GeekWire

The hacking of multiple Ring cameras this week brought the sometimes abstract world of tech security and privacy into stark relief, as hackers watched and harassed families and children in their homes, demonstrating the frightening real-world consequences of weak password security.  On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we explain what happened in the incidents, discuss practical tips for making devices more secure, and explore the big picture implications of these technologies for the industry and society. While biometric identification, facial recognition and artificial intelligence represent a potential replacement for passwords, they also come with potential trade-offs of their own, as demonstrated by new guidelines issued by the Port of Seattle for the use of such technologies. In other news, we explore Seattle's attempt to put rules and safety guidelines around the coming wave of scooter sharing programs in the city. And in our final segment, it’s a new installment of our Name that Tech Tune challenge, with a chance to win a GeekWire shirt. Tech industry’s password problems come home to roost with Ring security camera hacks Hackers infiltrate Ring cameras in Florida and Tennessee and harass children Tech experts agree it’s time to regulate artificial intelligence — if only it were that simple Seattle port officials approve face recognition guardrails as feds waffle on the controversial tech New documents reveal details of Seattle scooter-share pilot, including ban on sidewalk riding See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The leaders of Amazon's cloud division made a few things clear this week at the Amazon Web Services re:Invent conference in Las Vegas: AWS has broad ambitions in the $3.7 trillion enterprise tech market, looking for growth well beyond the current cloud sector. The company is urging more companies to move their computing to the cloud, at the same time it's developing hybrid technologies to run cloud technologies on premises. Amazon believes Microsoft is working against the interests of its customers by implementing new licensing restrictions on Microsoft operating systems and databases, limiting the ways its software can be used on AWS and other cloud platforms. AWS doesn't believe it's possible that it could have lost the Pentagon's $10 billion cloud computing contract to Microsoft purely on the merits of their  respective technologies. This is why Amazon is formally challenging the bidding process. It all adds up to escalating competition between the Seattle-area tech giants, not just between AWS and Microsoft Azure in the cloud but also between AWS and Microsoft in the larger enterprise technology market, which is the bread and butter of Microsoft's business. Also on the show, we discuss what 60 Minutes missed in its report on tech and Seattle's homelessness crisis; explain why the first official Craigslist app is a mixed blessing, and reveal the answer to our Name that Tech Tune challenge.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we go behind-the-scenes of some of the biggest and most interesting stories we covered this week: Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant, who overcame Amazon's opposition to win another term, tells us what she plans to do now. An innovation in solar energy, backed by Bill Gates, promises to dramatically reduce global carbon emissions. Amazon’s new smart shelf will reorder office supplies automatically when they're running low. We ask, is this a good thing? We check in on some of the newest tech office spaces in the Seattle region, including Zipwhip, Google, Facebook, Expedia, F5 and others, and learn what they say about how we're all working now. And in the final segment, it’s the return of our Name that Tech Tune contest, with your chance to win a GeekWire t-shirt. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the GeekWire Podcast: Amazon is formally protesting a decision by the U.S. Department of Defense to award its $10 billion JEDI cloud computing contract to Microsoft, suggesting that the Pentagon succumbed  to political pressure from President Donald Trump.  Plus, Microsoft takes its Dreamers immigration lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court, what it's like to have Cortana read your email out loud, and we get our first taste of the apple of the future, the Cosmic Crisp, before this new Washington state innovation hits store shelves next month. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LAS VEGAS -- Nearly 20,000 people are here this week to learn about the latest from Seattle-based Tableau Software, whose technologies turn large amounts of data into visualizations, or vizzes, interactive graphics and charts for interpreting and telling the underlying stories. They also heard from Tableau's new parent company, Salesforce, whose co-CEO Marc Benioff joined Tableau CEO Adam Selipsky on stage for the keynote address as a last-minute addition a little more than a week after European regulators cleared the companies to integrate the $15.7 billion acquisition. On this special episode of the GeekWire Podcast, recorded on location at the Tableau Conference, we’ll share highlights from our discussion with Selipsky about what’s next for the Seattle company following its $15.7 billion acquisition by Salesforce, the future of data and artificial intelligence, the rise of employee activism at Tableau and other companies, and what Marc Benioff emails him about.  