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GeekWire Podcast listeners, we’re sharing this special episode of our GeekWire Health Tech Podcast with you given the widespread interest in the novel coronavirus outbreak. For more GeekWire Health Tech episodes, see geekwire.com/healthtech.

A new generation of cutting-edge vaccines could dramatically accelerate the global response to future outbreaks such as the current coronavirus epidemic. On a special episode of GeekWire's Health Tech Podcast, we go behind the scenes with two University of Washington scientists pursuing these vaccine breakthroughs. Dr. Deborah Fuller is a professor of microbiology and a vaccinologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and Dr. Jesse Erasmus, a molecular virologist working on new RNA vaccine and therapeutic technologies.

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On this special episode of the GeekWire Podcast, a conversation with veteran tech journalist Steven Levy, Wired editor-at-large, about his new book Facebook, The Inside Story. GeekWire editor Todd Bishop spoke with Levy this week during a University Bookstore event in Seattle. And as a special bonus for GeekWire Podcast listeners, stick around to the end for a chance to win your own signed copy of the book. 

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

In a surprise move, Seattle-based travel site Expedia laid off about 12 percent of its workforce this week, including 500 people in Seattle. Chairman Barry Diller had called the company a “bloated organization” on a recent earnings call. It sounds like he is cracking down and wants more focus, more profit and less wasted effort.

• Expedia cuts 3,000 jobs, including 500 at new Seattle HQ — read the internal email to employees

Amazon opened a new grocery store in Seattle this week but … there was something missing. We take a look at Amazon Go Grocery, which builds on the company’s chain of Amazon Go convenience stores. This store has more food, and even grocery carts, but you still won’t find a checkout line.

• Inside ‘Amazon Go Grocery’: Tech giant opens first full-sized store without cashiers or checkout lines

A new salary survey from the federal Labor Department finds that Seattle-area tech workers are making an average annualized salary of almost $280,000 a year. That figure blows past other professions in the Seattle region and is even outpacing the benchmark for hefty salaries, financial workers in New York City.

• Seattle-area tech workers earn $279K/year on average in total compensation, according to new BLS data

With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop, Monica Nickelsburg and Kurt Schlosser. Audio editing and production by Curt Milton. Music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

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America's housing crisis is a nationwide problem, but it's especially acute in San Francisco and Seattle, home to the country's largest technology industries.

The "terrible twins," as New York Times reporter Conor Dougherty describes them, represent a perfect storm of rapid job growth, an influx of wealth, and rampant single-family zoning that makes it difficult to densify housing. In an interview with GeekWire this week, Dougherty explained how the two tech hubs have become centers of opportunity for some while squeezing out others.

"The economy changed in some big ways that make inequality much more structural," he said. "And we've not built nearly enough housing where prosperity is happening."

Dougherty has been covering economics and real estate for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal on-and-off for a decade. He joined us for this episode of the GeekWire podcast to discuss his new book "Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America."

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

PBS’s Frontline profiled the Amazon empire and painted a complicated picture of unrelenting ambition. Frontline spent a year examining Amazon’s impact on commerce, technology and society, and landed interviews with several current executives and former employees. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos didn’t sit for an interview, however. Though the documentary didn’t cover much new ground, it did provide a striking narrative, highlighting new voices and perspectives.

• The definitive account of Amazon’s perilous ambition: Key scenes from PBS’s epic investigation
• Watch: Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos

Speaking of Bezos, he made a big splash this week when he announced plans to donate $10 billion to nonprofits fighting climate change. We discuss the Bezos Earth Fund, and how experts in philanthropy and climate change are reacting to it. Plus, Sen. Bernie Sanders takes a swing at tech fortunes during a campaign stop in the Seattle area.

• Jeff Bezos launches $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund, kicking off his own effort to fight climate change
• Jeff Bezos wants to curb climate change via $10B fund — but is money his most powerful tool?
• Bernie Sanders takes on the ‘billionaire class’ at rally near Seattle, home to Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates

Finally, we caught up with our resident space and science geek, Alan Boyle, to discuss the mega-earthquake predicted to hit the Seattle region. Boyle also caught us up on how technologists are thinking about what happens to our remains — physical and digital — after we die.

