GeekWire

From package delivery to ride-hailing, companies including Amazon and Uber are facing new scrutiny over their use of contract workers to power the services they provide to consumers.

California is poised to enact a law that would force Uber and Lyft to treat drivers like employees as part of a broader push around the country to ensure app-based workers have broader labor protections. Meanwhile, three U.S. Senators are demanding answers from Amazon about its network of contractors and independent delivery companies that get packages to customers’ doors.

We discuss the implications of these developments on this new episode of the GeekWire Podcast.

Plus, a Seattle startup is aiming to upend the smartphone market with a high-quality, low-priced alternative designed to be used for twice as many years as many people use their existing phones. The inside story of Taylor Swift's beef with Microsoft's chatbot. And we do our best to help Alexa come up with some answers to difficult questions.

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In “Tools & Weapons: The Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age,” Microsoft President Brad Smith and his co-author Carol Ann Browne tell the inside story of some of the biggest developments in tech and the world over the past decade -- including Microsoft’s reaction to the Snowden revelations, its battle with Russian hackers in the leadup to the 2016 elections and its role in the ongoing debate  privacy and facial recognition technology. 

The book goes behind-the-scenes at the Obama and Trump White Houses, explores the implications of the coming wave of artificial intelligence, and calls on tech giants and governments to step up and prepare for the ethical, legal and societal challenges of powerful new forms of technology yet to come.

We touched on many of those topics in this conversation with Smith about the new book, due out Sept. 10. Smith will also speak at the upcoming GeekWire Summit.

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Amazon ousted Apple this year as the most loved brand among millennials, people age 19 through 39, according to a new study. What does this say about the future of the world? OK, that might be taking it too far, but some of our resident millennials offer their take on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast. And in news for slightly older generations, the startup HopSkipRide made its debut in Seattle this week, promising to safely shuttle your kids around town. We explain how it works and try to decide if we and our kids will use it. Plus, in the Random Channel, Microsoft the Musical, insights from Burning Man, and the latest from the chicken beat. 

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U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren appeared in Seattle on Sunday, a few blocks from Amazon's headquarters, and given the Democratic presidential candidate's call to break up the online retail giant as part of a larger crackdown on big tech companies, we were anticipating fireworks. It didn't happen. In fact, as we reported earlier this week, Warren didn't specifically mention Amazon in her public remarks when commenting on the need for stronger antitrust enforcement.

On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we tell the behind-the-scenes story of how we were able to ask Warren about the issue by matching her sheer endurance. We also discuss why the call to break up big tech hasn't taken hold as a major campaign issue. 

In other topics, we discuss privacy concerns over Ring's collaboration with law enforcement; the new trailer for Netflix's Bill Gates documentary, what the algorithms say about an iconic Nirvana song; and, of course, the latest on the elusive Popeyes chicken sandwich. 

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New wireless Bluetooth headphones from Seattle startup Human are getting mixed reviews based on their appearance, and their initial starting price of $399 (which the company quickly dropped to a promotional price of $259). But their unique design, which completely envelops both ears, reflects a vision of the future in which technology will be melded to our bodies, and potentially to our minds. 

Plus: Jeff Bezos' first Amazon job ad, 25 years later; A new Netflix documentary will go inside the mind of Bill Gates, and Alexa makes a "Jeopardy!" cameo.

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Microsoft's partnership with Samsung promises smooth integration between Windows and the Galaxy Note10, and that was enough to convince GeekWire's Todd Bishop to dump his iPhone X in favor of the consumer electronics giant's new flagship device. But which of the two Note10 variations should he get? And what can he expect as he switches from on major smartphone platform to another? Tech reviewer Andru Edwards of Gear Live and the Geared Up podcast joins us on this special episode to offer his advice.

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Amazon, Uber, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and many other big companies have something in common. They're all platforms, providing underlying technologies that others use to build or facilitate their own businesses. But there are different types of platforms, with different motivations, and understanding the differences is key for anyone looking to build, compete against, regulate or do business with a platform. 

We explore the power and pitfalls of platforms on this episode with Michael Cusumano, the Sloan Management Review Distinguished Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and the co-author of the book, "The Business of Platforms: Strategy in the Age of Digital Competition, Innovation & Power," with Annabelle Gawer and David Yoffie. The book examines the hidden forces behind some of today’s most powerful and influential companies. It's an especially timely subject given the current scrutiny of many of those companies.

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We're back! It's the return of our weekly news roundup, with Todd Bishop, John Cook and Monica Nickelsburg. First, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's surprise appearance at Samsung's latest Galaxy smartphone unveiling signals good things ahead for Windows users. We go inside the shutdown of ReachNow, BMW's car-sharing service that operated in Portland and Seattle, and discuss the unusual ways that some people in our society are using car-sharing services. And finally, on the Random Channel, we offer our latest documentary recommendations, catch up with Amazon's Treasure Truck, and savor some bread made from 4,500-year-old yeast.

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Despite the restrictions it imposes on Facebook's business, the Federal Trade Commission's settlement with the social media giant is viewed as insufficient by some critics. So what can we do as Facebook users? What impact is Facebook having on us in the meantime? And what can the tech industry learn from the whole thing? That's our topic on this episode of the GeekWire podcast, featuring highlights from a discussion with Sheryl Cababa, a user experience designer with Artefact in Seattle and the author of the report, "Can Social Media Be Saved?"; and tech industry veteran Andre Vrignaud, who found a way to manage the impact of Facebook on his life, as detailed in this GeekWire story earlier this year.

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It was tough week for Amazon on the regulatory front. It started Tuesday with an antitrust hearing before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. Although Apple, Facebook, and Google also sent representatives, Amazon fielded the most pointed questions. A few hours later, the European Union launched a formal investigation into the company, focusing on how it treats third-party sellers in the Amazon marketplace.

We explore why Amazon is in the hot seat, how the company is responded, what comes next on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast. 

Plus, the end of the road for ReachNow, and our podcast recommendation for reliving the Apollo 11 moon landing. 

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