Get caught up on the latest technology and startup news from the past week. Here are the most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Oct. 25, 2026.
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Most popular stories on GeekWire
Microsoft makes new ‘voluntary exit’ offer to about a quarter of its workforce, including some execs
Microsoft is offering buyouts to about 60,000 employees in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and India, with no age or tenure requirement. The package is equivalent to the company’s standard severance, and Microsoft expects a much smaller share of employees to accept than took its spring retirement program. Read More … Read More
Washington governor rips Microsoft over TV ad in leaked audio
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson criticized Microsoft for funding a PAC whose TV ad, aired during Seahawks games, says “Olympia is broken.” Microsoft has given the group, Washington Needs to Compete, more than $5 million of the $13.8 million it has raised. Read More … Read More
Former GitHub CEO launches rival platform built for AI coding agents
Entire, the startup led by former GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke, launched a platform for hosting and reviewing code that it’s pitching as an alternative to GitHub. The company says its Trails feature, which replaces the pull request, uses AI agents to score each code change so developers can merge without reading every line. Read More … Read More
Tech Moves: Former Amazon execs depart Warner Bros. Discovery; Amazon leader returns to Microsoft
Two former Amazon executives who helped build Discovery’s direct-to-consumer operation in Bellevue, Wash., are stepping down; an Amazon leader is returning to Microsoft to join its CoreAI effort; VertueLab names ED; and more personnel moves. Read More … Read More
Zillow agrees to pay $212.5M to settle investor lawsuit over failed home-flipping business
Zillow Group will pay $212.5 million to settle a shareholder class action alleging it misled investors about Zillow Offers, the home-flipping business it shut down in 2021. The deal, which needs court approval, comes three weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Zillow’s challenge to the case’s class status. Read More … Read More
Tech Moves: Xbox COO’s sudden departure; SeekOut leadership shakeup; Fred Hutch names VP
Xbox COO Helen Chiang has suddenly left Microsoft after 21 years and just months in the new role; SeekOut has shaken up its leadership; Fred Hutch has named a vice president and other personnel moves. Read More … Read More
Amazon earnings preview: AWS is booked up, and Wall Street wants to know what comes next
Amazon reports third-quarter earnings Thursday with more demand for its AWS cloud services than it can supply, after CEO Andy Jassy said capacity is booked for this year and most of next. Analysts expect revenue of about $202 billion, up 12%, as investors look for signals about the company’s spending plans for 2027. Read More … Read More
Blue Origin leases former Bartell Drugs warehouse south of Seattle for new manufacturing site
The Jeff Bezos-founded space company’s Des Moines, Wash., facility could employ hundreds, joining Shield AI, which plans 4,000 regional jobs, in the small city’s growing aerospace scene. Read More … Read More
Nuclear power at sea: Seattle startup targets Norway for ships and floating power plants
Seattle startup Emerald Nuclear is leading a Norwegian project backed by a $2.1 million award to develop nuclear power for ships and offshore uses. The team is starting with a non-nuclear prototype, with its first commercial deployment targeted for 2031 and financing, fuel supplies and regulatory approvals still ahead. Read More … Read More
T-Mobile’s new ‘T-Mix’ plans let customers trade phone deals for Netflix, ESPN and other perks
T-Mobile’s new T-Mix plans give customers a set number of “Picks” to spend on perks such as Netflix, ESPN and Xbox Game Pass, or on a new phone, starting at $55 a month for one line. Customers can swap their perks every 90 days, but phones and extras draw from the same allowance. Read More … Read More
