GeekWire

12/01/2025

Amazon on Monday officially launched Amazon Now, a new ultra-fast service promising delivery in about 30 minutes or less for household essentials and fresh groceries in parts of Seattle and Philadelphia. The announcement confirms reporting by GeekWire last week that revealed Amazon was building out a new rapid-delivery hub at a former Amazon Fresh Pickup site in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood.

The announcement confirms reporting by GeekWire last week that revealed Amazon was building out a new rapid-delivery hub at a former Amazon Fresh Pickup site in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood.

12/01/2025

AWS re:Invent preview: Amazon’s expansion into agentic AI will be a key theme this week at the company’s annual cloud conference, which serves as a test for Amazon to show that its heavy artificial intelligence investments can pay off as Microsoft and Google gain ground in AI and the cloud. GeekWire’s Todd Bishop will be reporting from the event in Las Vegas.

Amazon faces a critical test at AWS re:Invent this week: showing that its heavy AI investments can pay off as Microsoft and Google gain ground in the cloud.

12/01/2025

Washington state is moving to set its own regulatory framework for artificial intelligence in the absence of federal legislation, laying out recommendations for how lawmakers should regulate AI in healthcare, education, policing, workplaces and more.

A new interim report from the Washington state AI Task Force notes that the federal government’s “hands-off approach” to AI has created “a crucial regulatory gap that leaves Washingtonians vulnerable.”

The state Capitol Building in Olympia, Wash. (Photo by Nils Huenerfuerst on Unsplash) Washington state is moving to set its own regulatory framework for

12/01/2025

In an unusual act of philanthropy, an anonymous donor has committed more than $50 million to the University of Washington to support the little-known field of medical laboratory science. The funds will be distributed over the next half-century.

UW leaders called the gift “transformational,” noting it’s the largest gift they’re aware of for this particular specialty.

The donation will immediately impact the current class of 35 students in the Medical Laboratory Science Undergraduate Program by covering their tuition costs — waiving about $9,000 per student — during the two quarters of clinical rotations in their senior year.

University of Washington Medical Laboratory Science Undergraduate Program seniors Lily Koplowitz-Fleming, left, and Keila Uchimura (center) speak with UW

11/27/2025

Remitly is introducing a new digital debit card. VP Kendra Shimmell demos the Remitly Card, designed for both international travel and daily use. See how it works. Watch now: https://youtu.be/Fm8_V5P2w_0

11/26/2025

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Discover more at PivotToPierceWA.com.

11/25/2025

Sponsored: Time Well Spent: How Technology in Corrections is Changing Lives Through Education

Read more: https://ow.ly/E1aB50XxM7X

11/25/2025

Meet the innovators being recognized at the GeekWire Gala. 🥂 Read about Uncommon Thinker nominee Jeff Thornburg: https://www.geekwire.com/2025/uncommon-thinkers-portal-space-jeff-thornburg/

11/25/2025

Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors making GeekWire Gala possible! First Tech, Astound, and Greater Seattle Partners. Their support brings you the best food, drinks, entertainment, and tech experiences Dec 11. Limited tickets left: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-geekwire-gala-tickets-1412686355919?aff=oddtdtcreator

11/25/2025

In our latest "Uncommon Thinkers" profile, we focus on Portal CEO Jeff Thornburg, who worked on rocket propulsion systems for Elon Musk and Paul Allen and is now pursuing his own out-of-this-world idea.

Portal Space Systems and its CEO, Jeff Thornburg, aim to commercialize a decades-old spaceflight concept called solar thermal propulsion.

11/24/2025

We recently went behind the lens to capture the Statsig story. The team loved digging into the unique culture and innovation that drives their team. Watch the full feature here! https://youtu.be/MXUlnNTuEhw

11/24/2025

Amazon will try a new twist on local deliveries at a shuttered site in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood: a retail-style delivery hub for rapid dispatch of Amazon Flex drivers. The plans for the former Amazon Fresh Pickup site haven’t been previously reported.

Amazon plans to transform a closed Amazon Fresh Pickup site in Seattle into a new retail-style delivery hub for ultrafast local orders — a sign of the company’s evolving strategy for hyperlocal fulfillment.