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Kevin Scott is Microsoft’s chief technology officer, its executive vice president of AI and Research, and the author, with Greg Shaw, of the new book, “Reprogramming the American Dream: From Rural America to Silicon Valley, Making AI Serve Us All." Scott, who joined Microsoft with its acquisition of LinkedIn, goes back to his roots in rural Virginia in the book, making the case that there is a middle ground between the extreme viewpoints about the future of artificial intelligence -- one in which short-term disruption is followed by long-term benefits of technology augmenting and improving human endeavors. But first, he says, we must ensure equal access to technology, starting with rural broadband, the importance of which is underscored by the rise of remote work in the COVID-19 crisis. Scott spoke with us via phone this week about his vision for the future of artificial intelligence and technology, in advance of the book's release on Tuesday, April 7. Scott will also be participating in a live stream with "Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance, who wrote the forward to the book, at 10 a.m. Pacific on Monday, April 6.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast. Seattle’s latest week under the cloud of the coronavirus began with Gov. Jay Inslee’s long-expected shelter-at-home announcement. It requires all but essential workers to stay at home and limits what everyone else can do outside of home. We also take a look at how Seattle’s big tech firms are responding to the COVID-19 crisis. Many are laying off staff and cutting expenses, while some, like Amazon, find their business is booming. And we offer our own reading of the Walt Whitman poem that Gov. Inslee quoted when he announced the stay-at-home order. Continue reading for highlights. Gov. Jay Inslee announces a long-expected stay-at-home order. Bill Gates says the U.S. acted too slowly on confronting the coronavirus and missed its chance to avoid mandatory stay-at-home orders. Workers test positive at 14 Amazon warehouses around the country. Congress passes a $2 trillion aid bill that includes benefits that might help Boeing. U.S. workers file a record 3.28 million new claims for jobless benefits last week. Data from mobile apps, search engines and smart thermometers show testing and social distancing are the best short-term strategies to contain the virus. Several Seattle tech firms, such as Leafly, Compass, Textio and more, laid off workers. Follow our live blog for up-to-date news: Coronavirus Live Updates: The latest COVID-19 developments in Seattle and the world of tech More from the podcast: We take a deep dive into how Seattle tech firms are responding to the crisis, and how it might impact them in the future. Internal memo: Jeff Bezos tells Amazon employees he’s ‘wholly focused’ on the COVID-19 crisis Redfin’s coronavirus response: CEO forgoes salary for 2020; agent base pay increases; and more Rich Barton lays out Zillow’s coronavirus playbook: Freeze hiring; cut expenses; pause home-buying Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says tech giant ‘will weather the storm’ amid COVID-19 outbreak ‘America needs our help’: Q&A with OfferUp CEO Nick Huzar after Seattle-area startup lands $120M Governor Inslee read some lines from a poem by Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself, 33,” when he announced his stay-at-home order on Monday. We read a longer excerpt from the poem and discuss. With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop, Taylor Soper and Monica Nickelsburg. Our podcast producer is Curt Milton. Our theme music is by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast. It was another tumultuous week in Seattle, the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis, with restaurants and bars ordered closed, gatherings of more than 50 people banned, and the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths continuing to climb. Among the week’s events: A worker at a tech company in Seattle became the first person injected with a possible COVID-19 vaccine;  Amazon says it wants to hire 100,000 workers to deal with demand, the city and state brace for a possible shelter-in-place order, and much more. Listen above, subscribe in any podcast app, and continue reading for highlights. Gov. Jay Inslee closed all restaurants and bars, recreation places, entertainment venues, beauty salons and barbershops, and many more. Many restaurants and coffee shops have gone to takeout only. Gatherings of more than 50 people were banned and Monday President Trump asked people to limit gatherings to 10 or less. However, Gov. Inslee has so far avoided a full "shelter in place" mandate.  The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Washington state as of Friday was 1,524 with 148 deaths.  An Amazon warehouse worker in Queens, NY, tested positive for COVID-19, the company’s first known positive case in a warehouse employee. COVID-19 vaccine trials start in Seattle. Numerous retailers have closed: Microsoft and Apple stores, REI, Nordstrom, and many more. T-Mobile was closing 80% of their stores. Seattle businesses have taken a huge economic toll, with a report from the Seattle Metro Chamber showing that nearly 40% of all jobs in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties will be severely impacted by the virus. