Amazon
Facts
- HQ
- SEATTLE
- Sectors
- E-commerce, Cloud computing, Aerospace/Satellites, Media/Streaming, Advertising, Consumer devices
- Founded
- 1994
- Type
- Corporation Seattle business license
- Employees
- 1600000
- Registered name
- Amazon.Com Inc Seattle business license
- Stage
- Public
A $100k wall for talent: Tech leader and author Shirish Nadkarni on the H-1B fee and the impact of immigrants
The U.S. tech and startup community was stunned by an executive order last week imposing a $100,000 fee for employers seeking new H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers, a program heavily used by the technology industry. This move brings a longstanding debate back to the forefront: are skilled immigrants taking American jobs, or are they a vital engine for innovation and economic growth? Our guest this week has a strong point of view on this topic. Shirish Nadkarni is a serial entrepreneur and Microsoft veteran who founded companies acquired by BlackBerry and Rosetta Stone. An immigrant himself, he just released…
Building Biotech in Seattle: Madrona Investor Spotlight with Joe Horsman
What happens when a scientist becomes a VC? We sat down with Madrona's Joe Horsman to find out. In this episode, Joe shares his journey from late nights in the lab to helping biotech founders bring life-changing science to market. You'll hear: Why Seattle's biotech + AI ecosystem is heating up What founders need beyond funding to commercialize world-changing science. Why weekend adventures fuel Monday creativity
15 years of the GeekWire Podcast: Amazon, Microsoft, and the transformation of Seattle tech
Fifteen years ago, Steve Jobs and Apple had just introduced the first iPad, Steve Ballmer’s Microsoft had been left for dead, and nerdy online bookseller Jeff Bezos was still getting Amazon settled into its South Lake Union HQ. That’s when we started this podcast. This week, we’re going back to 2010, revisiting clips from the earliest days of the show. We remember what was happening with Amazon, Microsoft, and Seattle’s startup scene, and try to wrap our heads around all the things that have changed since then. With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook. Audio editing by Curt Milton…
Navigating the Enterprise Compliance Journey with Certivo CEO Kunal Chopra
In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Boaz Ashkenazy welcomes Kunal Chopra, CEO and Founder of Certivo, to explore how AI agents are evolving from assistants to true team members. Kunal shares insights from his experience as a former leader at Microsoft and Amazon, and his current venture tackling product compliance challenges for manufacturers. Through Certivo's AI agent compliance managers can automate tedious regulatory tasks while maintaining strategic control of the process. The conversation delves into the distinction between AI assistants and agents, examining the collaborative dance between humans and AI that defines today's implementations. Kunal offers a compelling…
Innovation in Turbulent Times: Voices from the GeekWire Awards
Recorded live at the 2025 GeekWire Awards in Seattle, this episode features industry leaders navigating a shifting tech and political landscape. Amid celebrations of AI breakthroughs, startup milestones, and community-building, guests discuss deeper concerns: capital flight, regulatory headwinds, and what the region needs to retain its innovation edge. Featured on the show: Ambika Singh, founder and CEO of Armoire (Workplace of the Year winner) Joseph Williams, Washington State Department of Commerce (Public Policy Champion for Innovation) Emer Dooley, Creative Destruction Lab, University of Washington (Geeks Give Back honoree) Laura Ruderman, CEO of the Technology Alliance Aviel Ginzburg, co-founder at Foundations…
Customer Obsession & Agentic AI Power Ravenna's Reinvention of Internal Ops
Most startups bolt AI onto old products. @ravennahq reimagined the entire workflow. When we first met Kevin Coleman and Taylor Halliday, it was clear they weren't just chasing the hype cycle. They were pairing AI-native architecture with deep founder-market fit, and rebuilding how internal ops work — from first principles. Their new company, Ravenna, is going after a $160B+ market dominated by legacy players. But instead of being intimidated by incumbents, they got focused, making some smart moves that more early-stage teams should consider: 1) Speak with 30+ customers before writing a line of code 2) Define a clear ICP…
Unscripted: What Happened After the Mic Went Off with Douwe Kiela
This bonus episode of Founded & Funded is a follow-up to Madrona Partner Jon Turow's conversation with Douwe Kiela, CEO of Contextual AI and co-inventor of RAG. In this quick chat, they dive into: 1) Why storytelling—not just GTM—needs to be vertical 2) How to build a platform by showing what's possible 3) The tension between "doing one thing well" vs. building the whole stack 4) Multimodal content moderation at Meta & what it taught Douwe This 10-minute post-show chat is a must-listen for founders thinking deeply about where to plant your flag — and when to break the rules.
