June 05, 2015
New CEO leading Rad Power Bikes in the midst of e-bike seller’s bankruptcy proceedings
December 29, 2025
Angelina Smith. (LinkedIn Photo) Rad Power Bikes has a new CEO as the Seattle-based electric bike manufacturer navigates Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Angelina “Angy” Smith, who has been chief financial officer at the company since April, assumed the leadership position earlier this...
Joe Nguyen named Seattle Chamber president and CEO after leaving Washington state Commerce role
December 29, 2025
Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Joe Nguyen. (Legislative Support Services Photo) Joe Nguyen is the new president and chief executive officer of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the organization announced Monday. Less than a week after revealing that he...
Startup Radar: Meet four companies tackling insurance, hospitals, construction, and AI models
December 29, 2025
Clockwise from top left: Amera CEO Deep Kapur; Clara CEO Melinda Yormick; Oikyo CEO Saptak Sen; and Specbook AI CEO Gordon Hempton. Founders in the Seattle area are busy building software for health insurance, AI model tuning, construction processes, and hospital operations. Our latest...
‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ — but a lousy edit — if you click wrong version of holiday classic on Amazon
December 29, 2025
One of the versions of “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Amazon Prime Video. (Prime Video screen shot) Holiday cheers turned to jeers directed at Amazon last week as some film fans were surprised by a gutted version of the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Prime Video. The 1946 film stars...
Seattle-area tech company sues New York acquisition advisor, alleging botched $5.2M deal
December 29, 2025
A Kirkland, Wash.-based tech company is suing its New York-based acquisition advisor, alleging it was pushed into a $5.2 million acquisition that was supposed to generate $1 million annually but has instead required ongoing cash infusions just to stay afloat. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of...
Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Dec. 21, 2025
December 28, 2025
Get caught up on the latest technology and startup news from the past week. Here are the most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Dec. 21, 2025. Sign up to receive these updates every Sunday in your inbox by subscribing to our GeekWire Weekly email newsletter. Most popular stories on...
The stories that defined 2025: AI dreams, brutal realities, and Seattle tech at a turning point
December 27, 2025
An illustration by ChatGPT based on its interpretation of our year-end GeekWire Podcast discussion. The past year may go down as one of the most consequential in technology history, in both the Seattle tech community and the world. But in some ways, it’s not without precedent. As we sat down...
Blue Origin hires United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno to head its national security group
December 27, 2025
United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno, shown here at the Space Symposium in 2016, is joining Blue Origin. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) Eleven years after United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno partnered with Blue Origin to create a new rocket engine, he’s joining Jeff Bezos’ space venture as the...
Washington state Commerce chief Joe Nguyen is leaving, reportedly to lead Seattle Metro Chamber
December 26, 2025
Commerce Director Joe Nguyen speaks at the Tech Alliance State of Technology Luncheon in Seattle. (GeekWire File Photo / Todd Bishop) This story first appeared in the Washington State Standard. Joe Nguyen is stepping down as director of Washington state’s Department of Commerce and is...
Microsoft CTO to AI startups: Stop waiting for better models and ‘do the damned experiments’
December 26, 2025
Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott has some advice for AI startups waiting for the next breakthrough model: the technology can already do far more than most people are getting out of it, so stop waiting and start building. Also: real customer traction still matters more than online...
Is Stevens Pass open? Snowboarding software engineer builds simple site to answer big winter question
December 24, 2025
Stevens Pass ski resort has been unable to open due to poor weather and road conditions. (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Schlosser) Anxious skiers and snowboarders refreshing social media and other websites for updates on Washington’s Stevens Pass have a new tool to track the resort’s delayed...
Seahawks test tactile device from Seattle startup that helps vision-impaired fans follow game action
December 24, 2025
A fan uses a OneCourt device while watching the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. (Seahawks Photo) The Seattle Seahawks gave blind and low-vision fans a new way to follow game action this season as one of several teams testing a device from Seattle startup OneCourt. OneCourt’s laptop device...
