unlikely-partnership/">established</a> <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2024/with-new-amazon-web-services-partnership-oracles-cloud-database-trade-off-is-complete/">partnerships</a> with both Seattle-area giants.
Now all three, plus other tech companies, have been undergoing multiple rounds of job reductions, with recent <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/latest-meta-layoffs-target-168-employees-in-washington-state/">Meta </a>cuts impacting 168 Washington workers and <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/more-layoffs-at-t-mobile-company-confirms-its-further-aligning-it-org/">T-Mobile</a> confirming new layoffs last Friday.
Related:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/oracle-layoffs-impact-101-employees-in-washington-state/">Latest layoffs at Oracle impact 101 employees in Washington state</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/oracle-lays-off-161-employees-in-seattle-as-part-of-broader-reported-cuts-impacting-cloud-business/">Oracle lays off 161 employees in Seattle as part of broader reported cuts impacting cloud business</a></li>
</ul>
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<title>Seattle VR gaming studio Polyarc announces ‘significant’ layoffs</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/seattle-vr-gaming-studio-polyarc-announces-significant-layoffs/</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:49:19 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Wilde]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Games]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Gaming]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[layoffs]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[polyarc]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[VR]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921746</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/MossBookII_PSVR2_Pinnacle_Screenshot-1260x709.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/MossBookII_PSVR2_Pinnacle_Screenshot-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/MossBookII_PSVR2_Pinnacle_Screenshot-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/MossBookII_PSVR2_Pinnacle_Screenshot-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/MossBookII_PSVR2_Pinnacle_Screenshot-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/MossBookII_PSVR2_Pinnacle_Screenshot-630x354.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> The announcement, via LinkedIn, notes that the layoffs come after “an unsuccessful team-wide effort to secure funding following the cancellation of a major project.” <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/seattle-vr-gaming-studio-polyarc-announces-significant-layoffs/">Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/MossBookII_PSVR2_Pinnacle_Screenshot-1260x709.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-761031" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/MossBookII_PSVR2_Pinnacle_Screenshot-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/MossBookII_PSVR2_Pinnacle_Screenshot-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/MossBookII_PSVR2_Pinnacle_Screenshot-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/MossBookII_PSVR2_Pinnacle_Screenshot-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/MossBookII_PSVR2_Pinnacle_Screenshot-630x354.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Moss: Book II. (Polyarc screenshot)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.polyarcgames.com/">Polyarc</a>, the Seattle-based VR gaming developer behind the award-winning Moss series, announced that it’s had to “significantly reduce the size of the company.”
The announcement, via <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/today-we-shared-some-very-difficult-news-share-7444450528853442560-EQ7Z/">LinkedIn</a> on Monday, notes that the layoffs come after “an unsuccessful team-wide effort to secure funding following the cancellation of a major project.”
The company, which had around 52 employees according to LinkedIn, did not specify how many were affected, but said it plans to share a spreadsheet with information about those who were impacted to help them make connections in new job searches.
Polyarc was <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2016/helping-build-destiny-ex-bungie-developers-raise-3-5m-new-vr-startup-polyarc/">founded in 2016</a> by Tam Armstrong, Danny Bulla, and Chris Alderson, all three of whom had formerly worked on Destiny at Bungie. The studio’s debut project, the fantasy adventure Moss, <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2018/ex-bungie-engineers-aim-steal-heart-sword-wielding-vr-mouse-called-quill/">came out in 2018</a> to critical and commercial success, which led to both a <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2021/seattle-studio-polyarc-reveals-moss-book-ii-sequel-award-winning-2018-vr-adventure/">2021 sequel</a> and a <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2023/seattle-vr-studio-polyarc-reveals-its-next-game-glassbreakers-champions-of-moss/">multiplayer spinoff</a> in 2023.
The Moss series, which began as exclusives for the PlayStation VR platform before going multiplatform, is on the short list of candidates for VR gaming’s “killer app.” In Moss, players take the role of a Reader, an unseen individual who discovers a magical book in a forgotten library. That book allows you to watch and affect events in the fantasy world of Moss, where a young mouse named Quill is on a quest to save her kingdom.
The problem for the VR market, however, is that much of it is driven by Meta, and Meta has been <a href="https://vr.org/articles/meta-reality-labs-layoffs-pivot-2026">steadily stepping back from its VR endeavors</a> for the better part of the last couple of years. In January, another wave of VR layoffs at Meta closed several studios and dramatically lowered the headcount <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/meta-layoffs-hit-seattle-area-vr-studio-camouflaj-developer-behind-batman-game/">at Bellevue, Wash.-based Camouflaj</a>.
There are still major players in VR gaming, such as Valve and its <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/valve-surprises-with-3-new-hardware-devices-in-a-full-circle-moment-for-gaming-giant/">upcoming Steam Frame</a>. It’d be a mistake to say the sector is dead or dying, but Meta drove so much of the conversation around VR that its slow abandonment has destabilized the format.
In addition, the last three years have been a tough time to work in the video game industry, as numerous companies have been forced to slim or shut down. Other recently affected studios in the Pacific Northwest include <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/vancouver-game-studio-phoenix-labs-lays-off-majority-of-employees/">Phoenix Labs</a>, <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/warner-bros-shuts-down-seattle-area-subsidiary-monolith-productions-cancels-wonder-woman/">Monolith Productions</a>, and <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/seattle-gaming-startup-rec-room-lays-off-16-of-staff-read-ceos-memo-to-employees/">Rec Room</a>.
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<title>Latest Meta layoffs target 168 employees in Washington state</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/latest-meta-layoffs-target-168-employees-in-washington-state/</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:52:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Stiffler]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Meta]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[layoffs]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921709</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="800" height="533" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/download.jpeg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/download.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/download-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"> Another round of layoffs at Meta will affect 168 employees in Washington state, with jobs in Meta’s virtual reality division being particularly hard hit. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/latest-meta-layoffs-target-168-employees-in-washington-state/">Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/download.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-896992" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/download.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/download-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Meta’s Dexter Station office in Seattle. (Meta Photo)</figcaption></figure>
Another round of layoffs at Meta will affect 168 employees in Washington state, according to a <a href="https://esd.wa.gov/employer-requirements/layoffs-and-employee-notifications/worker-adjustment-and-retraining-notification-warn-layoff-and-closure-database?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery">filing</a> from the state Employment Security Department. The cuts are part of a broader reduction impacting <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/technology/meta-layoffs-ai-executives.html">hundreds of Meta workers</a> around the U.S.
“Teams across Meta regularly restructure or implement changes to ensure they’re in the best position to achieve their goals. Where possible, we are finding other opportunities for employees whose positions may be impacted,” said a Meta spokesperson via email. 
The workers are primarily based in Seattle, Redmond and Bellevue, with 39 working remotely within the state. The layoffs will impact engineering, product management, manager and recruiting roles, among other titles. Jobs in Reality Labs, which focuses on AR and VR hardware and software and wearable devices such as smart glasses, were heavily affected.
The layoffs will take place starting May 8.
The company employs thousands of people across multiple offices in the Seattle region, one of its largest engineering hubs outside Menlo Park, Calif. 
In January, the Facebook parent disclosed layoffs impacting 331 employees in Washington as it pared down its Reality Labs division. Meta previously cut more than 100 employees in the state in October as part of a broader round of layoffs within its artificial intelligence division.
The repeated workforce reductions and increased workplace use of AI have helped drive significant productivity gains. Meta’s average revenue per employee has spiked 85% over the past three years, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/31/meta-layoffs-ai-spending-efficiency">Axios </a>reported today. 
The most recent layoffs coincided with the release of a new stock program targeting six top executives, potentially increasing their compensation by up to $921 million each over the next five years, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/technology/meta-layoffs-ai-executives.html">New York Times</a> reported last week. 
RELATED:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/report-meta-plans-to-cut-around-10-of-reality-labs-workforce/">Report: Meta plans to cut around 10% of Reality Labs workforce</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/meta-lays-off-331-workers-in-washington-state-as-part-of-broader-cuts-to-reality-labs-division/">Meta laying off 331 workers in Washington state as part of broader cuts to Reality Labs division</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/filing-metas-ai-layoffs-hit-washington-offices-in-bellevue-seattle-redmond/">Filing: Meta’s AI layoffs hit Washington offices in Bellevue, Seattle, Redmond</a></li>
</ul>
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<title>‘I don’t think anything will ever replace Rec Room’: Fans shocked by gaming platform shutdown</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/i-dont-think-anything-will-ever-replace-rec-room-fans-shocked-by-gaming-platform-shutdown/</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:14:24 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kurt Schlosser]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Games]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Discord]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Gaming]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Rec Room]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[VR]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921679</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/recroomhangout-1260x709.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/recroomhangout-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/recroomhangout-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/recroomhangout-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/recroomhangout-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> In the Rec Room community Discord server, thousands of posts illustrated the impact that the loss of the gaming app will have on players. Many questioned whether the news was a joke, what went wrong, and where they will go now for such entertainment and community. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/i-dont-think-anything-will-ever-replace-rec-room-fans-shocked-by-gaming-platform-shutdown/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/recroomhangout-1260x709.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921706" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/recroomhangout-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/recroomhangout-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/recroomhangout-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/recroomhangout-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">(Rec Room Image)</figcaption></figure>
The despair among <a href="https://rec.net/">Rec Room</a> players is real.
Users of the popular social gaming platform expressed their disbelief and sadness over the demise of the Seattle-based company, which announced Monday that it is <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/rec-room-shutting-down-seattles-3-5b-social-gaming-platform-says-it-cant-make-the-business-work/">shutting down</a> on June 1, and that some of its assets are being <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/snap-acquires-assets-from-rec-room-as-social-gaming-platform-announces-shutdown/">acquired by Snap</a>.
Rec Room — ranked No. 49 on the <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/geekwire-200/">GeekWire 200</a> ranked index of the Pacific Northwest’s top startups — surged in popularity during the pandemic and was once valued at $3.5 billion. It attracted 150 million lifetime players who have been creating and sharing games, virtual goods and experiences across phones, consoles, PCs and VR headsets for a decade.