Microsoft's quantum breakthrough; WA state targets Uber and Lyft; GeekWire 200; Bezos and Bond
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we discuss Microsoft's quantum computing breakthrough; a Washington state bill that targets Uber and Lyft surge pricing; the latest update to the GeekWire 200 ranking of Pacific Northwest startups; and Amazon's move to take creative control of the James Bond movie franchise. Related Links Microsoft quantum breakthrough promises to usher in the next era of computing in ‘years, not decades’ GeekWire 200 update: Here are the hot tech startups moving up our list for Q1 2025 Lawmakers take aim at Uber and Lyft with bill targeting surge pricing after big events Amazon MGM Studios…
Local venture firms for local founders with James Newell, Voyager Capital
Empowering Pacific Northwest Startups: Insights from Voyager Capital's James Newell In this episode of Sound Investments, host Ed Barker interviews James Newell, Managing Director at Voyager Capital. They discuss the unique investment landscape of the Pacific Northwest, Voyager Capital's focus on early-stage local companies, and the strengths and challenges of the Seattle startup ecosystem. James shares his journey from M&A banking to venture capital, his thoughts on the role of major tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft in shaping the local talent pool, and how Voyager supports founders in bringing their products to market. They also delve into the impact…
Inside Amazon's strategic planning process; the state of the Seattle startup community
This week on the GeekWire Podcast: An inside look at Amazon's classic process for strategic thinking and decision-making, with a former Amazon product and technology director who has written new book about the documents used by the company to determine its direction. What can others learn from its approach? Plus, we break down this pivotal moment in Amazon's history, as employees return to the office five days a week; and we check in on the state of the Seattle startup world. Our guest is Marcelo Calbucci, a serial entrepreneur and longtime Seattle startup community leader who has worked for both…
AI, tech talent, and regional innovation: A swan song from retiring WTIA CEO Michael Schutzler
Michael Schutzler, the newly retired CEO of the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA), joins us on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast to reflect on his 11 years running the not-for-profit trade association, assess the state of the tech industry in Seattle and Washington state, and discuss what's next for him. Schutzler, who has been succeeded as WTIA's CEO by Kelly Fukai, previously its COO, wrote about the extraordinary history of the state's tech industry in a recent post marking the WTIA's 40th anniversary and his retirement. See more highlights from the episode in this GeekWire post. Related coverage: WTIA…
Uber + Expedia? Ballmer on 60 Minutes; 1980s Silicon Valley revisited; What's next for AI
This week, we imagine the possibility of Uber buying Expedia Group, based on a report by the Financial Times this week that the ride-hailing company has considered a bid for the online travel giant. It would be notable in part because Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi was Expedia Group’s CEO from 2005 to 2017 and remains on the company’s board. In the second segment, we enjoy highlights from the "60 Minutes" profile of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, and a separate appearance by University of Washington historian and author Margaret O'Mara on an episode of the podcast "60 Minutes: A Second…
#84 From Mars Rover to Starups: Ex-aws exec khawaja shams on the art of product-market fit in b2b cloud
In this episode of Startup Project, we chat with Khawaja Shams, Co-founder and CEO of Momento, a serverless caching and messaging service built for interactive applications at scale. Host: Nataraj (Investor at Incisive VC, angel investor, and Senior Product Manager) Guest: Khawaja Shams (Co-founder and CEO of Momento) Website: Momento Website LinkedIn: Nataraj's LinkedIn | Khawaja's LinkedIn [0:00 - 2:00] Khawaja shares his incredible journey—from working on image processing for Mars rovers and communications for interplanetary missions at NASA to building crucial infrastructure at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and ultimately starting Momento. [2:00 - 6:00] Khawaja provides an in-depth look…
