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**GeekWire**

GeekWire brings you the week’s latest technology news, trends and insights, covering the world of technology from our home base in Seattle. Our regular news podcast features commentary and analysis from our editors and reporters, plus interviews with special guests.

Latest Episodes:

Municipal broadband; capital gains tax; Amazon's take on soccer super league Apr 24, 2021

Show notes

Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week:

Washington state is poised to make a significant change in how its citizens gain access to the internet. Gov. Jay Inslee has indicated he’ll sign two pieces of legislation that, for the first time, will allow municipalities to set up their own direct-to-consumer broadband services. We discuss why this is a big deal and how it might work in one county.
Washington state legislators appear to be on track to pass a new capital gains tax for the state that would be collected on large sales of stocks, among other holdings. But tech industry leaders warn it might harm the startup scene. What's behind the move and who might it help ... and who might it hurt?
Amazon weighed in on a proposed European super league of soccer and said it didn’t like the idea. Did Amazon’s opposition help scuttle the plan?

With GeekWire’s John Cook and Mike Lewis. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

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Rep. Suzan DelBene on privacy and the future of the country Apr 17, 2021

Show notes

It's one of the hottest topics in tech, but despite broad agreement about the importance of online privacy, the United States has yet to pass comprehensive, modern, federal legislation that addresses the issue. U.S. Rep Suzan DelBene, a Democrat from Washington state, wants to change that.

"Technology has created incredible new opportunities, but our laws have not kept up," she says. "So it is incumbent on Congress to make sure that our laws keep up, that we protect people's rights in our changing world, and privacy is a important place to start."

DelBene is seeking to address the issue with a new attempt to pass federal privacy legislation, the Information Transparency and Personal Data Control Act. It comes as more states propose and pass their own privacy laws. DelBene warns that this emerging "patchwork" of state laws threatens to deepen the country’s privacy predicament, creating confusing for consumers and businesses, and diminishing the influence of the country on the issue by presenting a divided front on the international stage.

A former Microsoft executive and startup leader, DelBene joins us to discuss the issue on on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast.

Read one-page summary of the bill here.

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Day 2: Amazon defeated the union, but did it really win? Apr 10, 2021

Show notes

This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we're presenting a special episode of Day 2, our new podcast about Amazon. Subscribe to Day 2 in any podcast app and see geekwire.com/day2 for show notes and more episodes.

In a public defeat for organized labor, a sizable majority of Amazon warehouse employees voted against unionization in Bessemer, Ala. in an election overseen by federal authorities Friday. But the process put a harsh spotlight on labor practices in the tech giant's fulfillment centers, and the company's anti-union tactics. In the larger scheme of things, was this really a win for Amazon?

On this episode GeekWire reporter Mike Lewis and e-commerce consultant Jason Boyce talk with Margaret O’Mara, a historian, author and University of Washington professor who specializes in the history of tech and politics.

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Why this Seattle tech CEO pulled his company out of downtown Seattle, and isn't coming back anytime soon Apr 02, 2021

Show notes

Veteran tech executive Scott Moore, CEO of Seattle startup AdLightning, joins GeekWire's John Cook and Mike Lewis to discuss the challenges facing downtown Seattle after the pandemic. AdLightning left its headquarters in the Gibraltar building last March and exited the lease in August. The company is currently working remote, and Moore says he’s committed to getting another office at some point. But when he does, Moore says, the office won’t be in downtown Seattle.

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The First of Our Civic Conversations: Rebuilding After the Pandemic Mar 26, 2021

Show notes

The Seattle area was already experiencing a massive homelessness, mental health and economic disparity crisis prior to COVID-19 hitting.

The pandemic simply exacerbated the issues. But even though the region has been knocked to its knees, several Washington state leaders hold out hope that lessons learned from the pandemic and racial justice reckoning of the past 12 months can lead to a more connected, vibrant and inclusive community.

It's going to take every ounce of strength and will to drive the change, but it can happen, they say. Listen to why they are hopeful in this special episode of the GeekWire podcast, drawn from GeekWire's new Civic Conversations event which took place Thursday afternoon.

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Day 2: How this seller turned Amazon's knockoff into a win Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

Check out the premiere episode of Day 2, GeekWire's new podcast about Amazon. To hear future episodes, be sure sure to subscribe to Day 2 from GeekWire wherever you listen.

