Charles Fitzgerald
Charles Fitzgerald is an angel investor and Managing Director at Platformonomics. He was Platform Consiglieri at VMware, Vice President, Product Management at Mozy, and Vice President at pi Corporation. He was also General Manager, Platform Strategy at Microsoft. He served as a Board Member at Rec Room, Shippable and buuteeq™ Inc.
Independent report: Seattle’s JumpStart payroll tax penalizes senior hires and concentrates revenue in 10 largely tech firms, risking $50M loss if one large employer shifts 10,000 workers
An independent 127-page City of Seattle-commissioned study finds the city’s tax structure, notably the JumpStart payroll tax, disproportionately penalizes hiring senior high‑pay workers and concentrates revenue risk in a few large tech employers. Researchers warn that reliance on a small number of firms—10 companies account for three-quarters of the payroll tax on large employers—exposes Seattle to significant fiscal vulnerability if large employers relocate or stock‑based compensation fluctuates.
Following through in Cleveland: A GeekWire trip report, plus data center ‘theater’ and the SpaceX IPO
In February, Seattle angel investor Charles Fitzgerald warned the region not to become the next Cleveland, prompting Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb to join the podcast and make the case for his city's comeback. This week we close the loop: Fitzgerald and GeekWire co-founder John Cook call in from an abandoned Westinghouse factory in Cleveland, where days of meeting entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine left them struck by a city hustling and aligned around jobs in ways Seattle no longer is. Back home, we dig into Seattle's unanimous one-year moratorium on new large data centers, which Fitzgerald calls…
Seattle Ranks 4th in US Population Growth Amid Rising Tech Layoffs, Sparking Concern Among Industry Leaders
Seattle's tech industry remains a major economic force driving population growth, but rising tech layoffs and growing doubts among business leaders highlight emerging concerns about the city's long-term economic resilience and confidence.
GeekWire Podcast, Live from Fremont: Seahawks, AI, and Seattle's Future
We're live this week in the "Center of the Universe" in Seattle for a special recording of the GeekWire Podcast, presented by the Fremont Chamber of Commerce at Fremont Brewing Co. Fresh off the Seahawks' Super Bowl victory, we debate some potential ownership groups for the Seahawks and Sonics — from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez to Costco's Jim Sinegal. (Who wouldn't want $1.50 hot dogs and sodas at Lumen Field or Climate Pledge Arena?) Then we dig into the debate over Seattle's tech future, sparked by angel investor Charles Fitzgerald's GeekWire column, "A warning to Seattle: Don't become the…
Cleveland's Mayor, Seattle's Future: What happens when a city's economy shifts
GeekWire brought Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and Seattle tech veteran Charles Fitzgerald together on the phone Thursday after a guest column warning Seattle not to repeat Cleveland's past mistakes sparked a big response — including from Bibb himself. What followed was a constructive conversation about what cities should do when the economic ground shifts beneath them. Plus: a Seattle-to-Cleveland trip may be in the works. Related Links A warning to Seattle: Don’t become the next Cleveland Cleveland mayor responds to GeekWire guest column, calls Ohio city a ‘case study of what’s possible’ Mayor Bibb on LinkedIn: "For decades, national narratives…
Global Count Tops 1,000 Unicorns as VCs Warn of Tightening Capital and Market Pressure
There are now over 1,000 privately held startup unicorns worldwide, up from 491 before the pandemic, prompting questions about whether this is a peak given shifting market conditions and reduced VC capital flow. Venture capitalists note tightening belts and falling tech public markets, which could eventually pressure startup valuations and lead to many unicorns failing.
Organizations
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Platformonomics Managing Director 2013–present · current
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Rec Room Board Member 2016–2019 · past
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Shippable Board Member 2015–2019 · past
Education
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The Johns Hopkins University Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Economics · 1985–1989
