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Alexa leaves the house Sep 28, 2019

Show notes

Amazon announced a series of new Echo and Alexa products and initiatives this week -- from smart glasses to wireless earbuds to a new neighborhood wireless initiative -- extending the reach of its devices and services well beyond the home, while attempting to address consumer concerns about privacy at the same time.

Here's our coverage from the week.

Why Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos sees new opportunity in the yard, on the sidewalk, and beyond
Everything Amazon announced at its devices event — Echo Buds, Echo Frames, Echo Studio, and more
Bezos: Facial recognition ‘a perfect example’ of the need for regulation, and Amazon is working on it
Amazon unveils new Alexa-powered Echo Buds, undercuts Apple’s AirPods with $129.99 price tag

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The new 'experience economy' Sep 25, 2019

Show notes

A new skyscraper in Seattle will bear the name Qualtrics Tower, after the technology company that will occupy more than a dozen floors in the building, with plans to quadruple its employee count in the region to more than 2000 people in the next several years. So what is Qualtrics, anyway? It’s an experience management company, with co-headquarters in Seattle and Provo Utah, that was acquired by enterprise technology giant SAP for $8 billion. We sat down for a conversation recently with Julie Larson Green, a former Microsoft Windows and Office leader who is now the chief experience officer at Qualtrics, to talk about fundamental economic shift that the company is betting on.

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Tech workers unite on climate Sep 21, 2019

Show notes

The climate crisis surged to the top of the tech industry's agenda this week, encouraged by a groundswell of activity from workers at Amazon, Microsoft, Google and other big tech companies, as part of global efforts to bring attention to the issue. It's the latest example of rising activism inside the tech industry, as a new generation of workers pushes employers to speak out and take action on political, social and environmental issues.

We discuss the protests and the larger trend on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, with highlights from the climate walkout at Amazon's Seattle campus, and Jeff Bezos announcing the company's new Climate Pledge earlier in the week.

In the second segment of the show, we discuss what the shutdown of LimePod says about the future of urban mobility in Seattle and around the world.

And on the Random Channel this week, the scourge of "microplastics", Amazon's Allbirds knock-offs, and the "Showdown at the Window Seat."

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Amazon, Uber and a reckoning for the gig economy Sep 14, 2019

Show notes

From package delivery to ride-hailing, companies including Amazon and Uber are facing new scrutiny over their use of contract workers to power the services they provide to consumers.

California is poised to enact a law that would force Uber and Lyft to treat drivers like employees as part of a broader push around the country to ensure app-based workers have broader labor protections. Meanwhile, three U.S. Senators are demanding answers from Amazon about its network of contractors and independent delivery companies that get packages to customers’ doors.

We discuss the implications of these developments on this new episode of the GeekWire Podcast.

Plus, a Seattle startup is aiming to upend the smartphone market with a high-quality, low-priced alternative designed to be used for twice as many years as many people use their existing phones. The inside story of Taylor Swift's beef with Microsoft's chatbot. And we do our best to help Alexa come up with some answers to difficult questions.

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Microsoft President Brad Smith: 'Tools & Weapons' Sep 08, 2019

Show notes

In “Tools & Weapons: The Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age,” Microsoft President Brad Smith and his co-author Carol Ann Browne tell the inside story of some of the biggest developments in tech and the world over the past decade -- including Microsoft’s reaction to the Snowden revelations, its battle with Russian hackers in the leadup to the 2016 elections and its role in the ongoing debate privacy and facial recognition technology.

The book goes behind-the-scenes at the Obama and Trump White Houses, explores the implications of the coming wave of artificial intelligence, and calls on tech giants and governments to step up and prepare for the ethical, legal and societal challenges of powerful new forms of technology yet to come.

We touched on many of those topics in this conversation with Smith about the new book, due out Sept. 10. Smith will also speak at the upcoming GeekWire Summit.

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Why millennials love Amazon Sep 07, 2019

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Amazon ousted Apple this year as the most loved brand among millennials, people age 19 through 39, according to a new study. What does this say about the future of the world? OK, that might be taking it too far, but some of our resident millennials offer their take on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast. And in news for slightly older generations, the startup HopSkipRide made its debut in Seattle this week, promising to safely shuttle your kids around town. We explain how it works and try to decide if we and our kids will use it. Plus, in the Random Channel, Microsoft the Musical, insights from Burning Man, and the latest from the chicken beat.

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Waiting for Elizabeth Warren Aug 31, 2019

Show notes

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren appeared in Seattle on Sunday, a few blocks from Amazon's headquarters, and given the Democratic presidential candidate's call to break up the online retail giant as part of a larger crackdown on big tech companies, we were anticipating fireworks. It didn't happen. In fact, as we reported earlier this week, Warren didn't specifically mention Amazon in her public remarks when commenting on the need for stronger antitrust enforcement.

On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we tell the behind-the-scenes story of how we were able to ask Warren about the issue by matching her sheer endurance. We also discuss why the call to break up big tech hasn't taken hold as a major campaign issue.

In other topics, we discuss privacy concerns over Ring's collaboration with law enforcement; the new trailer for Netflix's Bill Gates documentary, what the algorithms say about an iconic Nirvana song; and, of course, the latest on the elusive Popeyes chicken sandwich.

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Headphones, AI and the future of humanity Aug 24, 2019

Show notes

New wireless Bluetooth headphones from Seattle startup Human are getting mixed reviews based on their appearance, and their initial starting price of $399 (which the company quickly dropped to a promotional price of $259). But their unique design, which completely envelops both ears, reflects a vision of the future in which technology will be melded to our bodies, and potentially to our minds.

Plus: Jeff Bezos' first Amazon job ad, 25 years later; A new Netflix documentary will go inside the mind of Bill Gates, and Alexa makes a "Jeopardy!" cameo.

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Goodbye, iPhone; Hello, Note10+ Aug 17, 2019

Show notes

Microsoft's partnership with Samsung promises smooth integration between Windows and the Galaxy Note10, and that was enough to convince GeekWire's Todd Bishop to dump his iPhone X in favor of the consumer electronics giant's new flagship device. But which of the two Note10 variations should he get? And what can he expect as he switches from on major smartphone platform to another? Tech reviewer Andru Edwards of Gear Live and the Geared Up podcast joins us on this special episode to offer his advice.

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The Power and Pitfalls of Platforms Aug 13, 2019

Show notes

Amazon, Uber, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and many other big companies have something in common. They're all platforms, providing underlying technologies that others use to build or facilitate their own businesses. But there are different types of platforms, with different motivations, and understanding the differences is key for anyone looking to build, compete against, regulate or do business with a platform.

We explore the power and pitfalls of platforms on this episode with Michael Cusumano, the Sloan Management Review Distinguished Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and the co-author of the book, "The Business of Platforms: Strategy in the Age of Digital Competition, Innovation & Power," with Annabelle Gawer and David Yoffie. The book examines the hidden forces behind some of today’s most powerful and influential companies. It's an especially timely subject given the current scrutiny of many of those companies.

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