Editor’s Note: Tableau hosted GeekWire for a recording of the GeekWire Podcast on the show floor of the Tableau Conference as part of a sponsorship agreement. GeekWire retained editorial control of the podcast and covered its own expenses related to the podcast and coverage from the event.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not only was Amazon's effort to back pro-business candidates for the Seattle City Council not effective, but its $1.45 million in contributions seems to have backfired on the company, energizing its opponents and leading to a new City Council that's collectively more to the left of the political spectrum than before. It's the latest in a series of political and policy missteps and missed opportunities for the company, from HQ2 to JEDI.  Also this week: Bill Gates and Elizabeth Warren are ready to talk about taxes; a Microsoft study shows the potential benefits of a shorter work week for productivity; a winning Seattle Sounders rap from a GeekWire reader; and Cortana is ready to "play" your email for you, but are you ready for her to do that?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot has changed in the world, the tech industry, and Microsoft since Satya Nadella published his book, "Hit Refresh," two years ago. One of the changes: Microsoft reclaimed the title of world's most valuable company in 2018, two decades since it last held that status. But the company didn't celebrate the milestone. "Success is important, but you have to remember that your success has to have come from some sense of purpose," the Microsoft CEO said in an interview with GeekWire this week. "In 2019, in particular as a tech company, I think that the excessive celebration of technology and tech companies is not what it's all about." Instead, Nadella explained, "We as a world need to make sure that digital technology is helping us create more equitable growth in all communities, in all countries. And that means our success has to be based on success around us." That is one of the core themes in Nadella's new afterword for the paperback edition of "Hit Refresh," to be released Nov. 5. Speaking with GeekWire this week, Nadella went further on several key topics -- discussing Microsoft's approach to a growing wave of nationalism around the world, addressing employee concerns about their treatment inside the company, and explaining why Microsoft is betting on a new category of dual-screen devices. He also offered his take on two recent victories: Microsoft winning the coveted JEDI contract from the U.S. Department of Defense, beating out Amazon for the $10 billion, $10-year Pentagon cloud deal; and Seattle Sounders FC making it to the MLS Cup. Nadella and his wife Anu are part of the new ownership group for the soccer team.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Artificial intelligence might sound like a futuristic concept, and it may be true that we're years or decades away from a generalized form of AI that can match or exceed the capabilities of the human brain across a wide range of topics. But the implications of machine learning, facial recognition and other early forms of the technology are already playing out for companies, governmental agencies and people around the world,. This is raising questions about everything from privacy to jobs to law enforcement to the future of humanity. On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we hear several different takes from people grappling right now with AI and its implications for business, technology and society, recorded across different sessions at the recent GeekWire Summit in Seattle. We hear from Microsoft President Brad Smith, co-author of the book Tools and Weapons; U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, Seattle Police Department Chief Carmen Best; Luke Larson, president of Axon, the maker of Taser and body camera technology; and Dave Limp, the senior vice president in charge of Amazon's devices and services business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon took a million-dollar gamble this week, betting a last-minute cash infusion will help elect a new Seattle City Council despite the inevitable backlash to the contribution. It's a risky move that has already emboldened Amazon's biggest critics in Seattle government. Whether the bet will pay off at the polls remains to be seen. Also on this episode:  Andrew Yang’s Bing ding creates a debate of its own over Microsoft, Google and tech history An employee on Microsoft’s board? Shareholder proposal floats concept, board calls it ‘unnecessary’ Benioff: Amazon’s Seattle tax fight stoked tech industry opposition to S.F. homeless initiative Breach the Bubble: Meet a Former Democrat Turned Trump Voter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Federal Trade Commission is ramping up its investigations into Big Tech, and one of the agency’s toughest enforcers visited Amazon’s backyard to discuss the state of competition in the industry with GeekWire's Monica Nickelsburg this week. FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra spoke at the GeekWire Summit in Seattle on Tuesday in a wide-ranging interview that covered antitrust law, the investment landscape in tech, and lessons learned from his background regulating the financial sector. The interview — available as a video and edited Q&A below — provides a glimpse into how one of the enforcers charged with reining in the tech industry is thinking about competition and related economic dynamics. Read a transcript of the discussion and see more coverage of the GeekWire Summit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.