In the Rec Room <a href="https://discord.com/channels/193073071802941451/1020053322792702043">Discord server</a> on Tuesday, thousands of posts illustrated the impact that the loss of the gaming app will have on players. Many questioned whether the news was a joke, what went wrong, and where they will go now for such entertainment and community. Similar conversations were taking place <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/RecRoom/">on Reddit</a>.
We rounded up a number of reactions from a variety of threads: 
“If it is true, I guess thats it. Ive had alot of great memories in rec room and its really sad to see it finally shut down. From 2018/2019 I started playing. Or during the lockdown era in other words, I will surely miss this game from the deepest parts of my heart.”
“its an experience that i dont think could ever be recreated, whether thatd be because of the charm of the style and theming rec room had from the beginning or rather just the cost and difficulty of running something of this scale.”
“I grew as a person on this game from 2017 to 2025 lol… Earned money on it learned to code learned to model learned alot.”
“My 17 y/o son who had been playing almost 6 years came in to tell me it was shutting down and even asked if he could come home early from school that day so he doesn’t miss the shut down…he is BUMMED!!! He was in a few bands that play regular “concerts” and he been part of habit live streams, room tours, costume builds and even whole band costumes. I HOPE something can be done to keep it!!!!!”
“Rec Room was a game where it was clear the devs really ‘got’ vr (at least, pre-2021, many newer updates felt more catered towards screenmode). Small things like weapons locking in your hands and being able to pick stuff up from a distance is done so well in rec room and i still havent found another vr game that genuinely feels like it understands how to make a vr game comfortable to play.”
“This is such a sad day for all of us… This is such sad news about the fact that Rec Room will shut down on June 1st, i’ve been an avid dedicated player of this game for the last 4 nearly 5 years. I have Autism, it is difficult for me to get out of the house and this has been a safe environment to play with my friends who are also autistic. To lose this will be like losing a friend, but definitely losing the connection that has been so important to me over the years.”
“my friend group literally only played rec and we bonded so much over the stuff we can do in this game. theres no other game like rec room and its really a shame its shutting down cuz i doubt there will be another game like it.”
“This all feels so bizarre. I heard the news last night, went “oh well they did this to themselves” and went to sleep. I woke up this morning super happy (since I actually managed to go to bed at a decent time), then I remembered the news and this day just doesn’t feel real. This shutdown probably hurts me the most as it was a VR game and I felt like time slowed down when I could put on a headset and be heavily immersed in a whole new atmosphere that I could never experience in real life.”
<ol class="wp-block-list"></ol>
“I started playing at a low in my life played for six years. I’ll never forget recroom I met my best friend on there who I will forever keep in contact with I learned how to build got good at it too.”
“i dont think anything will ever replace recroom the people who played vr for recroom will probably stop playing vr in general when recrrom dies there was nothing to me that felt as fun as recroom.”
“I think we should all just try and have fun with the game still being up right now and we should all just be happy that recroom was a fun experience yet it unfortunately has to go.”
“its good to move on. its upsetting and sad but like we have the memories they were good.”
Related:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/rec-room-shutting-down-seattles-3-5b-social-gaming-platform-says-it-cant-make-the-business-work/">Rec Room shutting down: Once valued at $3.5B, social gaming platform finds profits elusive</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/snap-acquires-assets-from-rec-room-as-social-gaming-platform-announces-shutdown/">Snap acquires assets from Rec Room as social gaming platform announces shutdown</a></li>
</ul>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">921679</post-id> </item>
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<title>AI startup Oumi, from Microsoft and Google vets, launches commercial platform for custom AI models</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/ai-startup-oumi-from-microsoft-and-google-vets-launches-commercial-platform-for-custom-ai-models/</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:40:22 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Todd Bishop]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Startups]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Anthropic]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[artificial intelligence]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Enterprise]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[machine learning]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Open Source]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[OpenAI]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Oumi]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[startups]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921687</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/seattle-ai-startup-oumi-started-1260x709.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/seattle-ai-startup-oumi-started-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/seattle-ai-startup-oumi-started-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/seattle-ai-startup-oumi-started.jpg 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> Seattle startup Oumi launched a commercial platform to help companies build custom AI models, betting that smaller, specialized models will beat general-purpose alternatives from the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/ai-startup-oumi-from-microsoft-and-google-vets-launches-commercial-platform-for-custom-ai-models/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<iframe loading="lazy" title="The Era of General Purpose AI Is Over" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G8w_zzp1QyY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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A Seattle startup founded by former Google and Microsoft engineers is betting that companies will increasingly want to build and own smaller, specialized AI models rather than relying on general-purpose alternatives from the likes of OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.
<a href="https://www.oumi.ai/">Oumi</a>, which launched its open-source platform last year, <a href="https://blog.oumi.ai/p/the-era-of-general-purpose-ai-is">moved into its commercial phase Tuesday</a> with technology that it says can automate the process of building custom AI models in hours rather than the weeks or months it would take with traditional approaches.
The company says users can describe what they want a model to do in plain language, and the platform handles everything from generating training data to fine-tuning and evaluation.
“One of the last things still standing that has not been automated with AI is the building of AI itself,” said Oumi CEO <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/koukoumidis/">Manos Koukoumidis</a>, demonstrating the platform on a call this week.
The case for custom models: The argument comes down to cost, performance, and control. General-purpose models from companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are designed to handle a wide range of tasks but can fall short on specialized work. 
Smaller models trained on specific tasks can be cheaper to run, faster to respond, and deployed on a company’s own infrastructure, keeping sensitive data in-house.
Company background: As <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/ex-google-apple-engineers-raise-10m-to-give-ai-its-linux-moment-with-new-open-source-platform/">first reported by GeekWire last year</a>, Oumi was launched by Koukoumidis, a former senior engineering manager at Google Cloud, and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/oussamaelachqar/">Oussama Elachqar</a>, a machine learning engineer who previously worked at Apple, Twitter, and Microsoft. 
Other co-founders are <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewpersons/">Matthew Persons</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremiah-greer-b09294109/">Jeremiah Greer</a>, both former Google AI and Microsoft engineers; <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamfzeng/">William Zeng</a>, who worked on AI safety at Google; and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaisopos/">Kostas Aisopos</a>, a former Google staff engineer who also previously worked at Microsoft.
The company <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/ex-google-apple-engineers-raise-10m-to-give-ai-its-linux-moment-with-new-open-source-platform/">raised $10 million last year</a> in a seed round led by Venrock and Obvious Ventures, with participation from Plug & Play and Seattle-based Ascend. 
The company has since grown to about 20 employees, based primarily in Seattle. 
Broader landscape: It’s part of a growing market for tools that help companies build and deploy custom AI models. <a href="https://predibase.com">Predibase</a>, a model fine-tuning platform, was <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/25/rubrik-agrees-to-buy-ai-startup-predibase-for-over-100-million.html">acquired by Rubrik</a> last year for more than $100 million. <a href="https://fireworks.ai">Fireworks AI</a> offers inference and fine-tuning for open-source models.
Open-source projects like <a href="https://github.com/unslothai/unsloth">Unsloth</a> and <a href="https://github.com/axolotl-ai-cloud/axolotl">Axolotl</a> provide alternatives geared for developers.
Major cloud providers including Amazon and Google offer similar capabilities through <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/">technologies such as AWS SageMaker</a> and <a href="https://ai.google.dev/">Google’s AI Studio</a>, although they often require more setup and tend to tie customers to those specific cloud ecosystems.
Part of Oumi’s pitch is that its natural-language interface and end-to-end automation make the process accessible to many other users beyond dedicated AI engineers.
The company launched as an open-source project in early 2025, and its toolkit has since drawn nearly 9,000 GitHub stars and adoption at research institutions including Stanford, MIT, and Berkeley.
Commercial expansion: The new launch builds on that open-source foundation. 
Oumi says smaller, custom-trained models can outperform the largest general-purpose models on specific tasks, at a fraction of the cost. It points to early case studies to show the potential.
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Divisions Maintenance Group, a facility services company, used the platform to fine-tune a model with fewer than 1 billion parameters for invoice validation. Accuracy jumped from 72% to 99%, matching the performance of OpenAI’s GPT-5.2 on the task. </li>
<li>Aurasell, an AI-powered CRM platform, built an 8 billion parameter model for extracting information from web pages that outperformed Anthropic’s Sonnet 4.5 on key metrics.</li>
</ul>
The Oumi Platform starts at $25 per month per organization with unlimited users, plus pay-per-use fees for training, evaluation, and data synthesis.
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">921687</post-id> </item>
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<title>Tech Moves: C-suite exec leaves Microsoft for Alaska Airlines; Amazon leaders depart; HashiCorp CTO resigns</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/tech-moves-c-suite-exec-leaves-microsoft-for-alaska-airlines-amazon-leaders-depart-hashicorp-cto-resigns/</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:27:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Stiffler]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Startups]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Tech Moves]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Alaska Airlines]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Amazon]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Amazon Web Services]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Armon Dadgar]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Emerald Battery Labs]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[HashiCorp]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Lindsay-Rae McIntyre]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Omar Shahine]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PixVerse]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SAP]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Starcloud]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[T-Mobile]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Truveta]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921653</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="903" height="677" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260320_as_lindsay_ray0132_pp.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260320_as_lindsay_ray0132_pp.jpg 903w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260320_as_lindsay_ray0132_pp-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 903px) 100vw, 903px"> Lindsay-Rae McIntyre leaves Microsoft for Alaska Airlines, while HashiCorp's co-founder leaves the company and two Amazon execs depart. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/tech-moves-c-suite-exec-leaves-microsoft-for-alaska-airlines-amazon-leaders-depart-hashicorp-cto-resigns/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="903" height="677" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260320_as_lindsay_ray0132_pp.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921666" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260320_as_lindsay_ray0132_pp.jpg 903w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260320_as_lindsay_ray0132_pp-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 903px) 100vw, 903px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lindsay-Rae McIntyre. (Alaska Airlines Photo)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsayraemcintyre/">Lindsay-Rae McIntyre</a> is the new chief people officer at Seattle-based Alaska Airlines. She joins the airline from Microsoft, where she most recently served as chief diversity officer and corporate VP of Talent and Learning.