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a $200M emergency funding bill. President Trump signed a federal relief bill, with discussion of direct payments to Americans to stimulate the economy. Use of Microsoft Teams went up 37% in the last week, from 32 to 44 million users, spurred by demand as more people work from home. The NYTimes obtained a 100-page report prepared by the federal government that warns the pandemic “will last 18 months or longer” and could include multiple waves of infection, stressing the healthcare system, critical infrastructure and state and local governments. Testing is ramping up. Inslee said the state had received federal approval for private labs to test. The University of Washington opened a drive-through testing station. Amazon says it wants to hire 100,000 additional warehouse workers to help with demand. Amazon told third-party sellers it will bar shipments of non-essential items to its warehouses so it can prioritize medical supplies and household goods. Traffic in the Seattle area has vanished as people are either working from home or they have lost their job due to the economic downturn.  The US and Canada closed their border except for cargo and “essential” traffic. And schools remain closed, with parents attempting to fill in as teachers and keep kids occupied. Rumors abound that schools might stay closed through the end of this school year or even the end of 2020. University of Washington classes will be remote for spring quarter. Follow our live blog for up-to-date news: Coronavirus Live Updates: The latest COVID-19 developments in Seattle and the world of tech More from the podcast: It’s a tough time to be a worker in the gig economy. We interviewed gig workers who expressed fear, desperation and uncertainty. Pandemic exposes cracks in US labor market, leaving gig workers feeling desperate and exposed And don’t believe that story about Bill Gates trying to woo Tom Brady to play in Tampa. But do believe what Gates has been saying for years about preparing for a pandemic. Bill Gates calls out federal government for disorganized COVID-19 testing in Reddit AMA With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop, Taylor Soper and Monica Nickelsburg. Our podcast producer is Curt Milton. Our theme music is by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast. The gravity of the COVID-19 virus outbreak hit home hard in Seattle this week: Large events were banned, schools were closed, and thousands of people struggled to adjust to working from home. Restaurants began to feel the pinch – some even closed temporarily – as people stayed home. The Seattle Archdiocese said it would suspend celebration of the Eucharist at services. Amazon will hold its annual shareholder meeting online … a first. Over three dozen people have died from the virus and over 500 cases of the disease were reported. The number of infections and the death toll continued to rise. And testing for the disease continues to be a problem. We discuss several angles to this fast-moving story: Children in Seattle-area schools will be home at least until April 24. Nicole Tanner talks with us about what the experience of learning in a virtual classroom is like for her second-grade daughter … and herself: ‘Classroom to Cloud’: What happened when coronavirus forced my kid’s school to go online Alan Boyle has been reporting on what testing for COVID-19 can tell us about the disease: Researcher says more coronavirus testing will help manage outbreak, but travel bans? Not so much Kurt Schlosser visited the eerily quiet South Lake Union neighborhood, where Amazon is headquartered: Photos: Seattle’s tech hub goes quiet as businesses struggle to cope with effects of COVID-19 And Monica Nickelsburg wrote about Amazon taking its annual shareholder meeting into the cloud: Amazon moves shareholder meeting online, cancels in-person event where investors and protestors gather in Seattle annually The GeekWire Podcast team recorded this episode remotely … and we talk about that as well. With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop, Monica Nickelsburg and Kurt Schlosser, and special guest, contributing writer Nicole Tanner. Audio editing and production by Curt Milton. Music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell. Follow Nicole Tanner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicoletanner Her former podcast co-hosts can be found here: Regina McMenomy at The Geek Embassy Stephen Duetzmann at Engaged Family Gaming See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast. Seattle became ground zero in the U.S. coronavirus outbreak this week and tech firms were trying to adjust. Meetings and conferences were cancelled or moved online and many firms told employees to work from home for the rest of the month. GeekWire was no exception: Our annual awards event has been postponed. How will the virus impact Seattle’s tech scene in the short term and in the long run? Will it change the way many of us work? We discuss … Coronavirus Live Updates: The latest COVID-19 developments in Seattle and the world of tech GeekWire Awards update: Event postponed until May 19 We inaugurate a new feature: Tweet of the Week! We have two this week and both are focused on … you guessed it … the coronavirus. And Microsoft renewed a big deal that has their surface tablets playing a key role at NFL games. Surface stays on the sidelines: Microsoft and NFL expand tech partnership, add Teams tool to deal With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop, John Cook and Monica Nickelsburg. Audio editing and production by Curt Milton. Music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GeekWire Podcast listeners, we’re sharing this special episode of our GeekWire Health Tech Podcast with you given the widespread interest in the novel coronavirus outbreak. For more GeekWire Health Tech episodes, see geekwire.com/healthtech. A new generation of cutting-edge vaccines could dramatically accelerate the global response to future outbreaks such as the current coronavirus epidemic. On a special episode of GeekWire's Health Tech Podcast, we go behind the scenes with two University of Washington scientists pursuing these vaccine breakthroughs. Dr. Deborah Fuller is a professor of microbiology and a vaccinologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and Dr. Jesse Erasmus, a molecular virologist working on new RNA vaccine and therapeutic technologies.