Software pioneer Charles Simonyi on the quest for galactic discoveries

Charles Simonyi is known in the tech industry for his work at Microsoft. He played a leading role in creating Word, Excel and other programs back in the 1980s. He rejoined the company in 2017 with its acquisition of his startup, Intentional Software.  But he's had a longtime fascination with space, taking two trips to the International Space Station, in 2007 and 2009, and helping to fund a long-awaited new space survey telescope in Chile that bears his family's name.  On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, Simonyi speaks with Geekwire contributing editor Alan Boyle, the veteran space and science journalist, about the new Simonyi Survey Telescope, the potential for new discoveries, and his longtime fascination with space.  Related story: Tech leader Charles Simonyi provides a wide-angle view of the telescope that bears his family name Edited by Curt Milton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon's decision to bring its employees back to the office five days a week is a window into the challenges facing the e-commerce and technology giant, and CEO Andy Jassy's larger plan to get the company to operate like "the world's largest startup" again. Plus, GeekWire's John Cook gets into the back seat of a driverless car for the first time since 2018, and has a very different experience. Coverage of Amazon's announcement: Amazon ‘will return to being in the office the way we were’ before the pandemic, CEO tells employees ‘The way we were’: Amazon tries to rekindle its future by rediscovering a spark from the past Thoughts on Amazon’s full return to the office from a CEO who knows the value — and the trade-offs A ‘home run’ or a ‘cowardly’ decision? Amazon’s new in-person work policy elicits cheers and jeers Amazon’s new back-to-office mandate fuels debate over remote work and productivity Waymo links and related stories: NPR: Armed with traffic cones, protesters are immobilizing driverless cars GeekWire in 2018: We rode in Uber’s self-driving car, and now we’re less confident in the future of autonomous vehicles Video of John's Waymo ride this week. The Verge: Waymo and Uber expand their robotaxi partnership to Austin and Atlanta With John Cook and Todd Bishop; Edited by Curt Milton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guest this week is Anupreeta Das, author of the new book, "Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and His Quest to Shape Our World." Das is the South Asia correspondent for The New York Times. This week's guest host, Ross Reynolds, is an interviewer and moderator who is well-known in the Seattle region from his 34 years at KUOW, the public radio station from which he retired in 2021. Edited by Curt Milton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The market for E Ink tablets reached a pivotal moment this week with reMarkable's unveiling of its new Paper Pro — now with color E Ink, not just black-and-white. Now the big question is whether Amazon will join the trend with a color Kindle e-reader or Kindle Scribe. The technology enabling the shift from black-and-white to color is the Gallery 3 color display, from E Ink Holdings, a company that spun out of the MIT Media Lab in 1997. On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we learn more from Timothy O’Malley, associate vice president of U.S. operations at E Ink, about the evolution of the technology and the growing applications for E Ink displays.  Related links: Challenged by Amazon, reMarkable unveils new ‘Paper Pro’ color tablet. Launch event video for the reMarkable Paper Pro. Here's the color-changing car mentioned by Tim on the show. With GeekWire co-founder Todd BishopSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we revisit the controversy over Starbucks' hybrid work policy for its new CEO, Brian Niccol; discuss the cyberattack that crippled computer systems at Sea-Tac Airport in the Seattle area this week; and provide an update on last week's episode about AI text-to-music generators. Articles and topics discussed on this episode: Hybrid policy for new Starbucks CEO sparks debate over remote work, corporate jet emissions Starbucks’ New CEO Has a Big Carbon Footprint - WSJ Starbucks’ New CEO Will Take Charge Without Training Wheels - Bloomberg Steve Ballmer Chases NBA Glory at Intuit Dome, the LA Clippers’ Gleaming New Home Plane English: Sea-Tac Airport turns to pen and paper to replace digital displays after cyberattack Port of Seattle outage continues two days after suspected cyberattack by ‘nefarious characters’ GeekWire’s quest for an AI theme song opened our ears to the debate rattling the music industry GeekWire Podcast listener Fortunato Vega shares his AI-generated theme song on LinkedIn. With Todd Bishop and Taylor Soper. Edited by Curt Milton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our regular GeekWire Podcast segment “My AI” didn’t have a musical jingle. So of course, we decided to use AI to create one. You can hear the results and our reactions on this week’s show. It's a glimpse into the issues rattling the music industry. Even when the music isn't great, the technology is pretty incredible. But as we discuss, the underlying issues are a lot more complicated.  With John Cook, Todd Bishop, and Taylor Soper; Audio editing by Curt Milton. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The naming of Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol as the new Starbucks CEO on Tuesday gives the Seattle-based coffee giant a new leader from the restaurant and fast casual industry with experience leading a digital transformation. We discuss what that could mean on this special mid-week episode of the GeekWire Podcast. Related Coverage: Starbucks’ new CEO brings extensive digital experience from prior role leading ChipotleSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we look at the implications of the Google antitrust ruling for Microsoft Bing, and conclude that they probably aren't as rosy for the Redmond company as they might have appeared initially. Plus, a rural community offers a window into Amazon's relationship with the independent companies that deliver its packages around the world. And finally, the City of Seattle gets support from Amazon and resistance from workers in response to its decision to bring them back to the office for three days a week, up from two days previously. Related coverage ‘Google is a monopolist’: Tech giant loses antitrust suit over search business in huge victory for DOJ City of Seattle increasing in-office work to three days for more than 13,000 employees Driven away: Overloaded by Amazon, rural delivery companies reach the end of the road With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop and editor Taylor Soper.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zillow Group named a new CEO, longtime company executive Jeremy Wacksman, announcing that co-founder and two-time CEO Rich Barton will be shifting to the new role of co-executive chair of the real estate media and technology company, joining co-founder Lloyd Frink in the role. Barton and Wacksman join GeekWire co-founders John Cook and Todd Bishop to talk about the transition on this special episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we take a closer look at the earnings reports from Microsoft and Amazon this week, as a litmus test for artificial intelligence demand and the state of the economy. We also consider the implications of Boeing's new CEO being based in the Seattle region, discuss a new AI tool that aims to streamline marketing tasks, and weigh in on the backlash to Google's Olympics ad for its Gemini AI chatbot Microsoft capital spending soars to $19B, betting big on AI, as Azure growth underwhelms Wall Street Amazon sales come up short, profits nearly double Amazon looks to reduce costs to compete more aggressively on price as consumer habits shift Boeing chooses its next CEO — and he will reportedly be based back in Seattle Seattle tech vets launch 'Spok,' an AI copilot that aims to streamline marketing tasks – GeekWire CNBC: Google pulls AI ad for Olympics following backlash With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop and editor Taylor Soper.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.