“There is a vast, complex world counting on Microsoft to help bend the arc of the future toward good,” McIntyre said in <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7444455985093644288/?originTrackingId=aVBgUSupJqvAk%2BLuYr7cAg%3D%3D">LinkedIn </a>post framed as a two-part letter to the tech giant and her new employer. 
“I am honored to have been part of this transformation for the past eight years,” she said of her time at Microsoft. “Please take good care of one another, and of our customers.”
Addressing the combined teams at Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, McIntyre noted deep family ties to the industry: her grandfather and uncle were pilots for Air Canada, and her aunt was a flight attendant. “I grew up in awe of airplanes and of the extraordinary people who make air travel possible,” she said. 
Prior to Microsoft, McIntyre was with IBM for more than 18 years serving in top leadership roles. 
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="400" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Armon-Dadgar.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921671" style="width:225px" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Armon-Dadgar.jpg 400w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Armon-Dadgar-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Armon-Dadgar-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Armon-Dadgar-100x100.jpg 100w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Armon-Dadgar-200x200.jpg 200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Armon Dadgar. (LinkedIn Photo)</figcaption></figure>
</div>
— <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/armon-dadgar/">Armon Dadgar</a>, the Seattle-based co-founder and chief technology officer for HashiCorp, is leaving the infrastructure software company. Dadgar launched HashiCorp in 2012 with co-founder <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchellh/">Mitchell Hashimoto</a> after the two graduated from the University of Washington. <a href="https://newsroom.ibm.com/2025-02-27-ibm-completes-acquisition-of-hashicorp,-creates-comprehensive,-end-to-end-hybrid-cloud-platform">IBM acquired</a> the San Francisco company for $6.4 billion last year.
“For me, HashiCorp was always more than a job, and I’ve always felt a deep sense of responsibility for the people, products, customers, and community,” Dadgar said on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7444405653940596736/?originTrackingId=Q5NjGEfHbWLgogmQA8RTRA%3D%3D">LinkedIn</a>. “The role I’ve played has always been rewarding, but equally it has been demanding.”
Dadgar, whose last day at HashiCorp is Friday, said he will take time to “pause and recharge” and will be moving from Seattle to New York City.
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="300" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Omar-Shahine.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921761" style="width:225px" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Omar-Shahine.jpg 300w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Omar-Shahine-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Omar-Shahine-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Omar Shahine. (LinkedIn Photo)</figcaption></figure>
</div>
— After nearly three decades at Microsoft, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/omarshahine/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Omar Shahine</a> has taken on a new role leading a team developing personal assistants for Microsoft 365 customers. He previously served as corporate vice president for Microsoft Word.
“My goal is to help usher in a new generation of proactive assistants, ones that lighten your load by taking on tasks end-to-end, and that can also step in proactively when they can help,” Shahine said on LinkedIn. 
His role includes partnering with the OpenClaw and Microsoft 365 communities. Shahine’s new assignment comes amid a steady stream of new releases in Microsoft’s Copilot tools for businesses in the competitive agentic AI landscape.
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="632" height="632" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Damon-Lanphear.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921720" style="width:225px" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Damon-Lanphear.jpg 632w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Damon-Lanphear-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Damon-Lanphear-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 632px) 100vw, 632px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Damon Lanphear. (Artera Photo)</figcaption></figure>
</div>
— <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/damonlanphear/">Damon Lanphear</a> is the new chief technology officer at Artera, a company using agentic AI to help healthcare providers communicate with patients. Lanphear joins the company from Amazon, where he spent more than five years across two stints, most recently as a director of engineering. He previously held the same title at AWS.
A veteran of the Seattle health-tech scene, Lanphear was the CTO for pioneering telehealth startup 98point6 for nearly seven years, joining that company at its inception.
Lanphear will work in a hybrid role for the Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Artera.
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="400" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Atul-Deo.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921672" style="width:225px" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Atul-Deo.jpg 400w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Atul-Deo-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Atul-Deo-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Atul-Deo-100x100.jpg 100w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Atul-Deo-200x200.jpg 200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Atul Deo. (LinkedIn Photo)</figcaption></figure>
</div>
— <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/atuldeo/">Atul Deo</a> has joined SAP as senior VP and global head of AI Product Management and Partnerships, where he will lead work on the company’s AI assistant and broader AI platform. Based in Seattle, Deo will work in a hybrid role for the German-headquartered software giant.
Deo joins SAP from Amazon, where he spent nearly 12 years and was the founder and general manager for Amazon Bedrock, the flagship generative AI platform for Amazon Web Services (AWS).
“This next chapter is a deliberate shift. It brings together my experience with a deeper focus on how AI is applied to business processes and outcomes,” Deo said on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/atuldeo_after-almost-12-years-at-amazon-im-starting-share-7444366670598680576-P2Yu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAALbAY8BAMubgbU_YrKPSMQUTb8n4LKdJA0">LinkedIn</a>. “The opportunity to make AI genuinely useful in real systems of record and decision-making is what drew me here.”
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="400" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/John-He.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921673" style="width:225px" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/John-He.jpg 400w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/John-He-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/John-He-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/John-He-100x100.jpg 100w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/John-He-200x200.jpg 200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">John He. (LinkedIn Photo)</figcaption></figure>
</div>
— <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heshaojian/">John He</a> is spearheading the launch of the <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/singapores-pixverse-picks-seattle-area-for-its-first-u-s-office-amid-300m-funding-round/">first U.S. office</a> for PixVerse, a Singapore-based video generation startup. Serving as U.S. general manager, builder and chief of staff, He is setting up the new office in Bellevue, Wash. 
He spent more than a decade at Microsoft early in his career, departing in 2018, and most recently came to PixVerse from Salesforce. His background also includes co-founding MinMax AI and a tenure at Alibaba Group.
— Truveta named <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/robindamschroderfache/">Robin Damschroder</a>, an executive VP and CFO at Henry Ford Health, as chair of its board of directors. She succeeds Dr. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodhochman/">Rod Hochman</a>. The Seattle-area health data company has made <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/tech-moves-hp-director-departs-aws-leader-leaves-truveta-adds-new-leaders/">numerous changes</a> to company leadership in recent months.
— <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdumudesir/">Abdurazak Mudesir </a>is resigning from the T-Mobile board of directors, effective today. The Bellevue, Wash.-based wireless carrier disclosed the news in a recent SEC filing. 
— Starcloud, a startup building solar-powered, space-based data centers, added Benchmark general partner <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chetanputtagunta/">Chetan Puttagunta</a> to its board of directors as part of a $170 million funding round <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/orbital-ai-seattle-area-startup-starcloud-hits-1-1b-valuation-to-build-space-based-data-centers/">announced </a>Monday. The Redmond, Wash.-based company has achieved unicorn status with a $1.1 billion valuation.
— <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/glynis-thakur-55a54811/">Glynis Thakur</a> is joining Inmedix as chief revenue officer. The Normandy Park, Wash.-based startup is developing medical diagnostic tools related to stress biology.
— <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-anderson-phd/">Nicholas Anderson</a>, former chief technologist for Cool Amps, is now materials chemist for Seattle startup Emerald Battery Labs. Anderson’s past roles include director of R&D for BlueDot Photonics.

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<item>
<title>Milestone moon mission is getting a push from Pacific Northwest tech</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/nasa-artemis-moon-mission-pacific-northwest-tech/</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:52:38 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Alan Boyle]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Aerojet Rocketdyne]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Artemis]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Karman Systems]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[L3Harris]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[maria cantwell]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Systima Technologies]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921376</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="859" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-orion-1260x859.jpeg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Sen. Maria Cantwell and L3Harris program manager Brent Urke looking at model of Orion crew vehicle" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-orion-1260x859.jpeg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-orion-768x524.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-orion-1536x1048.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-orion-2048x1397.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> As NASA prepares for Artemis 2 launch, senator tours hotspots in the 'Silicon Valley of space.' <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/nasa-artemis-moon-mission-pacific-northwest-tech/">Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="859" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-orion-1260x859.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-921595" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-orion-1260x859.jpeg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-orion-768x524.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-orion-1536x1048.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-orion-2048x1397.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Brent Urke, program manager for L3Harris’ facility in Redmond, Wash., check out a model of the Orion spaceship that’s due to take four astronauts around the moon as early as this week. Cantwell is pointing to the model’s set of eight R-4D thrusters. An actual R-4D thruster, manufactured in Redmond, is sitting on the table at far left. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/sls-5640-sls-fact-sheet-dec2025-508.pdf">NASA’s most powerful rocket</a> is due to send four astronauts on a round-the-moon journey as early as this week, and although the launch team has to make sure everything goes right in Florida, the mission’s success will also depend on hardware that was built in the Seattle area.
During a visit to two of the contractors for NASA’s Artemis moon program on Monday, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell said that when it comes to spaceflight, it’s important to get the little things right.
“A lot of people think, ‘Oh, well, we know how to build big rockets,’ right?” the Washington state Democrat said at <a href="https://karman-sd.com/">Karman Space & Defense’s</a> manufacturing facility in Mukilteo, Wash. “But do we know how to separate payloads and return them, and do all of that? That’s what we’re doing here in Puget Sound. … I think that’s the untold story that people don’t understand.”
NASA’s big story will focus on the first humans to go from the Earth to the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Artemis 2’s crew won’t land on the lunar surface during what’s expected to be a 10-day mission. But because their <a href="https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/how-artemis-2-will-fly-around-the-moon/">figure-8 route</a> takes them 4,700 miles beyond the moon’s far side, they’ll set a new distance record for human travel beyond Earth.
The first opportunity for liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is scheduled for 6:24 p.m. ET (3:24 p.m. PT) on Wednesday, with backup dates available through April 6. NASA plans to provide live video coverage of the countdown and launch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf_UjBMIzNo">via YouTube</a>, starting at 12:50 p.m. ET (9:50 a.m. PT) on launch day.
This will be the second launch for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, which sent an uncrewed Orion space capsule around the moon for the <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2022/nasa-orion-artemis-splashdown/">Artemis 1 test mission in 2022</a>. The <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/our-artemis-crew/">Artemis 2 crew</a> — including NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — will be the first people to ride an Orion into space.
