GeekWire

Mike Angiulo worked at Microsoft for 25 years as an engineering manager and vice president for products including Windows PCs, Microsoft Outlook, Xbox, Surface, and cloud and artificial intelligence technologies. But it was actually not the work Angiulo originally envisioned doing. He had planned to be a lawyer, delaying those plans after he started at Microsoft in his early 20s.

Now, at age 47, nearly three decades later, he’s circling back to his original plan -- going back to school and preparing for a second career, as a lawyer focused on some of the most interesting and difficult questions facing the same types of technologies that he helped to create for so many years.

"I am a big believer that just the prevalence of big data, the speed of the cloud platforms, the modernity of the algorithms, combine to the point where every single business is going to be relying on deep data insights, probably to some automated extent," he says. "And increasingly, people won't be able to explain how they work."

And that raises all sorts of interesting questions about the future of technology and the law, as we learn on this special episode of the GeekWire Podcast.

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Ring, the Amazon-owned smart doorbell and security company, unveiled a flying indoor camera on Thursday morning. Sure, it's cool technology that may make your home safer, but what about the privacy implications? 

There was big news in the gaming industry from Amazon and Microsoft this week. Amazon will try again to make its mark in games, this time with a new cloud-based gaming service called Luna. And Microsoft is spending $7.5 billion to buy the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, maker of popular games such as The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, and DOOM.

• Analysis: Amazon makes another bid for relevance in the games industry with Luna streaming service
• Analysis: Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda is a massive disruption for the video game industry

And Microsoft's Teams collaboration software will add a much-desired capability next month: the ability to create ad hoc breakout rooms. Plus, they're adding something we didn't know we were missing, a "virtual commute" feature, in partnership with meditation app Headspace.

With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop and Taylor Soper. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

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Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week:

Snowflake, the data warehousing company, came out with a bang this week in its public debut, raising $3.4 billion in the largest software IPO ever. It reignited a debate over the the IPO process and inequality in the allocation of shares when a company goes public.

Snowflake's IPO was also a successful outcome for Seattle's Madrona Venture Group, resulting from a departure from its normal investing strategy. We'll explain what happened, and what it could mean for the future.

When Bill Gates Sr. died this week at age 94, he was mourned in Seattle and around the globe, not just because he was the dad of the Microsoft co-founder, but because of his profound impact on his community. Microsoft, the Gates Foundation and many other institutions wouldn't be what they are without him. He always said the three most important things in his life were family, friends and public service ... in that order.

• Bill Gates Sr., 1925-2020: Microsoft co-founder’s father made his own mark on Seattle and the world
• Bill Gates Sr. at 90: A giant impact on technology, philanthropy and the Seattle region [2015 GeekWire profile]
• How Bill Gates Sr., late father of the Microsoft co-founder, helped Howard Schultz buy Starbucks

The new Apple Watch Series 6 will be able to check your blood oxygen level while you wear it. Apple and University of Washington researchers plan to launch a study later this year to determine if the device can detect early signs of acute respiratory infection such as the flu or COVID-19.

With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop and John Cook. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week:

The new Microsoft dual-screen Surface Duo device has arrived and we have our first impressions. We're intrigued, but it's pricey (starting at $1,399) and it needs more work. And do we really need yet another device?

Microsoft is becoming the de-facto virtual fan experience enabler for sports leagues. First they deployed Teams to the NBA  and now they're sending it to help the NFL. But the experience between the two sports isn't the same, and we tell you which one is best.

The West Coast is being choked in a blanket of wildfire smoke and Seattle is getting hit hard. Why are wildfires becoming so bad, and how can you stay safe from the smoke?

With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop and Taylor Soper. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

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When Athira Pharma filed with the Nasdaq for a possible initial public offering, led by CEO Leen Kawas, it got us thinking: How many other women have headed Northwest companies that went for an IPO? Sadly, the answer wasn't surprising and it highlights a glaring shortcoming in the Seattle tech scene.

• This 35-year-old female CEO is about to crack the glass ceiling, shattering a dismal IPO track record
• Commentary: Why are there so few women-led IPOs? The numbers are stacked against us

Jeff Wilke, the flannel-wearing CEO of Amazon's consumer business who recently announced that he plans to retire, was widely assumed to be heir-apparent to Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of the company. Now that Wilke is effectively out of the running, who is likely to succeed Bezos?

President Trump reiterated this week that the U.S. Treasury needs to get a cut out of any potential deal to buy TikTok, the hit social video app. Microsoft, Walmart and Oracle are all angling for the company. What will happen before the Sept. 15 deadline?

With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop and John Cook. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week.

