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Microsoft

Microsoft is a public multinational technology company based in Redmond, Washington, providing software, cloud services, gaming, and...

Facts

Sectors
Technology, Workplace tools, Cloud
Founded
1975
Employees
221000
Stage
Public

Unicorns, IPOs and the next tech giants

Seattle has a new unicorn, Outreach, the sales and marketing automation company that raised a $114 million funding round this week, pushing its valuation to $1.1 billion. The news sends John and Todd on a startup odyssey, exploring the hidden connections among the new wave of public companies and tech behemoths in Silicon Valley and Seattle, including Uber, Lyft, Convoy and others. Plus, Amazon and Microsoft are preparing to challenge Apple's AirPods,. And on the Random Channel, Melinda Gates has a message for the tech industry, and John is determined to be a "Never Throner." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GeekWire Awards preview; brave Amazon employee quizzes Bezos

We're preparing for the GeekWire Awards, our annual event recognizing the best in Pacific Northwest tech and innovation, and on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast we provide an update on past Startup of the Year winners and preview this year's contest. Find out more, submit nominations, and buy tickets at geekwire.com/awards. Plus, a brave Amazon employee asks Jeff Bezos if his tumultuous personal life is distracting from his work, and Peter Sagal of Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me offers his input on getting less input in our lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ambika Singh

Ambika Singh is the Founder and CEO of Armoire, a high-end clothing rental service that’s evolving the way women shop and dress. The idea was born during her time getting an MBA at MIT and the company launched in 2016 after she spent time at impressive companies like Microsoft, The Boston Consulting Group and Rover. Ambika shares her thoughts on mentors, molding your definition of success as you progress in your career and the importance of family. She’s been recognized on the 40 Under 40 List and is extraordinarily humble and relatable. Listen to her discuss what it’s like to…

Under Construction Podcast: John Cook

This is a guest episode of the new podcast Under Construction, from the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, featuring a conversation with my GeekWire co-founder John Cook, talking with the podcast's host, Seattle Metro Chamber CEO Marilyn Strickland. For more episodes, check out seattlechamber.com/underconstruction, or subscribe at soundcloud.com/seattlechamber. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Underestimated: 'Bootstrapped VC' Arlan Hamilton

Hey GeekWire Podcast listeners, we hope you enjoy this latest episode of our new podcast, Numbers Geek with Steve Ballmer, featuring the remarkable story of Arlan Hamilton, who went from homeless to running her own venture capital firm, investing in "underestimated" founders. To listen to every episode of the new podcast, go to geekwire.com/numbersgeek. We'll be back soon with a new GeekWire Podcast episode. Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon takes Seattle baggage to NYC

"You’re worth a trillion dollars. Why do you need our 3 billion dollars?" That's how Amazon was greeted by the New York City Council this week. City leaders in the Big Apple pointed to the tech giant's rocky relationship with its original hometown of Seattle to contend that winning the company's HQ2 isn't much of a prize. Meanwhile, Apple announced plans for a big Austin campus, along with new offices in Seattle and Southern California. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Live: Startup success stories

You've just founded a new company, and it's time to start pitching to investors and partners. What do you do? We go inside the story of two entrepreneurs in that position: Cassie Wallender of Invio and Kwame Boler of NEU, both winners in the first round of GeekWire's Elevator Pitch series. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Week in Geek with Chairman Mom's Sarah Lacy

Sarah Lacy is the founder and CEO of Chairman Mom, a subscription-based online community for working moms. She joins us to talk about the venture and sticks around to discuss the news of the week on this special Week in Geek episode. Other stories on the show: Lime's $335 million funding round and new scooter deal with Uber and the parallels between San Francisco and Seattle are becoming even more pronounced. Plus, on the Random Channel, the topic you've all been waiting for: The Incredibles 2. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lost and Founder with Rand Fishkin

Rand Fishkin is the co-founder and former CEO of Seattle technology company Moz, and in his seventeen years in the startup world, he's learned a thing or two about being an entrepreneur. He shares some of those stories — personal and professional — in his new book, Lost and Founder, out April 24. Rand joins us on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast to talk about his unwavering dedication to transparency, the lessons he's learned as a founder and even his recent departure from Moz to found a new company, SparkToro. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emily Chang on 'Brotopia'

Silicon Valley is the birthplace of some of the most innovative companies in the world, but these days it’s also become infamous for something else. Bloomberg Technology host Emily Chang calls that something “Brotopia,” a culture that has built giants like Google and Facebook but has made the tech industry toxic and even dangerous for women and other minorities. Chang joins us to talk about her new book by the same name on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon: Savior or villain?

Is Amazon good for Seattle? That's the question a community forum asked this week, and the results point to the complex relationship Amazon has with the communities around it. Plus, Uber and Lyft are the latest tech companies to dive into healthcare and Amazon's Alexa voice assistant gives us a reason to laugh... or not. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A $9 billion biotech deal

One of the most prominent immunotherapy companies, Juno Therapeutics, announced a deal to be acquired by Celgene. Plus, we dive into the tech renaissance in Pittsburgh and complain about Seattle's bike lanes. Read all our coverage at GeekWire.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Microsoft's giant health investment

Washington State is suing Motel 6 after the hotel chain shared customers' personal data with federal immigration authorities. Plus, Microsoft makes a big investment in an AI-fueled health test that could screen dozens of diseases at once. That and more on this episode of the Week In Geek. Follow all our coverage and read more about this week's stories at GeekWire.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Magic Leap revealed