If all goes according to plan, Artemis 2 will clear the way for NASA to test the lunar landers built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space ventures in 2027, then for Artemis 3 to put astronauts on the surface of the moon in 2028. And that’s just the start. “Ultimately, Artemis is about returning to the moon and building a permanent moon base that can then be used for accelerating our travel to Mars,” Cantwell said. 
In order for the Artemis program’s big story to unfold, thousands of smaller but no less important stories will have to play out successfully. NASA says <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-partners/">2,700 commercial suppliers in 47 states have contributed to the Artemis program</a>. More than three dozen of those suppliers, ranging from Blue Origin to <a href="https://supergraphics.com/">SuperGraphics</a>, have a<a href="https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/wa_artemis_suppliers.pdf"> presence in Washington state</a>.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Inside the 'Silicon Valley of Space' ahead of Artemis II launch" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WATcN8V7hSA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
One of the best-known of those Washington state suppliers is <a href="https://www.l3harris.com/capabilities/space">L3Harris</a>, which is headquartered in California but operates a facility in Redmond that has built thrusters for nearly every NASA space program. (The facility was operated by Aerojet Rocketdyne until L3Harris <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2023/farewell-rocket-com-l3harris-completes-acquisition-of-aerojet-rocketdyne/">acquired that company in 2023</a>. Now L3Harris is in the midst of <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/rocketdyne-redmond-new-ownership/">yet another corporate transition</a>.)
During her visit to the Redmond facility, Cantwell said L3Harris and other space companies exemplify the “engineering mindshare” that’s one of the strengths of the Pacific Northwest’s tech industry. “That is why people have called us the Silicon Valley of space,” she said.
L3Harris’ Redmond team manufactures thrusters for Orion’s European-built service module, Orion’s crew module and the Space Launch System’s upper stage. It’s also been given a leading role in the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-awards-orion-main-engine-contract-for-future-artemis-missions/">development of the main engine for future Orion spacecraft</a>. 
John Schneider, vice president of operations for L3Harris, acknowledged that most of the rocket engines built to send astronauts to the moon come from other places. “But if you want to come back, you need a Redmond thruster to bring you back and get you back to Earth safely,” he said.
You also need the hardware built by Karman Space & Defense. Like L3Harris, Karman is based in California but operates a facility in the Seattle area. The team in Mukilteo makes <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/orion/nasa-tests-orion-spacecraft-parachute-jettison-over-arizona/">mechanisms that ensure the safe deployment of Orion’s parachutes</a>, and mechanisms that are designed to <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2018/systima-wins-lockheed-martins-nod-supply-hatch-mechanisms-nasas-orion-spaceship/">open a side hatch on the Orion spacecraft</a> if the astronauts need to make an emergency exit.
Jonathan Beaudoin, chief operating officer at Karman Space & Defense, says he hopes we’ll never have to see the hatch release system activated for an actual emergency. “But if we do, it had better work,” he added.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1243" height="1260" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-karman3-1243x1260.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921617" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-karman3-1243x1260.jpg 1243w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-karman3-768x779.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-karman3-1515x1536.jpg 1515w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-karman3-2020x2048.jpg 2020w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-karman3-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1243px) 100vw, 1243px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Karman Space & Defense CEO Jon Rambeau, chief operating officer Jonathan Beaudoin and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell survey hardware for the Orion crew capsule. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle)</figcaption></figure>
Artemis 2 is currently focusing the space spotlight on the teams supporting the Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft, but Washington state’s space companies are also involved in other aspects of the Artemis program. Blue Origin, for example, is getting its <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/nasa-overhauls-artemis-moon-program-blue-origin/">Blue Moon lander</a> ready for missions to the moon and working on <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2023/nasa-blue-origin-alchemist-solar-moon/">a system capable of turning moon dirt into solar cells and electrical wire</a>.
During today’s tour, Cantwell got a sneak peek at a <a href="https://karman-sd.com/news/karman-space-defense-drapers-73-million-payloads-moon-2025/">robotic lander that Karman is assembling for a NASA-supported mission to the lunar surface</a>. The senator said she also heard about innovations that aren’t yet ready for public disclosure. Those innovations could bubble up to the surface as NASA pursues its plan to <a href="https://cosmiclog.com/2026/03/24/nasa-pivots-to-moon-base-and-nuclear-mars-mission/">create a permanent moon base</a> — a plan endorsed in a <a href="https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2026/3/commerce-committee-passes-landmark-nasa-authorization-act">bipartisan authorization bill</a> that Cantwell and her colleagues on the Senate Commerce Committee approved unanimously this month.
“This is about cutting-edge technology. These guys out here aren’t waiting for somebody to describe to them what comes next. They’re out here solving a problem and then saying to NASA, ‘We’ve got a solution.’ And that’s really fantastic,” Cantwell said.
“Obviously, some of this they don’t want to show for intellectual property protection reasons,” she added. “But we’re just really, really proud that our region is so far ahead, thinking through the problems that we’re going to incur and what the possible solutions should be.”
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<title>Chasing Starlink, Amazon Leo strikes satellite Wi-Fi deal for future Delta flights</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/chasing-starlink-amazon-leo-strikes-satellite-wi-fi-deal-for-future-delta-flights/</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:33:56 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Todd Bishop]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Amazon]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Amazon Leo]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Andy Jassy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Delta Air Lines]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ed Bastian]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[FCC]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[In-flight Wi-Fi]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Project Kuiper]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[satellite internet]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SpaceX]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Starlink]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921655</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AMAZON-LEO_DELTA_Particles_Nest-1260x709.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AMAZON-LEO_DELTA_Particles_Nest-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AMAZON-LEO_DELTA_Particles_Nest-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AMAZON-LEO_DELTA_Particles_Nest-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AMAZON-LEO_DELTA_Particles_Nest-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> Amazon Leo has landed its highest-profile customer yet, reaching a deal with Delta Air Lines to provide satellite-powered Wi-Fi on 500 aircraft starting in 2028. The agreement gives Amazon's fledgling satellite internet venture a big new partner as it races to catch up with SpaceX's Starlink. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/chasing-starlink-amazon-leo-strikes-satellite-wi-fi-deal-for-future-delta-flights/">Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AMAZON-LEO_DELTA_Particles_Nest-1260x709.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921656" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AMAZON-LEO_DELTA_Particles_Nest-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AMAZON-LEO_DELTA_Particles_Nest-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AMAZON-LEO_DELTA_Particles_Nest-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AMAZON-LEO_DELTA_Particles_Nest-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Amazon Leo and Delta Air Lines announced a deal Tuesday for satellite-powered in-flight Wi-Fi starting in 2028. (Amazon Photo)</figcaption></figure>
Amazon Leo has landed its highest-profile customer yet, reaching a deal with Delta Air Lines to provide satellite-powered Wi-Fi on 500 aircraft starting in 2028.
The agreement, <a href="https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/amazon-leo/amazon-leo-delta-in-flight-wifi-2028">announced Tuesday</a>, gives Amazon’s fledgling satellite internet venture a big new partner as it races to catch up with SpaceX’s Starlink, the rival service that has deals in place with United, Southwest and Alaska Airlines.
Amazon has about 200 satellites in space, vs. more than 10,000 for Starlink, which began commercial service in late 2020, and now has more than 10 million subscribers.
In <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/airlines/delta-to-tap-amazon-satellite-internet-service-for-in-flight-wi-fi-583a3c09?st=CusG9R&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink">an interview with the Wall Street Journal</a>, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy called Leo a “very important long-term investment” for the company and said he’s confident Amazon will have the capacity to serve Delta and other customers.
Leo is expected to deliver internet speeds three to five times faster than what Delta currently offers. Each aircraft will be equipped with an antenna capable of download speeds up to 1 Gbps, according to Amazon. The service will be free for Delta SkyMiles members. 
Delta reportedly looked into Starlink but chose Amazon in part because of its existing relationship with Amazon Web Services. Delta uses AWS to power a variety of its current internal systems. 
Originally known as Project Kuiper, Amazon’s satellite initiative was <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/project-kuiper-no-more-amazon-renames-satellite-internet-venture-leo-on-path-to-commercial-service/">rebranded as Leo</a> in November, a reference to low Earth orbit. 
The company has spent more than $10 billion on the effort and <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/amazon-leo-fcc-extension-request/">asked the FCC in January for a two-year extension</a> to deploy half of its planned 3,232 satellites. The FCC in February <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/fcc-amazon-leo-gen2-broadband-coverage-polar/">approved more than 4,500 additional second-generation satellites</a>, expanding Leo’s planned coverage. 
Delta is Leo’s biggest airline customer but not its first. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/jetblue-to-become-first-airline-to-boost-its-inflight-wi-fi-via-amazons-project-kuiper-network/">JetBlue last year became the first carrier to sign on</a> for in-flight Wi-Fi through Amazon’s satellite network. Other early customers and partners include L3Harris, DIRECTV Latin America, Sky Brasil, and Australia’s NBN Co.
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<title>Mary Jo Foley: What the heck is going on with Microsoft lately?</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/mary-jo-foley-what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-microsoft-lately/</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:34:30 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mary Jo Foley]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Azure]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Copilot]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Mary Jo Foley]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Mustafa Suleyman]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[OpenAI]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Phil Spencer]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Rajesh Jha]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Satya Nadella]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Windows]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Xbox]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921645</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1200" height="797" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/nadella.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/nadella.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/nadella-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/nadella-630x418.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"> In her debut column for GeekWire, longtime Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley digs into the recent wave of reorgs, hiring freezes, and leadership shakeups in Redmond, and asks whether it's business as usual or something bigger. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/mary-jo-foley-what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-microsoft-lately/">Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1200" height="797" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/nadella.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-293069" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/nadella.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/nadella-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/nadella-630x418.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Satya Nadella in November 2016, in his honeymoon period as Microsoft CEO. (GeekWire File Photo)</figcaption></figure>
[Editor’s Note: We’re excited to welcome Mary Jo Foley as a GeekWire contributor. Mary Jo has been one of the sharpest watchers of Microsoft for many years, currently as Editor in Chief at <a href="https://www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/">Directions on Microsoft</a>, an IT planning and advisory service. She’ll be offering her take for GeekWire periodically on the latest developments in Redmond, starting with this piece.]