Amazon surprised everyone by unveiling a new health band, the Halo, this week. The device will not only track your steps but also measure your body fat and even analyze your voice to assess your degree of “energy and positivity." But will it protect your private health info from prying eyes?

Seattle startup Volt has taken the pandemic-inspired work-from-home plan to a new level by going to a four-day work week. Are Volt employees as productive as they were when they worked five days a week? And what do they think about the change?

Mark Okerstrom, the former Expedia Group CEO, is joining Convoy, a ride-sharing-for-freight Seattle startup, as the fast-growing company’s new president and chief operating officer. He brings a lot of talent to Convoy ... including some pretty wild dance moves.

With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop and Taylor Soper. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GeekWire's Taylor Soper was in the virtual stands -- and on the live national broadcast -- for Thursday's Blazers vs. Lakers playoff game, watching the action with Microsoft's Teams application alongside other fans doing the same. What was it like, and what does it mean for the future of live sports? We jumped online for this GeekWire Podcast discussion right as the game was ending to discuss the experience, and the implications for Microsoft, the NBA and sports fans. 

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We finally got the price and date for Surface Duo, Microsoft's new dual-screen Android device (don't call it a phone!). It launches on Sept. 10 and at a price — $1,399 — that may put it out of the reach of many. Todd has ordered one but ... who else will be buying? And what is Microsoft up to with this device?

Amazon announced they'll begin hosting third party podcasts on their Amazon Music and Audible services, but the way they did it, and a non-disparagement clause they later retracted, raised some eyebrows.

And Seattle-based outdoor retailer REI was getting ready to move its corporate headquarters to fancy new digs in Bellevue, but they called it off this week in the face of changing working conditions brought on by the pandemic. They became the latest company to decide to work mostly out-of-the-office for the time being.

With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop and Taylor Soper. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week.

Who would have thought that Microsoft could be the likely white knight to save social video app TikTok from threats by President Trump to ban it in the U.S.? Trump set a hard deadline this week for Microsoft or another entity to buy the company before he'll block all transactions with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. We discuss what might be behind Microsoft's interest in entering the social media sphere.

• In latest TikTok twist, Microsoft reportedly looking at buying entire social media giant
• Trump issues executive order banning transactions with TikTok parent ByteDance in 45 days
• Gates interview tackles TikTok, his preferred COVID meds, and the gentler antitrust hearings of today

We take a walk through eerily quiet downtown Seattle to see how the shift to remote work by tech giants is impacting local businesses — and it's not looking good.

What are micro-schools and how might they help frazzled parents trying to deal with remote learning during the pandemic?

A Seattle sock-making startup pivoted to making masks for the pandemic, but then a misstep in a promotion caused massive grief. We'll talk about what happened and how they dealt with it.

Listen above, and subscribe in any podcast app.

With GeekWire’s John Cook and Kurt Schlosser. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

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Big Tech spent back-to-back days in the national spotlight this week between a long-anticipated Congressional hearing and second-quarter earnings reports.

The juxtaposed events paint a revealing picture of the risks and opportunities companies like Amazon face as they field accusations that they’ve grown too powerful while raking in record profits from customers who rely on their services more than ever.

We discuss this inflection point for Big Tech, Amazon's blockbuster profits, plus the NBA's partnership with Microsoft Teams, on this week's GeekWire podcast:

The House antitrust subcommittee interviewed Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, along with Apple's Tim Cook, Google's Sundar Pichai, and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg during a wide-ranging virtual hearing on the power of Big Tech.

Lawmakers grilled Bezos on Amazon’s treatment of third-party sellers, how it prioritized “essential items” during the coronavirus crisis, policing counterfeit goods, and more. They didn’t manage to get Bezos to admit anything particularly incriminating, but his inability to confidently deny their claims about Amazon using its might to compete with third parties spoke volumes. And while members of Congress don’t have the ability to enforce existing antitrust law, they can rewrite those laws if they find them inadequate for the digital age.

Meanwhile, customers are relying on Amazon more than ever — and it is showing up on the company’s bottom line. The Seattle tech giant blew past Wall Street expectations for its second quarter, reporting $88.9 billion in revenue and $5.2 billion in profits, despite spending $4 billion on COVID-19 initiatives. Amazon also confirmed it has grown to more than 1 million employees and seasonal workers around the world for the first time during Thursday's earnings call.

During the hearing, Bezos claimed that Amazon has become a lifeline to customers during the pandemic because of its scale, which also allows the company to hire thousands while others are laying off workers across the country.

But critics want Amazon to invest more of its profits into wages and benefits for employees on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis. Amazon declined to say if it will reinstate its previous hazard pay for its logistics workers or issue additional bonuses.

Appearing this week are GeekWire's Todd Bishop, Monica Nickelsburg and John Cook. Podcast produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.