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this special episode of the GeekWire Podcast, a conversation with veteran tech journalist Steven Levy, Wired editor-at-large, about his new book Facebook, The Inside Story. GeekWire editor Todd Bishop spoke with Levy this week during a University Bookstore event in Seattle. And as a special bonus for GeekWire Podcast listeners, stick around to the end for a chance to win your own signed copy of the book. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast. In a surprise move, Seattle-based travel site Expedia laid off about 12 percent of its workforce this week, including 500 people in Seattle. Chairman Barry Diller had called the company a “bloated organization” on a recent earnings call. It sounds like he is cracking down and wants more focus, more profit and less wasted effort. Expedia cuts 3,000 jobs, including 500 at new Seattle HQ — read the internal email to employees Amazon opened a new grocery store in Seattle this week but … there was something missing. We take a look at Amazon Go Grocery, which builds on the company’s chain of Amazon Go convenience stores. This store has more food, and even grocery carts, but you still won’t find a checkout line. Inside ‘Amazon Go Grocery’: Tech giant opens first full-sized store without cashiers or checkout lines A new salary survey from the federal Labor Department finds that Seattle-area tech workers are making an average annualized salary of almost $280,000 a year. That figure blows past other professions in the Seattle region and is even outpacing the benchmark for hefty salaries, financial workers in New York City. Seattle-area tech workers earn $279K/year on average in total compensation, according to new BLS data With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop, Monica Nickelsburg and Kurt Schlosser. Audio editing and production by Curt Milton. Music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

America's housing crisis is a nationwide problem, but it's especially acute in San Francisco and Seattle, home to the country's largest technology industries. The "terrible twins," as New York Times reporter Conor Dougherty describes them, represent a perfect storm of rapid job growth, an influx of wealth, and rampant single-family zoning that makes it difficult to densify housing. In an interview with GeekWire this week, Dougherty explained how the two tech hubs have become centers of opportunity for some while squeezing out others. "The economy changed in some big ways that make inequality much more structural," he said. "And we've not built nearly enough housing where prosperity is happening." Dougherty has been covering economics and real estate for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal on-and-off for a decade. He joined us for this episode of the GeekWire podcast to discuss his new book "Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast. PBS’s Frontline profiled the Amazon empire and painted a complicated picture of unrelenting ambition. Frontline spent a year examining Amazon’s impact on commerce, technology and society, and landed interviews with several current executives and former employees. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos didn’t sit for an interview, however. Though the documentary didn’t cover much new ground, it did provide a striking narrative, highlighting new voices and perspectives. The definitive account of Amazon’s perilous ambition: Key scenes from PBS’s epic investigation Watch: Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos Speaking of Bezos, he made a big splash this week when he announced plans to donate $10 billion to nonprofits fighting climate change. We discuss the Bezos Earth Fund, and how experts in philanthropy and climate change are reacting to it. Plus, Sen. Bernie Sanders takes a swing at tech fortunes during a campaign stop in the Seattle area. Jeff Bezos launches $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund, kicking off his own effort to fight climate change Jeff Bezos wants to curb climate change via $10B fund — but is money his most powerful tool? Bernie Sanders takes on the ‘billionaire class’ at rally near Seattle, home to Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates Finally, we caught up with our resident space and science geek, Alan Boyle, to discuss the mega-earthquake predicted to hit the Seattle region. Boyle also caught us up on how technologists are thinking about what happens to our remains — physical and digital — after we die. Earthquake experts lay out latest outlook for the ‘Really Big One’ that’ll hit Seattle Tech after death: Researchers work on new ways to handle your remains, in the flesh and online With GeekWire’s Monica Nickelsburg, Taylor Soper and Alan Boyle. Audio editing and production by Curt Milton. Music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.