What happens when Amazon makes its own, cheaper version of a product another company painstakingly developed? On the debut episode of Day 2, "Amazon Jungle" author Jason Boyce and GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop speak Peter Dering of Peak Design, whose company issued a savagely funny video mocking Amazon for knocking off its popular camera bag. As you'll hear, Dering's take on the issue is much more evolved and pragmatic than a sound bite on a news segment might suggest. Read more.

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Talking SPACapalooza with angel investor Spencer Rascoff Mar 19, 2021

Show notes

When we reached out to entrepreneur and angel investor Spencer Rascoff on Tuesday with notes about appearing on the GeekWire podcast — an appearance that was scheduled several weeks ago — we mentioned possible discussion topics around SPACs, real estate trends and any other big tech news events of the week. And then we made the age-old journalistic error, pointing out that it had been a "pretty slow news week so far, but I am sure something will pop in the next day or two that might make life interesting."

Indeed it did. But we had no idea that this week's big news would actually involve the former Zillow CEO.

On Thursday, Rascoff — operating through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) known as Supernova — announced the acquisition of Offerpad, a 6-year-old real estate company that, like Zillow, is moving fast to transform the way people buy and sell homes. The deal, which values Offerpad at $3 billion, is fascinating on so many levels with interesting subplots.

Obviously, we had a lot to talk about with Rascoff when he joined the show Thursday afternoon, discussing the inner workings of the Offerpad deal, dissecting SPAC mania and learning why the longtime entrepreneur took issue with parts of our original story.

We also heard about a number of Rascoff's side hustle entrepreneurial projects, including a stealthy new social network he's building with his 15-year-old daughter and a fast-growing startup called Pacaso that's bringing a fractional ownership model to vacation homes.

Known for an intense working pace, Rascoff also provides hacks on how to better manage your day-to-day work life — hint, he swears by 15-minute meetings and heavy use of Slack. And he offers a few tips for home buyers in this red-hot real estate market. The Los Angeles resident even shares why he calls his venture capital groups 75 & Sunny — yes it harkens back to the many dark and rainy days he spent in Seattle.

Ex-Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff leads SPAC deal to acquire Offerpad, a rival to his former employer

Ex-Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff jumps back into real estate, launches startup with former colleagues to help people buy second homes

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The Future of Femtech Mar 13, 2021

Show notes

This week we're presenting a new episode of the GeekWire podcast 2025: Tomorrow, Today featuring a discussion with Julie Sandler of Pioneer Square Labs. It's one in a series of conversations with technology investors on the 2025 podcast. Find more episodes at geekwire.com/2025podcast. We'll be back next week with our regular weekly show.

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Health Tech: Walter Isaacson on 'The Code Breaker' Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

We're sharing this special episode of the GeekWire Health Tech podcast featuring our interview with Walter Isaacson about his new book, "The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race." Hear more episodes of GeekWire's Health Tech Podcast at geekwire.com/healthtech. Read more: ‘The Code Breaker’ author Walter Isaacson on the genetic revolution, regional hubs and ethical lines

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GeekWire at 10 years: Reflections on an extraordinary decade in Seattle tech Mar 05, 2021

Show notes

This Sunday, March 7, will mark 10 years since GeekWire’s launch. Looking back, we couldn’t have picked a better decade as GeekWire’s first, given our focus on Seattle and Pacific Northwest innovation.

This was the moment that Seattle tech came into its own. We’ve covered the rise of the cloud, Amazon’s boom, Microsoft’s rebirth, the arrival of Silicon Valley engineering centers, disputes, mergers, IPOs, and the emergence of thousands of startups. And in the past year, we’ve covered Seattle as a center of the scientific and philanthropic response to a world-changing pandemic. What happens here matters everywhere. This has become our mantra.

We’ve worked hard, with a great team, and we’ve survived our share of challenges and struggles. But the reason GeekWire is still standing as a profitable media venture is this community, and all of you as readers, sources, listeners, members, sponsors, and supporters. Thank you. GeekWire has been fortunate to get to tell the world about this place for the past 10 years, and we're still at it. We can’t wait to see (and report!) what happens next.

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