Drone capital of the world? Seattle could be a big winner in the U.S. crackdown on DJI and others
December 24, 2025
Brinc’s Responder drone launches from its charging station. The Seattle company stands to benefit as new FCC restrictions limit Chinese drone makers. (Brinc Photo) New federal restrictions on foreign-made drones, announced this week, promise to boost Washington state as a hub for domestic drone...
Seattle startup Ambassador raises $7M to help companies analyze customer feedback with help from AI
December 24, 2025
Ambassador CEO Geoff McDonald. (Ambassador Photo) Seattle startup Ambassador raised $7 million to fuel growth of its software that helps companies track and act on customer feedback. Marketing and revenue teams use Ambassador to manage customer referrals, surveys, loyalty programs, email...
Cloud and AI infrastructure company Crusoe opens new office space in downtown Bellevue
December 23, 2025
Inside Crusoe’s offices in the Key Center building in Bellevue, Wash. (Crusoe Photo) Crusoe, the Denver-based cloud and AI infrastructure company, opened a new office in downtown Bellevue, Wash. The 7,400-square-foot space in the Key Center building at 601 108th Ave. NE is currently home to...
Google looks to buy its way out of the AI power crunch with $4.75B Intersect acquisition
December 23, 2025
GeekWire File Photo Google parent Alphabet’s $4.75 billion deal to acquire Intersect, a clean energy developer and data center infrastructure company, represents a major exit for a company that was headquartered for many years in the Pacific Northwest. More broadly for the industry, the deal...
A look inside Amazon’s push to eliminate plastic packaging
December 23, 2025
Todd Grasser, an Amazon process assistant, using an automated device to package items in paper bags for shipping at a facility in Sumner, Wash. (GeekWire Photo / Lisa Stiffler) SUMNER, Wash. — At Amazon’s Packaging Innovation Lab south of Seattle, boxes are dropped from different heights,...
Seattle data governance startup Codified is ‘winding down’ as CEO takes on new role at Google
December 22, 2025
Codified founder and CEO Yatharth Gupta. (LinkedIn Photo) Codified, a Seattle startup that helps companies control who can access their data in AI-driven systems, is “winding down” according to the founder and former CEO. Yatharth Gupta shared the update with GeekWire, but declined to provide...
Appeals court rules UW violated computer science professor’s free speech rights
December 22, 2025
The University of Washington campus in Seattle. (Photo by James Brooks, via Flickr, Creative Commons 2.0) A divided three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the University of Washington violated a computer science professor’s First Amendment rights when it investigated...
Starcloud plans its next power plays after training first AI model in space
December 22, 2025
Starcloud’s founders — CEO Philip Johnston, chief technology officer Ezra Feilden and chief engineer Adi Oltean — wear protective gear as they check out the startup’s Starcloud-1 satellite before launch. (Starcloud Photo) After taking one small but historic step for space-based AI, a...
Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Dec. 14, 2025
December 21, 2025
Get caught up on the latest technology and startup news from the past week. Here are the most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Dec. 14, 2025. Sign up to receive these updates every Sunday in your inbox by subscribing to our GeekWire Weekly email newsletter. Most popular stories on...
Blue Origin breaks the accessibility barrier by sending the first wheelchair user to space
December 20, 2025
German engineer Michaela Benthaus celebrates after her suborbital space trip. (Blue Origin via YouTube) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture added a page to the space history books today by sending the first wheelchair user into space. “It was the coolest experience,” said Michaela “Michi”...
Landline phones in 2025? How this tech industry veteran is helping kids connect
December 20, 2025
Tin Can co-founder and CEO Chet Kittleson. (Tin Can Photo) If you’re looking for an uncommon thinker, how about a tech industry veteran developing and selling landline phones in 2025 — and selling out of them in the process? Chet Kittleson is the co-founder and CEO of Tin Can, a Seattle...
A reality check on AI engineering: Lessons from the trenches of an early stage startup
December 20, 2025
(BigStock Image) Like most tech leaders, I’ve spent the last year swimming in the hype: AI will replace developers. Anyone can build an app with AI. Shipping products should take weeks, not months. The pressure to use AI to rapidly ship products and features is real. I’ve lost track of how...