Secretive, super-rich startup Magic Leap finally revealed its first product: An augmented reality headset that throws it into competition with Microsoft’s HoloLens. Plus, we explain the science behind a new “universal” flu vaccine and play a round with the new Echo Buttons. Follow all our coverage and read more about this week's stories at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: Winshuttle (Winshuttle.com) Hughes Marino (hughesmarino.com) Kinects (kinectstower.com) And the University of Washington’s Master of Science in Entrepreneurship (foster.uw.edu/msentre) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health Tech: Disrupting healthcare from the inside

Tech is all about disruption. Healthcare is about slow and steady change. How do you merge those worlds? For Mike McSherry and Mary Haggard, the answer was to innovate form the inside out. Mary runs Providence St. Joseph Health's startup incubator and Mike is the founder and CEO of Xealth, its first spinout. We hear about their work to change the healthcare system from the inside on this live Health Tech episode. Thank you to our sponsor, Providence St. Joseph Health’s Digital and Innovation Group. Follow them at twitter.com/provinnovation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GeekWire Summit backstage: Satya Nadella, HQ2 and more

The 2017 GeekWire summit was our biggest yet, with keynoters including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson and influential tech executives and thought leaders from around the country, including executives at Amazon. We lift the curtain and talk about our favorite moments on stage and behind the scenes on this episode of the Week In Geek. Follow all our coverage and read the stories we talked about this week at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: Winshuttle, the SAP data management experts — learn more at Winshuttle.com; Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to…

The Global Innovation Exchange

Two years ago, the University of Washington and China's premier tech school, Tsinghua University, announced a first-of-its kind project: The Global Innovation Exchange. It's an innovative new approach to teaching entrepreneurship and it's approaching its official launch. On this episode of the GeekWire podcast, we speak with GIX Co-Director and UW's VP of innovation strategy Vikram Jandhyala about the new project and how it's setting out to disrupt the innovation economy. Follow all our coverage and learn more about GIX at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more…

Tech meets politics with WTIA CEO Michael Schutzler

Tech companies doesn’t always get along well with politicians — or with each other, for that matter. It’s Michael Schutzler’s job to be the go-between, bringing together a huge range of Washington tech companies and politicians to make sure the industry can thrive. We dive into issues like paid family medical leave, immigration and the state of Washington’s tech in this episode of the GeekWire podcast. Follow all our tech coverage at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington's Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu; and Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company…

Week in Geek: The Uber of dating

Tired of the dating scene? Exclusive dating app League is hoping so, and it’s bringing its Uber of dating to Seattle. Plus, a ride-along with Seattle Police as they enforce the new Washington state distracted driving law and what truck drivers think of startup Convoy and the emergence of automated vehicles. Follow all our coverage and read the stories we talked about this week at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington's Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu. And Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle. Learn more: hughesmarino.com…

Health Tech: A tiny gadget takes on a giant health problem

Taking a pill isn’t so hard. The tricky thing is remembering to take it. Patients not taking medication properly is a huge problem for the health industry, but these three entrepreneurs think they have a solution: A gadget that can fit in the palm of your hand. Thank you to our sponsor, Providence St. Joseph Health’s Digital and Innovation Group. Follow them at twitter.com/provinnovation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How a new VC fund is trying to change the game for Seattle entrepreneurs

Flying Fish Venture Partners has a bold plan: completely change the game for entrepreneurs in Seattle. We sit down with Heather Redman, one of the fund's co-founders, to hear her vision for the fund and how she plans to shake up Seattle's startup ecosystem. Follow all our coverage, including more about Pacific Northwest startups, at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week’s sponsors: Wealthsimple — GeekWire listeners pay no management fees for a year when they invest up to $15,000 on Wealthsimple’s automated investing platform. GoDaddy — who is offering GeekWire listeners 35 percent off their purchase of a GoDaddy domain…

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman shares startup secrets

It’s been 15 years since Reid Hoffman co-founded LinkedIn. The company was acquired by Microsoft last year for $2.6 billion and Hoffman now sits on Microsoft’s board, but he’s still very much an entrepreneur. On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we share Hoffman’s full talk at the recent Technology Alliance Luncheon in downtown Seattle, where he shares thoughts on how to drive entrepreneurship, the success of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and, of course, Settlers of Catan. Follow all our coverage, including more on Hoffman's talk, at GeekWire.com. Thank you to this week’s sponsors: Wealthsimple — GeekWire listeners pay no management…

Week in Geek: Uber takes Seattle to court and Bertha gets her big break

Uber won a small victory in its legal battle with the City of Seattle this week, but the fight is far from over. In more promising news, Seattle's giant tunnel boring machine, Bertha, finally reached the finishing line of the nearly two-mile tunnel she's been creating under the city. We get first-hand accounts of both events from GeekWire reporters on this episode of the Week in Geek, and also take a look at some interesting shifts in the startup funding landscape. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Slack Wars

Slack, the messaging and collaboration tool for teams, is all the rage right now inside many companies, and it has some big new competition from Google, Microsoft and others. We're going inside this growing market today with our guest, Samir Diwan, the co-founder and CEO of Seattle startup Polly.ai, a bot that runs polls and surveys in Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangouts Chat. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GeekWire turns 6

This week marked GeekWire's 6th anniversary, and it's been quite the wild ride for co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook. On this GeekWire Podcast special, they talk about their experience so far as entrepreneurs, and how Seattle's tech scene has changed over the past 6 years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People

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