GeekWire

This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we hear the pitches made by four startup CEOs in the 32 seconds it takes to get to the top of Seattle's historic Smith Tower, on their way to winning their respective episodes on this season of GeekWire's Elevator Pitch series. It's a preview of the upcoming season finale, in which each of the four will make a final pitch at the GeekWire Summit next week, live on stage. Episode 1 winner: Amina Moreau, CEO of Radious, an online marketplace that turns houses, apartments and other residential properties into workspaces, rentable by the day. Episode 2 winner: Devin Miller, co-founder and CEO of SecureSave, a purpose built emergency savings solution designed to help people feel and be financially secure. Episode 3 winner: Erin Quick, co-founder and CEO of PairTree, a service that provides tools, resources and support to navigate and simplify the process of adoption. Episode 4 winner: Katherine Sizov, CEO & co-founder of Strella Biotechnology, creators of sensing technology that predicts the ripeness of produce. More: GeekWire Elevator Pitch Season 3, and the GeekWire Summit, Oct. 6-7.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hybrid work is here to stay, but some big changes are needed to make it work. That was the message from Microsoft this week as the tech giant presented the results of a new study showing a disconnect in the perceptions of productivity between workers and leaders at companies around the world. Meanwhile, the number of meetings for many workers has soared since the beginning of the pandemic, in what appears to be the new normal at many companies. But there has also been a significant rise in multi-tasking during those meetings, as distractions threaten to undermine communication and productivity. That's our first topic on the GeekWire Podcast this week, as we go over some of the takeaways from Microsoft's study and preview the upcoming GeekWire Summit, where the future of work will be a recurring theme. Then we turn to the next generation of smartphones, and to the next generation of smartphone users. John Cook provides an update on his efforts to ensure that his 12-year-old adopts his first smartphone in a healthy and sustainable way, and offers Todd Bishop some tips for a parallel situation in my own household. Finally, we talk about John's initial experience with the iPhone 14, his first new smartphone in several years, and spend a little time doing some remedial tech support in the process. Edited and produced by Curt MiltonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business, government and environmental leaders from Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia met at the U.S.-Canada border this week to discuss the next steps in the quest to become the world's first sustainable mega-region. The Cascadia 2050 Vision conference was led by former Washington state governor Chris Gregoire, the CEO of Challenge Seattle and the co-chair of the steering committee for the Cascadia Innovation Corridor, a cross-border initiative that brings together leaders from Washington state, Oregon and British Columbia. Gregoire joins us on this episode to discuss the key innovations and funding initiatives that make her optimistic about the prospects for achieving long-term climate goals.  Boston Consulting Group report: How the Cascadia Innovation Corridor can serve as a global model for sustainable growth Cascadia Daily News: Cascadia 2050 Vision conference brings together international leaders Bill Gates encouraged by U.S. climate initiatives as ‘mega-region’ grapples with long-term challenges Microsoft’s outgoing environmental chief reflects on bold actions and navigating ‘hiccups’ Hosted by GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop; edited and produced by Curt Milton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guest this week is Ryan Calo, a University of Washington law professor who specializes in areas including privacy, artificial intelligence and robots. He's one of the organizers of We Robot, an annual conference where scholars and practitioners discuss legal and policy questions relating to robots and artificial intelligence. It's taking place this year at the University of Washington from Sept. 14-16.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are now decades into the digital revolution, so why haven't high-tech audio streams caught up to old-fashioned radio waves? That was my question on last week's GeekWire Podcast, after conducting an experiment inspired by the tradition of tuning into the play-by-play announcers while watching a baseball game in the stands. During a Seattle Mariners game at T-Mobile Park, I found that the audio streams from various smartphone apps, were at least 30 seconds behind the action on the field, and sometimes even further behind. That compared to a lag of just a few seconds when listening on a $22, battery-powered AM transistor radio. I offered my theories about the reasons for this, and heard from a bunch of people who listened to the podcast or read the article last week. One was streaming media veteran Rob Green, who was group manager of Microsoft's Digital Media Division from 1998 to 2006, a pivotal era for the industry. He went on to lead a variety of tech and digital media startups, including a past role as CEO of Seattle-based Abacast, which streamed broadcast radio stations online. Green is a longtime GeekWire reader who emailed me after last week's post: "Simply put, streaming requires buffers to work correctly, hence the delay you experienced," he wrote. "Broadcast expects a perfect network, and streaming expects an imperfect network, and they are respectively architected accordingly." I jumped on the line with him to learn more, and you can hear his comments on this week's episode, along with an explanation from Major League Baseball, and a fun story about the early days of live-streaming baseball games from Seattle tech veteran Daryn Nakhuda.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, recorded on location at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, we pit old-fashioned terrestrial radio against a newfangled digital audio stream for play-by-play in the stands. Then, we debate pros and cons of baseball analytics and robot umpires. And finally, we experience the highs and lows of Amazon's latest retail technology at the tech giant's hometown stadium.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon is one of the most extraordinary business stories of our time. Many people in the tech industry have a general understanding of this story, picking up bits and pieces of its lore and culture over the years. But what are the real reasons for Amazon's success? What can today's startup entrepreneurs learn from what Jeff Bezos did? And where is the company headed next? Two investors spent the better part of two months researching Amazon in their spare time to answer questions like those, and they just shared what they learned. Ben Gilbert, managing director at Seattle-based Pioneer Square Labs, and David Rosenthal, a San Francisco-based angel investor, this week released an episode of their podcast, Acquired, that spans nearly 4-and-a-half hours, providing a deeper understanding of Amazon and new insights into how the company works. Gilbert joins us on this week's episode of the GeekWire Podcast to discuss some of the key takeaways and highlights from their Amazon deep dive. With Todd Bishop and John Cook. Edited and produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle investor and business leader Tom Alberg, who died last week at the age of 82, was a key figure in the e-commerce and wireless industries, and in the Seattle startup community, through his roles as an early Amazon investor and longtime board member, executive at McCaw Cellular, and co-founder of Madrona Venture group. On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, Todd Bishop and John Cook share their own insights from Alberg's life. See our earlier coverage for more on Alberg’s legacy; read tributes from his friends and colleagues; and see Madrona’s LinkedIn post for more remembrances from those who worked with and knew Alberg during his life and career.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we play highlights and share takeaways from the recent earnings calls of Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, and Alphabet, seeking a clearer understanding of what's next for the tech economy. With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook; audio editing and production by Curt Milton.  Related headlines and links: Microsoft earnings come up short, hit by global economic trends and cutbacks Amazon stock rises 10% as tech giant beats revenue expectations amid ‘inflationary pressures’ CNBC: Alphabet misses on earnings and revenue for second quarter The Verge: Facebook reports drop in revenue for the first time Marketwatch: Apple raises $5.5 billion in debt after upbeat earnings, iPhone sales offset fears of a consumer pullback  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tributes and memories have been pouring in from longtime friends and colleagues of Cranium creator Richard Tait since the Seattle entrepreneur's death on July 25 the age of 58 from complications due to COVID-19. A passionate and visionary entrepreneur known for being tough, Tait had a generous spirit, effusive personality, and rare ability to connect with people he encountered. This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we're listening back to a conversation that Tait recorded with Fuel Talent CEO and founder Shauna Swerland in 2018 for her podcast, What Fuels You. It's inspiring, insightful, and bittersweet, and we're grateful to Shauna for allowing us to share it with you here. Read our earlier coverage for more on Tait's life and career, and memories from friends and colleagues.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.