Reorgs are a way of life at Microsoft. But the pace of them over the last couple of months has led many to wonder what the heck is happening in Redmond — especially when coupled with the company’s stock price having its worst quarter in years.
During the past couple of months, Microsoft has made a noticeable number of organizational changes:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>In February, Microsoft announced plans for <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/xbox-chief-phil-spencer-retiring-after-38-years-at-microsoft-asha-sharma-named-new-gaming-ceo/">Xbox chief Phil Spencer to hand the gaming reins to Asha Sharma</a>. </li>
<li>The company reorganized its U.S. sales team the same month.</li>
<li>In March, Experiences and Devices chief <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/microsoft-evp-rajesh-jha-retiring-after-35-years-in-latest-exit-from-senior-leadership-team/">Rajesh Jha announced plans to retire</a>, replaced by a handful of hand-picked execs.</li>
<li>Microsoft is said to have just implemented a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-makes-sweeping-overhaul-of-hr-organization-internal-memo-shows-2026-3">sweeping reorganization of its HR organization</a>.</li>
<li>And its cloud and sales teams allegedly are <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/microsoft-freezes-hiring-major-cloud-sales-groups">under spending and hiring freezes.</a></li>
</ul>
Is this just the usual Microsoft fiscal-year-end housekeeping, or is something different? A blip that will pass, or a new AI-centric reality for the Satya Nadella era?
It’s a mix of both, I’d argue.
The current wave of churn, at least in part, can be attributed to Microsoft’s corporate calendar. Its fourth quarter ends June 30 and new fiscal year kicks off on July 1. Microsoft often reorgs and does layoffs in the months leading up to this <a>as a way to</a> reset for the coming year.
The company also is taking actions to reduce hierarchy and make the corporate structure flatter, as are a number of tech companies, in the hopes of becoming nimbler.
A year ago, Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood proclaimed that Microsoft was “increasing our agility by reducing layers with fewer managers.” With moves like replacing 35-year veteran Executive Vice President Jha with a new gang of four, rather than just another single uber-boss, Microsoft is following through on those promises.
It’s not all mundane matters at play, however.
Thanks to AI, the way companies are prioritizing and following through on their strategies is different. Microsoft isn’t immune to the market’s jitters around capex overspending on AI when ROI still remains questionable. Its <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/amazon-invests-50b-in-openai-deepens-aws-partnership-with-expanded-100b-cloud-deal/">no-longer-exclusive partnership with OpenAI</a> has people inside and outside the company worried, too, as does the fact that a whopping 45 percent of its unfulfilled Azure backlog last quarter was attributable to OpenAI.
Investor pressure on the company to keep its Azure business growing during a time of admitted capacity challenges also can’t be dismissed as contributing to the current churn. As a result, Microsoft travel budgets, new-hire spending, and investments in unproven areas are all on the chopping block.
Almost nothing (<a href="https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/microsoft-brings-back-the-towels/">except towels</a>, maybe) is immune from scrutiny with the goal of freeing up more dollars to pay for AI and cloud build-out.
But those reasons alone may not be enough to explain why Microsoft is looking like the least magnificent of the so-called Magnificent Seven tech leaders right now.
Microsoft continues to struggle in the consumer space, and not just with Xbox. Most of the company’s revenues have been and continue to be from sales to commercial customers. That consumer weakness is especially apparent when it comes to AI.
Microsoft recently disclosed <a href="https://www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/microsoft-claims-15-million-paid-m365-copilot-seats/">only 3 percent of its Microsoft 365 customers</a> are paying for Microsoft 365 Copilot. But its adoption rate for its consumer Copilot is even worse, and far lower than the rates for OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
The decision earlier this month to <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/microsoft-revamps-copilot-structure-elevating-former-snap-exec-as-suleyman-shifts-to-ai-models/">remove AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman from his consumer AI product responsibilities</a> and into more of a research role is Microsoft’s latest attempt to adjust its consumer bets.
Suleyman’s reassignment came later than some expected (and hoped), given the starts and stops with Microsoft’s consumer AI efforts. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDk96R_68aA">Mico, a ghost-like Clippy wannabe</a>, seems to be in limbo. Microsoft’s push to make voice one of the main ways users interact with AI on their PCs, when people don’t talk to PCs like they do phones, seems to be falling flat.
Meanwhile, the Windows organization is trying to right the ship by backing out of some of its over-zealous AI plans. Instead of trying to force AI into Notepad and Photos, execs said they instead will <a href="https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2026/03/20/our-commitment-to-windows-quality/">focus on some top consumer requests</a>, ranging from taskbar customization, to adding the ability to pause updates at will.
Microsoft shows no signs of giving up on the consumer space. Maybe new blood will find new ways to harness the company’s enterprise tactics to boost its consumer share? If not, there’s always the next reorg. …
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<title>Snap acquires assets from Rec Room as social gaming platform announces shutdown</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/snap-acquires-assets-from-rec-room-as-social-gaming-platform-announces-shutdown/</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 03:39:40 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Todd Bishop]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[acquisitions]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[augmented reality]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Gaming]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Nick Fajt]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Rec Room]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[snap]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[snapchat]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Spectacles]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[startups]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[virtual reality]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921601</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="639" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rec-room-1-1260x639.png" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rec-room-1-1260x639.png 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rec-room-1-768x390.png 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rec-room-1-1536x779.png 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rec-room-1-2048x1039.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> Snap has acquired select assets from Rec Room Inc., with some employees joining the Spectacles hardware subsidiary, as the Seattle-based social gaming company shuts down its platform on June 1. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/snap-acquires-assets-from-rec-room-as-social-gaming-platform-announces-shutdown/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="639" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rec-room-1-1260x639.png" alt="" class="wp-image-921602" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rec-room-1-1260x639.png 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rec-room-1-768x390.png 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rec-room-1-1536x779.png 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rec-room-1-2048x1039.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rec Room, the social gaming platform that reached more than 150 million players, is shutting down on June 1. (Rec Room Image)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.snap.com/">Snap Inc.</a> confirmed late Monday that it has acquired select assets from Rec Room Inc., following the news that the Seattle-based company <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/rec-room-shutting-down-seattles-3-5b-social-gaming-platform-says-it-cant-make-the-business-work/">plans to shut down</a> its longtime social gaming platform.
Some of Rec Room’s employees will be joining Snap — but this does not appear to signal that Rec Room will be resurrected at Snap, at least not in its current form. Specifically, the Rec Room employees will work at Specs Inc., the Snap hardware subsidiary, to support its Specs eyewear and augmented reality initiatives, the California-based company said in response to an inquiry from GeekWire.
Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has maintained <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/engineering-centers/">a Seattle engineering center</a> since 2015. The company did not disclose deal terms, pricing, or other details of the asset sale. 
It’s not clear how many Rec Room employees will be hired as part of the transition. 
The move comes in advance of the expected launch later this year of Specs, Snap’s next-generation glasses. Snap has been betting on high-tech glasses for years, and in January established Specs Inc. <a href="https://newsroom.snap.com/introducing-specs-inc">as a wholly owned subsidiary</a> to focus on its Spectacles/Specs hardware business. 
Snap said it was impressed with the Rec Room team’s expertise in building social, multiplayer XR experiences, the industry term for virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality technologies.
Reached via phone, Nick Fajt, the Rec Room co-founder and CEO, said he was “very proud of the team,” thankful to the Rec Room community, and excited for what’s next. 
Rec Room surprised the community earlier Monday with <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/rec-room-shutting-down-seattles-3-5b-social-gaming-platform-says-it-cant-make-the-business-work/">the news</a> that it would shut down its platform on June 1, saying it had never found a way to make the business sustainably profitable despite reaching more than 150 million players since it was founded a decade ago.  
“Our costs always ended up overwhelming the revenue we brought in,” it said, noting that recent changes in the VR market and broader challenges in gaming contributed to its decision.
Rec Room raised $294 million across six rounds of funding and was valued at $3.5 billion in 2021, making it part of a select group of Seattle-area startups to reach unicorn status.
PREVIOUSLY: <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/rec-room-shutting-down-seattles-3-5b-social-gaming-platform-says-it-cant-make-the-business-work/">Rec Room shutting down: Once valued at $3.5B, social gaming platform finds profits elusive</a>
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<title>Portal Space’s ‘Mini-Nova’ payload goes into orbit to test technologies for maneuverable space vehicles</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/portal-space-mini-nova-in-orbit/</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:04:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Alan Boyle]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Falcon 9]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Portal Space Systems]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SpaceX]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921543</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="840" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-falcon9-1260x840.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="SpaceX Falcon 9 night launch" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-falcon9-1260x840.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-falcon9-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-falcon9-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-falcon9-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket provides a piggyback ride for Portal's instrument package and more than 100 other payloads. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/portal-space-mini-nova-in-orbit/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="840" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-falcon9-1260x840.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921547" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-falcon9-1260x840.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-falcon9-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-falcon9-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260330-falcon9-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sends Portal Space Systems’ “Mini-Nova” technology demonstration payload and more than 100 other payloads into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. (SpaceX Photo)</figcaption></figure>
Bothell, Wash.-based <a href="https://www.portalsystems.space/">Portal Space Systems</a> has made its first foray into Earth orbit, in the form of a piggyback payload that will test technologies for highly maneuverable space vehicles.
The instrument package, which is about the size of a tissue box, was one of 119 payloads sent into orbit at 4:02 a.m. PT today from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for <a href="https://www.spacex.com/launches/transporter16">SpaceX’s Transporter-16 satellite rideshare mission.</a> Portal’s “Mini-Nova” payload was attached to Momentus’ <a href="https://investors.momentus.space/news-releases/news-release-details/momentus-launches-vigoride-7-orbital-service-vehicle-spacex">Vigoride-7 orbital service vehicle</a> for the ride on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Minutes after launch, the Falcon 9’s first-stage booster landed autonomously on a drone ship that was stationed in the Pacific. Meanwhile, the second stage proceeded to orbit and deployed Vigoride-7 and other spacecraft.