Donald Trump as fusion entrepreneur? Washington state energy rivals react to $6B deal
December 20, 2025
This summer, Helion Energy broke ground in Eastern Washington on what it hopes could be the world’s first utility-scale fusion plant — but TAE Technologies on Thursday announced plans to begin siting work on what it claims will be the first facility to hit that target. TAE plans to merge with Trump...
Starbucks hires Amazon grocery tech leader as new CTO amid turnaround push
December 19, 2025
Anand Varadarajan will join Starbucks as CTO effective Jan. 19 after a long tenure at Amazon. Starbucks named Amazon exec Anand Varadarajan as its new chief technology officer, tapping a leader with extensive experience in Amazon’s grocery technology and supply chain operations. Varadarajan,...
Microsoft and NASA create AI agents that can help scientists anticipate floods and other water woes
December 19, 2025
A screenshot shows how Hydrology Copilot can turn a simple query into an interactive, color-coded map. (Microsoft Infographic) Microsoft and NASA say they’re applying artificial intelligence to a challenge that has become increasingly urgent: how to cope with flooding and other disasters driven...
Tech Moves: Nintex CEO to depart; Raikes Foundation names leader; Qualtrics exec now at Workday
December 19, 2025
Amit Mathradas. (LinkedIn Photo) — Nintex CEO Amit Mathradas announced that he’s leaving to take the helm of Five9 beginning on Feb. 2. Mathradas has led Nintex, a Bellevue, Wash.-based workflow automation company, for nearly three years. His previous roles include chief operating officer at...
From AI to drones, Redmond police chief builds a high-tech department in Microsoft’s backyard
December 19, 2025
Redmond (Wash.) Police Chief Darrell Lowe. (Redmond PD Photo via Facebook) In the city that’s home to Microsoft, Redmond Police Chief Darrell Lowe isn’t just watching technological innovation from the sidelines — he’s integrating it into his department’s daily operations. Lowe, a 30-year law...
‘Scientist-as-a-Service’: Seattle startup Pauling.AI aims to shrink drug discovery timelines by months
December 19, 2025
Javier Tordable, CEO and founder of Pauling.AI, at the Plug and Play Seattle event held earlier this month. (Pauling Photo) A Seattle-area startup called Pauling.AI is harnessing artificial intelligence to automate the early steps that lead to the discovery of new drugs. The technology can...
RentSpree, a profitable real estate startup helping mom-and-pop landlords, bets big on Seattle
December 18, 2025
RentSpree CEO and co-founder Michael Lucarelli. (RentSpree Photo) Michael Lucarelli is looking for Seattle food recommendations — after relocating to the city earlier this year and moving his company with him. RentSpree, which got its start in Los Angeles but is now headquartered in downtown...
Athira Pharma recovers from Alzheimer’s failure with breast cancer pivot and $90M investment
December 18, 2025
Mark Litton, president and CEO of Athira Pharma. (Athira Photo) In a remarkable pivot, Athira Pharma is shifting its primary focus from Alzheimer’s to oncology following a multi-year period marked by clinical failures and leadership turnover. The Bothell, Wash.-based company announced today...
Tin Can dials up another $12M to meet soaring demand for landline-style phone for kids
December 18, 2025
Seattle-based Tin Can makes a colorful array of Wi-Fi-enabled landline-style phones. (Tin Can Photo) Tin Can is answering the call from investors. The Seattle startup behind a landline-style, Wi-Fi-enabled telephone for kids raised $12 million in new funding, the company announced...
With new Alexa website, Amazon’s consumer AI vision finally comes together — and it’s actually useful
December 18, 2025
Amazon’s new Alexa.com portal brings the AI-powered Alexa+ assistant to the desktop browser. Amazon is quietly rolling out the last big pillar of its AI-powered Alexa+ vision: the Alexa.com website, bridging the gap between its Echo devices, mobile app, and consumer desktops. The web portal...
The kids have spoken: Teens’ holistic approach to school phone policies rivals adult rules
December 18, 2025
(BigStock Photo) What happens if you let teens craft the rules that dictate their use of phones at school? You get policy ideas with a nuanced, holistic perspective that rival those being officially issued by the adults in leadership. The University of Washington’s Youth Advisory Board, a...
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