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AI's trust problem: Richard Edelman on the risk to the tech industry Mar 06, 2024

Show notes

A new report points to a crisis of trust in innovation, and the risk that rapid technological change — especially in the field of artificial intelligence — will fuel increased populism and polarization across societies.

Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman, discussed these and other findings from the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer during visits last week with the global communications firm's clients in tech-heavy Seattle and San Francisco. GeekWire sat down with Edelman during his visit to the firm's downtown Seattle office for this episode of the GeekWire Podcast.

He discusses the shift in trust from top-down authority figures to local relationships, with employees and consumers expecting companies to take a stand on important issues.
Edelman suggests that businesses and technology leaders need to focus on implementation, adaptation, and acceptance of innovation, and to be transparent and clear in their communication with the public.
He calls for collaboration between businesses, government, NGOs, and media to ensure that innovation is well-managed and benefits society as a whole.

Related links

Access the full 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer report.
Edelman: 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer Reveals Innovation has Become a New Risk Factor for Trust
Richard Edelman: Technology Industry Watch Out, Innovation at Risk
Axios:Public trust in AI is sinking across the board

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How Microsoft, Amazon, and T-Mobile use big bets to build durable businesses Mar 02, 2024

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This week on the GeekWire Podcast, our guests are John Rossman and Kevin McCaffrey, authors of the new book, "Big Bet Leadership."

It's a playbook for business leaders to systematically make bets in a way that reduces risk and increases long-term flexibility. The book draws lessons from the likes of Microsoft, Amazon, T-Mobile and SpaceX, while also leaning heavily on the first-hand experience of the authors overseeing and implementing big bets.

With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop; Audio editing by Curt Milton.

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BONUS: Seattle after Techstars, with guest Chris DeVore Feb 28, 2024

Show notes

Entrepreneur and investor Chris DeVore had an inside view of Techstars Seattle as one of the original leaders of the local startup accelerator in 2010, serving as its managing director from 2014 to 2019.

His Feb. 21 post "What went wrong at Techstars," looked closely at the organization's evolution — including its increased focus on corporate sponsorships and shift to centralized fundraising — as the backdrop for the news last week that Techstars is closing its Seattle accelerator as part of a broader reset.

So where should Seattle's tech community go from here? And what role do startup accelerators serve in the age of AI and remote work? Devore, the founding managing director of the Founders Co-op venture fund, joins us on this bonus episode of the GeekWire Podcast to share his thoughts about what happened, and his optimism about what's next. "I think Seattle is setting itself up for a great moment in its entrepreneurial journey," he says.

RELATED LINKS AND STORIES

David Cohen: Techstars is evolving and growing
Techstars: Techstars 2.0: Supercharging Founder Success
Chris DeVore: What went wrong at Techstars
GeekWire: Techstars Seattle is shutting down as accelerator shifts focus to cities with more VC activity
Marcelo Calbucci: The most successful accelerator cohort ever: How this Techstars Seattle class produced 3 unicorns
GeekWire Podcast: Techstars Seattle’s demise leaves a gap in the startup market

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Techstars Seattle's demise leaves a gap in startup market Feb 24, 2024

Show notes

Techstars Seattle helped launch more than 160 startups over the past decade, partnered with the likes of Microsoft and Amazon to spark even more startups, and led to the creation of three companies currently valued at more than $1 billion — making it one of the most successful programs in the Techstars network.

Founded in 2006 in Boulder, Colo., Techstars provides fledgling startups with early capital, coaching, mentorship, a chance to pitch to investors, and an opportunity to work for three months in a shared space with other entrepreneurs.

Techstars expanded to Seattle in 2010, and for more than a decade, it worked. And then, this week, it ended. TechStars announced that it's closing its Seattle accelerator as part of a broader restructuring.

So what happened? And what's next? GeekWire managing editor Taylor Soper joins the show this week to address those questions.

Related stories

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OpenAI's Sora, a new Amazon book, and 5 days a week in the office Feb 17, 2024

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This week on the GeekWire Podcast, stick around to the end for a late-breaking addition to the show — a bonus segment about OpenAI's new AI video generation technology Sora. Joining the show is Rahul Sood, CEO and co-founder of Irreverent Labs, a Seattle-area startup that is working on AI to turn images and text into video.