“I’ve said for a long time that a company only really becomes a space company once it gets to space, and with last night’s launch out of Vandenberg, that’s now true for Portal,” the company’s co-founder and CEO, Jeff Thornburg, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jeffthornburg_last-night-was-a-meaningful-one-ive-watched-ugcPost-7444425628461993984-WvAW/">said in a LinkedIn post</a>.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="880" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Portal-MiniNova-1260x880.jpg" alt="Model of Mini-Nova payload, held by Portal Space Systems CEO Jeff Thornburg" class="wp-image-901064" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Portal-MiniNova-1260x880.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Portal-MiniNova-768x536.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Portal-MiniNova-1536x1073.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Portal-MiniNova-2048x1430.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Mini-Nova technology demonstration payload is about the size of a tissue box. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle)</figcaption></figure>
“We know that Mini-Nova is healthy, but it will be a few days before we get to download telemetry,” Thornburg told GeekWire in an email.
Mini-Nova will remain attached to Vigoride-7 for its demonstration mission. Over the next six months, Portal will use the payload to test the “brains and critical power systems for our upcoming Starburst and Supernova vehicles,” Thornburg said.
Both of those vehicles will be capable of maneuvering rapidly in orbit to rendezvous with other objects in space for a variety of purposes — including surveillance and space domain awareness, in-space servicing and <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/got-space-junk-portal-and-paladin-team-up-to-create-an-orbital-trash-disposal-service/">space-junk disposal</a>. Supernova will make use of an innovative <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/portal-space-solar-thermal-propulsion-system-test/">solar thermal propulsion</a> system that could cut the time required for orbital maneuvers from weeks to hours.
Thornburg said the first Starburst vehicle is due for launch as early as October on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 mission. The first Supernova vehicle is expected to be ready for flight in 2027.
Portal was founded in 2021 and has received <a href="https://www.portalsystems.space/news/press-release">millions of dollars in support</a> from the U.S. Space Force and the Department of Defense. Last year, the startup <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/portal-space-systems-raises-17-5m-for-orbital-spacecraft-powered-by-solar-heating/">raised $17.5 million</a> in an oversubscribed seed funding round.
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<title>Rec Room shutting down: Once valued at $3.5B, social gaming platform finds profits elusive</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/rec-room-shutting-down-seattles-3-5b-social-gaming-platform-says-it-cant-make-the-business-work/</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 23:39:56 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Todd Bishop]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Games]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Cameron Brown]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Gaming]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[layoffs]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Nick Fajt]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Rec Room]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[startups]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[user-generated content]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[virtual reality]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921540</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rec-room-is-closing-down-1260x709.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rec-room-is-closing-down-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rec-room-is-closing-down-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rec-room-is-closing-down.jpg 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> Rec Room, the Seattle-based social gaming platform once valued at $3.5 billion, is shutting down on June 1, ending a decade-long run for one of the city's most prominent startup unicorns. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/rec-room-shutting-down-seattles-3-5b-social-gaming-platform-says-it-cant-make-the-business-work/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<iframe loading="lazy" title="Farewell to Rec Room: 2016 - 2026" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IV_MnwHPpqk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Rec Room, the Seattle-based social gaming company once valued at $3.5 billion, is shutting down its platform on June 1, leaving the future of the company and its employees unclear. 
The company made <a href="https://blog.recroom.com/posts/schools-out-for-rec-room">the announcement </a>Monday afternoon, saying it couldn’t find a path to profitability even after serving more than 150 million players over the past decade.
“Despite this popularity, we never quite figured out how to make Rec Room a sustainably profitable business,” the company said in its post announcing the news. “Our costs always ended up overwhelming the revenue we brought in.”
FOLLOW-UP: <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/snap-acquires-assets-from-rec-room-as-social-gaming-platform-announces-shutdown/">Snap acquires assets from Rec Room amid shutdown</a>
The platform will go dark at noon Pacific on June 1. Starting immediately, Rec Room is blocking new account creation, new friend requests, and new subscriptions to its Rec Room Plus membership. Creators can no longer publish new monetized content. Token purchases end May 1, creator earnings stop May 18, and a final creator payout will be processed on June 1.
Rec Room users, posting in the community Discord server, expressed shock and surprise, with some holding out hope that the announcement was an early April Fool’s joke. 
Alas, it appears not.
“We spent a long time trying to find a way to make the numbers work,” the post said. “But with the recent shift in the VR market, along with broader headwinds in gaming, the path to profitability has gotten tough enough that we’ve made the difficult decision to shut things down.”
The company said it was making the decision now “while we still have the ability to wind things down thoughtfully and do right by the people who built this with us.” 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1240" height="930" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/againstgravity1-1240x930.jpg" alt="Nick Fajt" class="wp-image-310645" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/againstgravity1-1240x930.jpg 1240w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/againstgravity1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/againstgravity1-630x473.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1240px) 100vw, 1240px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Nick Fajt, co-founder and CEO of Rec Room, in Seattle in 2017. (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Schlosser)</figcaption></figure>
Rec Room was founded in 2016 by Nick Fajt, Cameron Brown and a handful of other co-founders under the name Against Gravity. The Seattle startup built a cross-platform social gaming app that lets players create and share games, virtual goods and experiences across phones, consoles, PCs and VR headsets.
The company attracted backing from Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, Madrona Venture Group, Coatue Management and others, raising $294 million across six rounds. Its <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2021/seattle-vr-startup-rec-room-hits-3-5b-valuation-with-new-145m-round/">December 2021 Series F</a> valued the company at $3.5 billion, making it one of Seattle’s most prominent unicorns.
Rec Room’s popularity surged during the pandemic as players flocked to virtual hangouts, and the company said it surpassed <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2025/03/04/rec-room-layoffs-nickfajt-video-game-social.html">100 million lifetime users</a>. But growth in the broader gaming market slowed in the years that followed, and Rec Room’s ambitions outpaced its revenue.
Rec Room<a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/seattle-gaming-startup-rec-room-lays-off-16-of-staff-read-ceos-memo-to-employees/"> laid off 16% of its staff</a> in March 2025 and then <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/rec-room-lays-off-half-its-staff-in-major-shakeup-at-seattle-gaming-startup/">cut roughly half its remaining workforce</a> five months later, <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/filing-rec-room-layoffs-impact-141-employees-at-seattle-gaming-startup/">eliminating 141 positions</a> and shrinking from about 310 employees to just over 100 people at the time.
Fajt said back then that the company needed to become self-sustaining and could no longer count on raising more money, but noted that Rec Room had enough runway to operate into 2029.
“If we had just kept going, we would have run out of money in the next couple of years,” he wrote at the time. “And with no money left, we would have had to lay everyone off.”
The company bet heavily on a vision of letting anyone create games on any device. It rolled out AI features including <a href="https://blog.recroom.com/posts/maker-ai">Maker AI</a> for game creation and an artificial intelligence companion called <a href="https://blog.recroom.com/posts/roomie">Roomie</a>, though the per-user costs of AI <a href="https://blog.recroom.com/posts/maker-ai-early-insights">exceeded subscription revenue</a>.
As of last September, revenue from user-generated content was growing about 70% year over year, and creators <a href="https://blog.recroom.com/posts/2025/9/24/a-1m-quarter-for-rr-creators">earned more than $1 million</a> in a single quarter for the first time.
However, as <a href="https://blog.recroom.com/posts/2025/8/28/rec-room-finances-and-ugc-revenue">noted by Fajt</a> in public posts, the margins on user generated content were thin: Rec Room keeps only about 30 cents of every dollar of sales of user-generated content, after paying platforms and creators, compared with 70 cents on sales of first-party content.
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<title>Singapore’s PixVerse picks Seattle area for its first U.S. office amid $300M funding round</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/singapores-pixverse-picks-seattle-area-for-its-first-u-s-office-amid-300m-funding-round/</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:10:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Stiffler]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Startups]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[AI video]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[artificial intelligence]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Office Space]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PixVerse]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921490</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PixVerse-image-cat-and-fish-1-1260x709.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PixVerse-image-cat-and-fish-1-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PixVerse-image-cat-and-fish-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PixVerse-image-cat-and-fish-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PixVerse-image-cat-and-fish-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> The Singapore unicorn PixVerse has landed in Bellevue, Wash., with a new $1 billion valuation and a veteran leader from Salesforce. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/singapores-pixverse-picks-seattle-area-for-its-first-u-s-office-amid-300m-funding-round/">Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="709" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PixVerse-image-cat-and-fish-1-1260x709.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921524" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PixVerse-image-cat-and-fish-1-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PixVerse-image-cat-and-fish-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PixVerse-image-cat-and-fish-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PixVerse-image-cat-and-fish-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">AI video generator PixVerse is opening an office in Bellevue, Wash., and released its latest model, which it says “delivers complex scenes with coherent motion and consistent detail.” (PixVerse Image)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://app.pixverse.ai/onboard">PixVerse</a>, the Singapore-based AI video generator, is establishing its first U.S. office in Bellevue, Wash., and on Monday <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pixverse-launches-v6-advancing-ai-video-generation-across-creative-and-agentic-workflows-302728386.html">released </a>the newest version of its model. 
Earlier this month the startup announced a $300 million Series C round that raised its valuation to more than $1 billion and into unicorn territory. Unnamed sources cited by <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-12/alibaba-backed-video-ai-startup-pixverse-raises-300-million?sref=CUpXQy6u">Bloomberg </a>said the funds would help “accelerate its global expansion and target enterprise customers across North America and Asia.”
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heshaojian/">John He</a> will lead the Seattle-area office as U.S. general manager, builder and chief of staff. He is PixVerse’s first and so far only U.S. employee, but is making job offers and hopes to build a team of six within the next couple of months. The Bellevue office will initially focus on product marketing and sales, with plans to expand into AI research and engineering this summer. 
He is temporarily working out of an extraSlice co-working space while searching for a permanent office in downtown Bellevue. 
The company launched in 2024 and has at least 110 employees across its Singapore and Beijing offices, He said. There are also plans to open a second U.S. office in San Francisco. 
Key investors in PixVerse include Alibaba Capital Partners, Ant Group and 37 Interactive Entertainment, according to PitchBook.
He joined the startup from Salesforce, saying he was attracted to the PixVerse’s mission. 
“It’s very simple,” he said. “They want to turn everyone’s imagination into reality.”