• Earthquake experts lay out latest outlook for the ‘Really Big One’ that’ll hit Seattle
• Tech after death: Researchers work on new ways to handle your remains, in the flesh and online

With GeekWire’s Monica Nickelsburg, Taylor Soper and Alan Boyle. Audio editing and production by Curt Milton. Music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

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

Voting online is fast, convenient and also … vulnerable.

In the wake of the Iowa caucuses app fiasco, we tried voting with a smartphone in a Seattle regional election. While there are valid concerns about security in mobile voting, organizations behind this test are confident it will be safe and are moving ahead with the technology.

Amazon’s latest front in its battle for a lucrative U.S. military contract has it taking on President Trump. The company lost the JEDI contract to Microsoft, but now it wants a court to allow it to depose Trump to see if his animus toward Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was a factor in the decision.

Speaking of President Trump, he found something interesting in the names of four giant tech companies this week.

And, back to the ballpark! Seattle’s CenturyLink Field, home to the Seahawks and FC Sounders, is going cashless. Why are they doing it and what if you didn’t bring a credit card with you to the game? We talk about the future of a cashless world, and the controversy around the trend.

With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop, Monica Nickelsburg and Kurt Schlosser. Audio editing and production by Curt Milton. Music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

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

Amazon’s second headquarters may be closer to Seattle than you think. Amazon says it plans to grow its presence in Bellevue, in the Seattle suburbs, to 15,000 employees in the next few years. That could be comparable to the number of employees working in the official HQ2 site of Arlington, Va. Will the company find a friendlier climate in the ’burbs?

• Yes, Virginia, there is an Amazon HQ2, but it’s actually 10 miles outside of Seattle
• Amazon to bring 15,000 employees to Bellevue as rapid expansion in Seattle-area city continues

We also discuss how a case of billionaire envy may have driven Amazon’s secretive drive for HQ2 and possibly damaged its reputation for openness.

• Bloomberg News: Behind Amazon’s HQ2 Fiasco: Jeff Bezos Was Jealous of Elon Musk

What caused the Iowa caucuses app fiasco and how might it influence an upcoming Seattle-area election that will be the first in the country to be done via a mobile app?

The failure of the app that was supposed to speed up reporting of results leaves questions about the security of high-tech voting in its wake. The issue shook the confidence of a public wary of the tech industry and concerned about election security.

• What caused the Iowa app debacle, and why election tech leaders say it won’t happen in Seattle

And finally, Seattle baseball fans will be able to use augmented reality software to digitally resurrect a concrete stadium that wasn’t very popular when it was standing. We discuss what tech we’d really like to see at T-Mobile Park.

• Old ballgame, new tech touches: Update at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park will offer AR view of Kingdome

With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop, Monica Nickelsburg and Kurt Schlosser. Audio editing and production by Curt Milton. Music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

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Here's what we're talking about on this new episode of the GeekWire Podcast: 

Amazon employees are responding to threats of termination for their climate advocacy by intentionally violating the company’s corporate communications policy.

More than 350 workers criticized Amazon’s contribution to climate change, violating corporate PR rules that prevent employees from discussing company business without approval. It’s the latest example of tech workers leveraging their position as valued assets in a tight labor market to pressure their employers on political issues.

Washington state lawmakers are considering a new regional tax that would raise an estimated $121 million a year from some of the Seattle area’s biggest employers, including tech giants Microsoft and Amazon, to fund programs to alleviate homelessness.

The legislation, unveiled Wednesday, is the latest attempt to direct some of the wealth generated by Seattle’s tech boom toward addressing the homelessness crisis.

Umbrellas become a lightning rod on Amazon's Seattle campus. In any other city, umbrellas would barely be noticed. But Amazon’s big orange-and-white rain deflectors are sparking discussion and debate in Seattle, where there’s a sizable and prideful segment of the population that believes umbrellas are not for locals, they’re for tourists and transplants. “Complaining about umbrellas is easily the worst old Seattle vs. new Seattle take,” an Amazon public policy employee wrote on Twitter.