We also discuss the Seattle-area startups that are bringing employees into the office five days a week; look ahead to the upcoming release of what appears to be a juicy Amazon book, due out in April; and preview the GeekWire Awards in advance of the Feb. 29 deadline for nominations. And in our "My AI" segment, we talk about a specific approach to chatting with ChatGPT on the go.

With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook.

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Bezos' big stock sale, Nadella's first 10 years, and will AI read your next book? Feb 10, 2024

Show notes

This week on the GeekWire Podcast, Todd Bishop and John Cook examine the timing of Jeff Bezos' plan to sell up to 50 million shares of Amazon stock, in the context of his public announcement that he would be moving to Miami; assess Satya Nadella's track record as Microsoft CEO as he reaches 10 years in the role; and test an example of how text-to-speech applications could change the way we engage with printed books — or maybe not, based on the way one of them reacts.

Audio editing by Curt Milton; theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

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Apple Vision Pro, a developer's take; Defusing AI deepfakes Feb 03, 2024

Show notes

First up this week on the GeekWire Podcast: an inside take on developing software for the Apple Vision Pro.

We talked with a longtime software developer for Apple platforms, Ken Case, co-founder and CEO of Seattle-based Omni Group, which makes productivity apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad, and just released a version of its OmniPlan project management software for the newly launched Apple Vision Pro.

Related story: Apple Vision Pro: Why one longtime software shop is jumping head-first into spatial computing

Then, it's AI, politics, and a new attempt to detect and defuse deepfakes.

A few weeks ago on the show, Oren Etzioni, a University of Washington computer science professor and longtime artificial intelligence specialist, hinted at a secret project in the works. This week, he unveiled nonprofit, nonpartisan technology organization, TrueMedia.org, that is developing an AI-powered tool to detect AI-generated deepfake videos, photos, and audio, aiming to combat political disinformation in the leadup to the 2024 elections.

We jumped back on the line with Etzioni to get the details on the new initiatives, and discuss the pros and cons of the rapid development of new generative AI tools for democracy and society.

Related story: New nonpartisan AI nonprofit TrueMedia, led by Oren Etzioni, is making a political deepfake detector

With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop. Audio editing by Curt Milton.

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Experiments in AI, with Kevin Leneway of Pioneer Square Labs Jan 27, 2024

Show notes

Our guest this week is someone who is experimenting every day with AI, pushing the capabilities of the existing tools and technologies: Kevin Leneway, principal software engineer at the Pioneer Square Labs startup incubator in Seattle. He talks about the tools he's using across his personal and work life, and how they're transforming the process of innovation and creativity. He also shares details about a new project he's been working on, an AI coding assistant called JACoB.

Hosted by GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop.

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Costco vs. Amazon, Microsoft's latest Copilot, and a Zulily conspiracy theory Jan 20, 2024

Show notes

This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we consider Microsoft's latest AI product, the $20/month Copilot Pro, compare it to the likes of ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro and Otter.ai — and realize in the process that one of us is already paying way too much for AI assistants on a monthly basis.

Plus, a deep dive on Zulily bolsters a hypothesis about the motives of the private equity firm that acquired and later shut down the online retailer.

And finally, we compare, contrast, and appreciate the very different approaches taken by Costco and Amazon for authenticating the identity of customers at store entrances and check-out.

With GeekWire co-founders John Cook and Todd Bishop.

Related Stories:

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Amazon Ring CEO Liz Hamren on AI and the future of home monitoring Jan 13, 2024

Show notes

Liz Hamren has been CEO of Amazon's Ring business for almost a year, as the successor in the role to Ring founder Jamie Siminoff.

Hamren previously held technology and business leadership positions at companies including Dropcam, Microsoft, Oculus, and Discord, and was involved in product launches including Xbox consoles and Meta VR headsets. In addition to Ring, she leads Blink, Amazon Key, and Amazon Sidewalk in her current role. She spoke with us recently in her first public interview since becoming Ring CEO last year.

With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop; Audio editing by Curt Milton.

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