AI video generation tools have sparked major debates over ethics, misuse and sustainability. That includes concerns and legal challenges over deepfakes, copyright violations and the improper use of intellectual property. There are also significant environmental costs in energy and water usage given the high computational demands of AI video production. 
He defended the technology, saying that it doesn’t aim to replace human creativity and that artists using PixVerse are able to increase their earnings. 
“It empowers regular people to do a better job,” he said. 
PixVerse says it has more than 100 million users across 175 countries. Its latest model adds “precision camera control, expressive character performance, and one-click commercial output,” the company says.
Last week, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/openai-set-to-discontinue-sora-video-platform-app-a82a9e4e">The Wall Street Journal</a> and others reported that OpenAI was shutting down Sora, its AI video generation platform used by consumers, filmmakers and other professionals. The decision, WSJ said, would allow OpenAI to focus on productivity tools for enterprise and individual users.
OpenAI employees in the past have questioned the computational costs of the Sora technology and unproven demand from customers, WSJ added. 
Other competitors in the space include Runway ML, Kling AI, Higgsfield and products from Google and Adobe.
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">921490</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>Opinion: AI coach or AI ghostwriter? The choice is yours</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/opinion-ai-coach-or-ai-ghostwriter-the-choice-is-yours/</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 20:01:39 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Oren Etzioni]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[artificial intelligence]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Oren Etzioni]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921498</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="497" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/aikeyboard-1260x497.png" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/aikeyboard-1260x497.png 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/aikeyboard-768x303.png 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/aikeyboard-1536x605.png 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/aikeyboard.png 1601w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> AI is a fork in the road disguised as a shortcut. Down one path, it’s a coach that studies your weaknesses, challenges your assumptions, and pushes you past your limits. Down the other, it’s a ghostwriter, and you are putting your name on someone else's thoughts, slowly forgetting that you ever had your own. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/opinion-ai-coach-or-ai-ghostwriter-the-choice-is-yours/">Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="497" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/aikeyboard-1260x497.png" alt="" class="wp-image-921506" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/aikeyboard-1260x497.png 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/aikeyboard-768x303.png 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/aikeyboard-1536x605.png 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/aikeyboard.png 1601w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">(Image via Claude)</figcaption></figure>
You are using AI to write and so is your boss, your intern, and virtually everyone else. That ship has sailed so arguing whether to board is a waste of breath.
The real question is: how do you use AI?
AI is a fork in the road disguised as a shortcut. Down one path, it’s a coach that studies your weaknesses, challenges your assumptions, and pushes you past your limits. Down the other, it’s a ghostwriter, and you are putting your name on someone else’s thoughts, slowly forgetting that you ever had your own.
The tension between these two paths is a defining cognitive challenge of our time. Psychologists call what pulls us toward the ghostwriter <a href="https://evidencebased.education/resource/cognitive-offloading-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-important-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cognitive offloading</a>, and we have been doing mild versions of it forever, from scribbling shopping lists to storing phone contacts. But with AI we are no longer offloading trivia. We are offloading thought itself. And the ease of doing so is a temptation that people struggle to resist.
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">The easy path: A downward spiral </h4>
When you ask ChatGPT to draft your email or memo, you are not just saving time. You are skipping a cognitive workout. And like any muscle left idle on the couch, the brain responds accordingly: it atrophies.
This easy path creates a vicious cycle.
First, AI addiction: the more we use large language models (LLMs), the harder it becomes to stop. Researchers at the <a href="https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nyas.15337" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences</a> describe a dual-factor dependency: functional dependence, where we rely on AI for productivity, and existential dependence, a deeper psychological attachment involving identity, emotional regulation, and even companionship. Unlike our relationship with calculators or spell-checkers, LLMs are colonizing the higher floors of cognition: analysis, synthesis, persuasion, judgment.
Second, we get weaker, and the gap widens. A <a href="https://www.euronews.com/next/2025/06/21/using-ai-bots-like-chatgptcould-be-causing-cognitive-decline-new-study-shows" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Microsoft study</a> found a significant negative correlation (r = -0.49) between the frequency of AI tool usage and critical thinking scores. The <a href="https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MIT Media Lab</a> went further, strapping EEG monitors to participants’ heads: ChatGPT users exhibited the weakest brain connectivity of any group tested. They struggled to accurately recall the contents of essays they had just “written.” The tool was doing the thinking; the human was merely holding the steering wheel of a self-driving car. Meanwhile, AI models improve every quarter. The distance between what we can do unassisted and what the machine can do grows like a crack in a windshield, spreading quietly until the whole thing shatters.
Third, <a href="https://sciety.org/articles/activity/10.31234/osf.io/yk25n_v1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cognitive surrender</a>: the act of adopting AI outputs with close to zero scrutiny. In a series of experiments involving more than 1,300 participants, Shaw and Nave found that frequent AI users stopped checking the AI’s work. When the AI was wrong, so were they. They had surrendered not just the labor of thinking but even the responsibility to verify it. The better the AI gets, the more completely we capitulate.
This vicious cycle inspired me to pen the following Zen Koan about AI:
Read without reading. Write without writing. Think without thinking. Can you be intelligent by being dumb?
I don’t think so.
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">The other path: AI as a coach</h4>
So much for the ghostwriter. Let’s talk about the coach.
The same tool that threatens to dull your cognitive capacities can, if wielded with discipline, sharpen them instead. The key shift is in your goal and mindset: use AI to improve the quality of your work, not merely the quantity or speed.
Here is what that looks like in practice.
Brainstorm, don’t delegate. Use AI as a sparring partner for ideation. Push it to generate dozens of angles on a topic, then argue with its suggestions. The goal is not to accept its output but to wrestle with it, letting the tangle create ideas neither of you would have generated alone.
Stress-test your arguments. Ask the AI to find the holes in your reasoning, to steelman the opposition, to identify the counterargument you have been avoiding. This is the intellectual equivalent of hiring a boxing coach who spars with you.
Build the skeleton yourself. Construct your own outline and message before consulting the machine. The architecture of an argument is where much of the real thinking lives. If you outsource the blueprint, you are left decorating someone else’s house.
Sharpen your research. Use AI to surface related work, adjacent fields, and sources you might have missed. Let it expand the radius of your awareness without replacing the judgment about what matters.
Polish.  Let AI improve your grammar, tighten your diction, and flag unclear passages. This is the digital equivalent of a copy editor, a role that enhances the writer without replacing them.
Improve clarity. Ask the AI whether your prose is doing what you intend. Is the argument landing? Is the structure logical? This turns the machine into a mirror that reflects your thinking back to you with useful annotations.
Review everything. This is non-negotiable: Read the output with the skepticism of an editor, not the gratitude of a customer. Check facts. Verify claims. Ensure the voice is yours. If you cannot explain and defend every sentence, you have not written an article; you have notarized one.
Finally, learn from the process. After each project, examine what the AI revealed about your weaknesses and strengths. Did it consistently improve your transitions? That tells you something. Did it catch logical gaps you missed? That tells you something, too. Treat each collaboration as a tutorial in your own cognitive blind spots, and celebration of your strengths.
This article was written using exactly the process I have described. I used AI to brainstorm,  to pressure-test my argument, hunt for research and statistics, and to improve my prose. But the thesis is mine. The structure is mine. The voice, the metaphors, the convictions, and the errors are mine. I reviewed every claim. I rewrote passages the AI mangled. I cut suggestions that were technically smooth but intellectually empty.
It took longer than handing the title to an LLM and telling it to “write it,” but that is precisely the point. Every time you open a chat window, you are standing at the fork again. AI coach or AI ghostwriter.
Editor’s note: GeekWire publishes guest opinions to foster informed discussion and highlight a diversity of perspectives on issues shaping the tech and startup community. If you’re interested in submitting a guest column, email us at <a href="mailto:tips@geekwire.com">tips@geekwire.com</a>. Submissions are reviewed by our editorial team for relevance and editorial standards.
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<title>Report: Amazon buys 1,300 acres near Columbia River that could become a giant data center</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/report-amazon-buys-1300-acres-near-columbia-river-that-could-become-a-giant-data-center/</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:16:04 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Stiffler]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Amazon]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sustainability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[data centers]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Energy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Water Resources]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921438</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="839" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AWS_Data_Center_Interior_3-1260x839.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AWS_Data_Center_Interior_3-1260x839.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AWS_Data_Center_Interior_3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AWS_Data_Center_Interior_3-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AWS_Data_Center_Interior_3-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AWS_Data_Center_Interior_3-630x420.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> Amazon has purchased 1,300 acres in Boardman, Ore., for a potential $12 billion "exascale" data center campus capable of housing up to 20 buildings, the Oregonian reports. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/report-amazon-buys-1300-acres-near-columbia-river-that-could-become-a-giant-data-center/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="839" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AWS_Data_Center_Interior_3-1260x839.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-885565" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AWS_Data_Center_Interior_3-1260x839.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AWS_Data_Center_Interior_3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AWS_Data_Center_Interior_3-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AWS_Data_Center_Interior_3-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AWS_Data_Center_Interior_3-630x420.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Inside an Amazon data center. (AWS Photo / Noah Berger)</figcaption></figure>
Amazon has purchased 1,300 acres of undeveloped land on the Oregon side of the Columbia River that could one day become a massive computing campus with up to 20 data center buildings, the <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/2026/03/plans-call-for-oregons-first-exascale-data-center-on-amazon-site.html">Oregonian reports</a>. 
The Seattle-based tech company on Monday confirmed that it bought the land but declined to provide details on the potential data center. 
“Amazon recently purchased land in Boardman, Oregon. Development plans are not final, and Amazon is performing our normal due diligence process as we develop new locations based on customer demand,” a company spokesperson told GeekWire via email. 
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="297" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/datacentermap-300x297.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921494" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/datacentermap-300x297.jpg 300w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/datacentermap-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/datacentermap-100x100.jpg 100w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/datacentermap.jpg 1035w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">(Google Gemini)</figcaption></figure>
</div>
Johnson Economics, a Portland consulting firm, submitted a land-use proposal for the site last year, the Oregonian reported. The land was previously owned by a giant dairy operation that used it for grazing.