Amazon puts AI in delivery vans; Ex-AMZN exec Dave Clark's new startup; AI vs. cancer
Artificial intelligence and automation are transforming the way companies get stuff to stores and doorsteps, changing the world of logistics, transportation and the supply chain, as demonstrated by a few Amazon-related stories we covered this week: Amazon's unveiling of a new "Vision-Assisted Package Retrieval (VAPR) system for the cargo hold of its electric Rivian vans; The announcement of Amazon’s next-generation fulfillment center, with updated and expanded versions of its robotics systems in Shreveport, La. Former Amazon executive Dave Clark's launch of a new supply chain technology startup, based in the Seattle area, with $100 million in funding out of the…
Amazon's quest to become a startup again; Driverless cars, 6 years later
Amazon's decision to bring its employees back to the office five days a week is a window into the challenges facing the e-commerce and technology giant, and CEO Andy Jassy's larger plan to get the company to operate like "the world's largest startup" again. Plus, GeekWire's John Cook gets into the back seat of a driverless car for the first time since 2018, and has a very different experience. Coverage of Amazon's announcement: Amazon ‘will return to being in the office the way we were’ before the pandemic, CEO tells employees ‘The way we were’: Amazon tries to rekindle its…
Temporal Founders Bet on Open Source and Developers to Enable Invincible Applications
Madrona Managing Director Soma Somasegar hosts Temporal Co-Founders Samar Abbas and Maxim Fateev in studio. Temporal was founded in 2019 based on an open-source microservices orchestration engine project but is the result of a more than decade-long partnership between the two co-founders that spanned their time working on different iterations of the same thing at AWS, Microsoft, and Uber. In this episode, Soma, Samar, and Maxim dive into the challenges of building an open-source ecosystem while also working on a commercial offering and scaling a successful company, how to navigate and adjust a product roadmap in an ever-changing world of…
Microsoft, Amazon, AI, the economy, and another bad tech ad
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we take a closer look at the earnings reports from Microsoft and Amazon this week, as a litmus test for artificial intelligence demand and the state of the economy. We also consider the implications of Boeing's new CEO being based in the Seattle region, discuss a new AI tool that aims to streamline marketing tasks, and weigh in on the backlash to Google's Olympics ad for its Gemini AI chatbot Microsoft capital spending soars to $19B, betting big on AI, as Azure growth underwhelms Wall Street Amazon sales come up short, profits nearly double…
Transforming TV Advertising: iSpot's Sean Muller on the Role of AI and the Future of Streaming
In this episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Venture Partner Len Jordan sits down with Sean Muller, Founder and CEO of iSpot, to talk about the company's evolution in measuring TV advertising for both conventional and streaming platforms. Sean delves into strategic partnerships, acquisitions, and the rise of ad-supported streaming. They discuss the impact of sports on advertising, challenges for marketers in balancing investments across various channels, and the innovative strides iSpot is making with AI-driven planning and real-time data. Tune in to explore the future of TV advertising and iSpot's role in shaping it. Transcript: https://www.madrona.com/transforming-tv-advertising-ispot-sean-muller-the-role-of-ai-future-of-streaming (00:00) Introduction (01:35)…
AI, VC, and the next big opportunity in tech, with 'Startup Project' host Nataraj Sindam
As the creator and host of the "Startup Project" podcast, Seattle-area tech senior product manager Nataraj Sindam talks with a wide range of investors and entrepreneurs, contributing to his broad perspective on the future of artificial intelligence, investing, startups, and business technology. He's also author of the Above Average email newsletter, and venture partner with Incisive Ventures. Our topics this week include: The opportunity to apply the power of large language models and generative AI to the larger world of business-to-business applications, including services tailored to workflows in specific industry verticals. How AI will drive a massive increase in data…
week of may 27: Coral Garnick Ducken - Madrona