One GeekWire reader summed up the criticism in a comment: "It's not the issue of using an umbrella - it's how friggin' gigantic they are. To me these umbrellas are everything that's wrong with Amazon. No consideration for anyone but themselves."

And finally, we discuss what a Seattle startup leader’s car purchase says about state of transportation in the city, and the uncertainty that can come with relying on experimental startups for vital services like getting from place to place.

With GeekWire's Todd Bishop, Monica Nickelsburg and Kurt Schlosser. Audio editing and production by Curt Milton. Music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell. 

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How can we create modern workplaces where everyone can thrive?

That's one of the questions at the heart of the new book, Female Firebrands, by human resources professional Mikaela Kiner, founder and CEO of Seattle-based Reverb Consulting. "Female Firebrands" profiles 13 women from a variety of backgrounds, exploring the realities of the modern workplace through their eyes and experiences.

The book details the many obstacles they face, but also the steps they're taking to overcome them, along with efforts by colleagues, mentors, advocates and leaders to help remove barriers. The tech industry plays a central role, with anecdotes and examples from Microsoft, Google and other tech companies.

"We talk about workplace culture and sometimes we don't notice what's going on around us," Kiner said. "We're like the frog in the water and the water's warming up. At least for me, personally, the water hit that temperature where I really had to look around and take stock of these issues."

The result is a guidebook, in effect, with insights and practical tips not only for women and underrepresented minorities but for men and others seeking to create more diverse, inclusive and effective workplaces. The book includes chapters on key issues such as privilege in the workplace, the #metoo movement, and issues for working moms, with takeaways for people in a variety of different roles in the workplace.

On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we're joined by Kiner and two of the "firebrands" from the book, Ruchika Tulshyan, author of The Diversity Advantage and the founder of Candour, an inclusion strategy firm; and Emily Parkhurst, president and publisher of the Puget Sound Business Journal in Seattle. 

While many of these issues have been discussed for many years, the book focuses on new solutions and insights. Parkhurst said she is seeing some signs of change. She told the story of going to lunch with a female intern last summer. "Usually in those kinds of conversations the interns will ask me, 'You're a woman in a position of power. Tell me about how you got there?' At no point was that a question. It was an assumption that that was a place that she could eventually end up."

One key, Tulshyan said, is for people in positions of privilege and power to start "stepping up and stepping in," and not just stand by as passive allies. 

"The advice here isn't necessarily to women to do better. It is for others in the room, our allies, our advocates, people with privilege who have a platform, who have influence, to take a moment and really understand some of the vulnerabilities that we've shared in the book," said Tulshyan. "I really hope this conversation continues to happen, and we continue to find solutions together. It's not just women leading it."

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Did the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia really hack into Jeff Bezos' phone?

It sure looks that way, based on a forensic analysis of what happened after a video was sent to the Amazon CEO and Washington Post owner via WhatsApp by Mohammed bin Salman, a.k.a. MBS. A United Nations report this week called the incident part of a broader campaign against the Washington Post seeking to stifle its coverage of Saudi Arabia, allegedly including the subsequent killing of Saudi dissident and Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Within hours of receiving the nefarious video, "a massive and unauthorized exfiltration of data from Bezos' phone began, continuing and escalating for months thereafter," according to the forensic report. 

It's an extraordinary demonstration of the perils of digital communication. But what else was leaked from the phone, and why didn't Bezos and his team have better security protocols in place at the time? That's our first topic on the show this week.

RELATED READING: Decoding the Jeff Bezos phone hack: What the rest of us can learn from the forensic report

Plus, an NFL quarterback invents a new way of interacting with a Microsoft Surface tablet on the sidelines, a new glimpse of the Microsoft Duo dual-screen device, and Seattle startup Mystery teams up with the famed Gottman Institute to rekindle romance. We explain what this partnership says about Mystery's larger business model.

And finally, listen to the end for the answer to last week's trivia question: What do Jonas Salk, who discovered and developed the polio vaccine, and John Ehrlichman, the Nixon aide and Watergate figure, have in common as it relates to Seattle startups?

Next event: Join us at the GeekWire Awards, March 26 at MoPOP in Seattle.

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