The proposal, submitted to Morrow County, calls for an “exascale” data center — a category significantly larger than the better-known “hyperscale” sites. Johnson Economics said the potential development could include 16 to 20 data center buildings, each measuring 250,000 square feet, with a total investment pegged at $8 billion to $12 billion. The campus could consume 1 gigawatt of power, according to records from the firm cited by the Oregonian. 
Amazon has more data centers in Oregon than any other Pacific Northwest state, with 47 sites, according to research firm <a href="https://baxtel.com/data-center/washington">Baxtel</a>. Meta has 10 data centers there, and Google owns multiple campuses.
In January, Amazon secured an $83 million contract to develop a large-scale solar and battery storage facility in Oregon, beating out Puget Sound Energy in the bidding process, <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/amazon-outbids-wa-utility-for-one-of-nations-largest-solar-projects/">The Seattle Times</a> previously reported. When complete, the facility is expected to generate 1.2 gigawatts of solar power and store an equivalent amount of energy.
Also in January, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek <a href="https://apps.oregon.gov/oregon-newsroom/OR/GOV/Posts/Post/governor-kotek-convenes-statewide-data-center-advisory-committee">announced </a>the creation of a Data Center Advisory Committee to develop policy recommendations for managing the rapid expansion of data centers and other facilities that consume vast amounts of energy and water. 
In Washington state, a bill that would have required utilities and data center companies to protect rate payers from increased power costs and bring transparency to the environmental impacts of the facilities <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/washington-states-data-center-regulation-bill-stalls-following-pushback-from-tech-industry/">failed this year </a>after Microsoft opposed the measure. The legislation drew on recommendations from Washington’s Data Center Workgroup, convened last year by Gov. Bob Ferguson.
The pushback in both states reflects a broader national trend, as communities and elected officials increasingly question the energy demands, water consumption and other impacts of large-scale data center development.
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<title>‘Transformative’: Amazon and Microsoft celebrate opening of light rail line between Seattle and Eastside</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/transformative-amazon-and-microsoft-celebrate-opening-of-light-rail-line-between-seattle-and-eastside/</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:22:43 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kurt Schlosser]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Transportation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Amazon]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Crosslake Connection]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Link light rail]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sound transit]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921434</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="944" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260109_Crosslake_PRO_4-Car-PB-0003-1260x944.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260109_Crosslake_PRO_4-Car-PB-0003-1260x944.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260109_Crosslake_PRO_4-Car-PB-0003-768x575.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260109_Crosslake_PRO_4-Car-PB-0003-1536x1150.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260109_Crosslake_PRO_4-Car-PB-0003-2048x1534.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> Amazon's David Zapolsky and Microsoft's Brad Smith both posted videos on social media touting the Crosslake Connection as a huge transportation milestone for the region and thousands employees. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/transformative-amazon-and-microsoft-celebrate-opening-of-light-rail-line-between-seattle-and-eastside/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="944" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260109_Crosslake_PRO_4-Car-PB-0003-1260x944.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921455" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260109_Crosslake_PRO_4-Car-PB-0003-1260x944.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260109_Crosslake_PRO_4-Car-PB-0003-768x575.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260109_Crosslake_PRO_4-Car-PB-0003-1536x1150.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260109_Crosslake_PRO_4-Car-PB-0003-2048x1534.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sound Transit’s Link light rail crossing Lake Washington’s floating bridge. (Sound Transit Photo)</figcaption></figure>
Amazon and Microsoft are on board with the Crosslake Connection.
With this weekend’s grand opening of Sound Transit’s Link light rail service over Lake Washington between Seattle and the Eastside, the region’s biggest tech employers touted what it means for their employees and others.
“I’ve lived here 32 years and I’m incredibly excited to see this thing come to life,” David Zapolsky, chief global affairs and legal officer for Amazon said in a <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/zapolsky_sustainable-affordable-transportation-transforms-activity-7444068002574286848--j-z/">LinkedIn video post</a>. “It’s going to make things easier for our employees, it’s going to make things easier for residents, it’s going to give access to jobs for people around the region. It’s going to be transformative. Everybody should try it out.”
Zapolsky said Amazon employs 50,000 corporate workers in Seattle, and 15,000 — and growing — in Bellevue. 
“The ability to just hop on a train and get from downtown Seattle to downtown Bellevue in 30 minutes is game changing,” he added.
PREVIOUSLY: <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/geekwire-rides-the-worlds-first-floating-bridge-train-seattle-tech-commutes-will-never-be-the-same/">GeekWire rides the world’s first floating-bridge train — Seattle tech commutes will never be the same</a>
Microsoft President Brad Smith detailed his company’s role in making the transportation milestone a reality. The company also employs about 50,000 workers in the region.
“Microsoft embraced this vision early on, more than two decades ago, because we understood what it could mean for our employees and for the communities where we live and work,” Smith wrote in a Microsoft blog post. 
<a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/topics/microsoft/stories/sound-transit-light-rail/">A timeline tracking the journey</a> of rail service to Redmond starts in 2002 with Microsoft donating 10 acres of its headquarters campus land worth $8.7 million for a light rail station that would eventually become the Redmond Technology Station. 
Smith posted a <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bradsmi_every-salmon-knows-when-its-time-to-run-activity-7443779718333480960-21xz?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAF9DmcBxhr0D2v2Jf704upvuBVviyrbM0M">fun video</a> on his LinkedIn and Instagram feeds that includes an appearance by the Seattle Mariners’ racing salmon mascots. In this instance, they race to catch the train from Microsoft to T-Mobile Park, with Smith along for the ride west over the lake.
The <a href="https://www.soundtransit.org/get-to-know-us/news-events/news-releases/link-light-rail-opens-across-lake-washington">opening Saturday</a> of the final 7-mile segment of Sound Transit’s 2 Line and the Crosslake Connection drew thousands of people to the new Judkins Park station in Seattle’s Central District for a kick-off celebration. Gov. Bob Ferguson, Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Maria Cantwell, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, and other officials cut a ribbon to officially open the line.
Sound Transit projects the fully integrated 2 Line will serve about 43,000 to 52,000 daily riders in 2026, with trains running every 10 minutes from approximately 5 a.m. to midnight seven days a week.
Monday morning’s commute will be the first test for how workers on both sides of the lake respond to the new transportation option.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="embed-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">The ribbon has been cut, which means the Crosslake Connection is officially here and trains are now in service! 🚊🎊 Learn more about the new connection: <a href="https://t.co/WCxod8X4qr">https://t.co/WCxod8X4qr</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CrosslakeConnection?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CrosslakeConnection</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2Line?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#2Line</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SoundTransit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SoundTransit</a> <a href="https://t.co/5wjNaNv05P">pic.twitter.com/5wjNaNv05P</a>— Sound Transit – 🚆 🚈 🚍 (@SoundTransit) <a href="https://twitter.com/SoundTransit/status/2037951265037263004?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2026</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<title>GPT drafts, Claude critiques: Microsoft blends rival AI models in new Copilot upgrade</title>
<link>https://www.geekwire.com/2026/gpt-drafts-claude-critiques-microsoft-blends-rival-ai-models-in-new-copilot-upgrade/</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:13:49 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Todd Bishop]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Anthropic]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[artificial intelligence]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Claude]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Copilot Cowork]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[enterprise AI]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[gpt]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Microsoft 365 Copilot]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[OpenAI]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Researcher]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.geekwire.com/?p=921425</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="1260" height="945" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/copilot-mug-1260x945.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/copilot-mug-1260x945.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/copilot-mug-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/copilot-mug-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/copilot-mug-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px"> Microsoft is using Anthropic's Claude to fact-check work done by OpenAI's GPT inside Microsoft 365 Copilot, blending its new and old AI partnerships as it tries to accelerate adoption of its AI assistant for business. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/gpt-drafts-claude-critiques-microsoft-blends-rival-ai-models-in-new-copilot-upgrade/">Read More</a>]]></description>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1260" height="945" src="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/copilot-mug-1260x945.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-921426" srcset="https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/copilot-mug-1260x945.jpg 1260w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/copilot-mug-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/copilot-mug-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/copilot-mug-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Microsoft is using Anthropic’s Claude to review work by OpenAI’s GPT inside Copilot’s Researcher agent. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop)</figcaption></figure>
A new feature from Microsoft uses Anthropic’s Claude to assess and correct the work of OpenAI’s GPT, blending the tech giant’s new and old AI partnerships in the latest attempt to boost adoption of its Microsoft 365 Copilot tools for businesses.
The company <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2026/03/30/copilot-cowork-now-available-in-frontier/">announced</a> the new capability Monday morning as part of updates to Microsoft 365 Copilot’s Researcher agent. A new feature called Critique puts the two models to work in sequence: GPT drafts a response to a research query, and Claude reviews it for accuracy, completeness and citation quality before the response is given to the user.
It’s part of a larger trend of using multiple AI models to improve results. Microsoft says it expects the process to eventually run in both directions, with Claude drafting and GPT critiquing. 
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<iframe loading="lazy" title="Microsoft 365 Copilot: Researcher with multi-model intelligence" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G4ZqK7_15uw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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The multi-model approach has led to a 13.8% improvement on the DRACO benchmark, an industry measure of deep research quality, putting it ahead of standalone deep-research tools from OpenAI, Google, Perplexity and Anthropic, according to the Redmond company.
The announcement comes as Microsoft tries to accelerate Copilot adoption among its existing base of business customers. The company in January reported <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/microsofts-historic-plunge-why-the-company-lost-357-billion-in-value-despite-strong-results/">15 million paid Copilot seats</a>, still in the low-single digits, roughly 3.3%, of its 450 million commercial Microsoft 365 users. 
It comes amid intensifying competition in enterprise AI. Google has been expanding Gemini across its Workspace apps, Anthropic’s Claude has seen growing adoption among businesses, and OpenAI has been pushing ChatGPT Enterprise and its own deep-research tools.
Microsoft also said Copilot Cowork, its new tool for delegating long-running, multi-step tasks inside Microsoft 365, is now available through its Frontier early access program. The product, first <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/microsofts-new-copilot-cowork-integrates-anthropics-claude-in-rollout-of-new-e7-licensing-tier/">announced</a> earlier this month, is built on technology from Anthropic’s Claude Cowork. 
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