Top Stories: 1. Expedia leaders are out Geekwire article/Seattle Times article 2. Synapse bankruptcy affects Seattle startup Geekwire article 3. Amazon AWS CEO change PSBJ article (CEO leaving) PSBJ article (new CEO) 4. OpenAI's new voice product Geekwire article 5. Local VC to launch startup community hub Geekwire article About guest co-host Coral Garnick Ducken - Digital Editor, Madrona: Prior to her current role as Digital Editor for Seattle VC firm Madrona, she was a content writer for Blueprint Technologies. Before that she was the Associate Editor at Puget Sound Business Journal after leaving Seattle Times as a business reporter…
Emily Pesce - CEO at Joon
Emily Pesce is CEO of Joon, whose mission is to make mental healthcare and well-being broadly accessible and effective for 13-24 year olds. Emily has over twenty years of experience across healthcare, e-commerce, grocery, supply chain, technology, mobile, and cloud computing. She has led product, marketing, design, technology, forecasting and replenishment teams, among others. Her primary operating experiences were at Amazon (AmazonFresh, Kindle, Gaming, AWS) and Nerdy (Product). Emily has also been an investor, providing early stage capital, sometimes the first money in, to over 30 companies (Working Lab Capital, Pesce Family Ventures, NextGen Venture Partners). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
Who will be the Next Tech Titan? Previewing the GeekWire Awards
This week on the show, we get a sneak preview of the GeekWire Awards, coming up at the Showbox SoDo in Seattle on Thursday, May 9. We look back at the past winners of the Next Tech Titan title in the awards, and consider the event's track record in predicting major companies to emerge from Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. We also contemplate the evolution of the "Workplace of the Year" category through the rise of remote and hybrid work. And finally, we consider the impact of migration on another part of state: Spokane, Wash., and the Inland Northwest. See…
Building a Modern Database: Nikita Shamgunov on Postgres and Beyond
In this episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Investor Paul Goel and Neon Co-founder & CEO Nikita Shamgunov dive into the database market and the importance of creating a killer developer experience while balancing that experience with performance and reliability. Nikita also shares just how bullish he is on AI, his excitement for AI agents like Devin, and advises founders to not wait on an idea they're passionate about. Full transcript here: (00:00) Introduction (00:46) Nikita's Background and the Genesis of Neon (02:50) The Right Time to Build Neon and Database Market Insights (05:17) Neon's Differentiation in the Database Market…
Gen AI Series: The past, present and future of Gen AI with leading industry expert Joseph Sirosh - ex- VP Amazon and Microsoft
Send us Fan Mail 2023 was a dramatic year for AI with the emergence of Gen AI and ChapGPT. Learn about the evolution of Generative AI from industry leader and expert Joseph Sirosh. Understand how enterprises will deploy Gen AI technology to make their workers more productive. Learn about how Joseph's new company CreatorsAGI will leverage Gen AI to enable creators and authors to interact in new ways with their audience. Joseph is currently CEO of CreatorsAGI Inc, an AI startup dedicated to empowering creators with Artificial Generative Interaction capabilities. He has been an AI leader all of his career…
BONUS: Seattle after Techstars, with guest Chris DeVore
Entrepreneur and investor Chris DeVore had an inside view of Techstars Seattle as one of the original leaders of the local startup accelerator in 2010, serving as its managing director from 2014 to 2019. His Feb. 21 post "What went wrong at Techstars," looked closely at the organization's evolution — including its increased focus on corporate sponsorships and shift to centralized fundraising — as the backdrop for the news last week that Techstars is closing its Seattle accelerator as part of a broader reset. So where should Seattle's tech community go from here? And what role do startup accelerators serve…
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Jamie Siminoff Executive, Vice President
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Ben Wild Co-founder of Hubble Network, Former Amazon Product Lead
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Manish Srivastava Director, Product & Technology, A to Z Platform & PXT AI
