Inside the 2026 GeekWire Awards: Innovators reshaping how we work, build, and learn

Microsoft's Build conference was a firehose: in-house AI models, agent-first devices, new coding tools, and a Copilot "super app" that got teased but never shown. Todd Bishop and Mary Jo Foley sort through what's real and what's not quite fully baked, from Project Solara and the Scout agentic assistant to Microsoft's push for AI self-sufficiency and the mounting pressure on GitHub. Related Stories:  Inside Microsoft’s Project Solara: A new platform for devices that run AI agents instead of apps Microsoft unveils seven homegrown AI models in new bid for ‘long term self-sufficiency’ Mary Jo Foley: No Copilot ‘Super App’ at Microsoft Build, but plenty of agentic fodder Microsoft’s OpenClaw team takes on the personal assistant challenge Edited by Curt Milton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the show: Mark Zuckerberg's superyacht arrives in Seattle the same day Meta discloses nearly 1,400 local layoffs, robot pizza startup Picnic flames out and sells to a mystery buyer, and corporate America confronts the rising cost of AI, including the leaderboard-gaming practice known as "tokenmaxxing." And we return to the theme of billionaire yachts for our trivia challenge. With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this special episode, Eric Ries, author of the 2011 bestseller "The Lean Startup," discusses his new book, "Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies Stay Great." Ries explains why he's redefining profit as the maximization of human flourishing, reveals his role advising Anthropic's founders on their corporate structure, and makes the case that the era of shareholder primacy is already over. He also discusses the fall of Whole Foods, the Musk v. OpenAI trial, and why he believes mission-controlled companies dramatically outperform. GeekWire's Todd Bishop recorded this conversation with Ries after interviewing him on stage at Seattle Flow Startup Day on May 15. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on a supersized Memorial Day Weekend edition of the GeekWire Podcast: A massive IPO filing from SpaceX includes new details about Elon Musk's Starlink business and its satellite factory in Redmond. Jeff Bezos talks about wealth, inequality and eventually tech in an hour-long CNBC appearance. John goes to World Cup ticketing hell and turns to ChatGPT and Gemini when FIFA's support falls short. And a special Sam Altman/Seattle startup edition of GeekWire Trivia. With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook. Related Links: SpaceX is churning out 70 Starlink satellites a week in Redmond, and other tidbits from its IPO filing From the archives: SpaceX founder Elon Musk reveals new $10B 'Space Internet' plan at private Seattle event  CNBC: Jeff Bezos blasts New York City school spending: It doesn’t get better outcomes Jeff Bezos describes his $38B startup Prometheus for the first time: ‘Nothing to do with robotics’ Expedia at 30, the inside story: Online travel giant navigates its third tech disruption Seattle, we've got an image problem The view from Bellevue: Seattle has the foundation for future growth — if it can fix its taxes Former Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has a new gig — startup CEO Why this Seattle-area startup is putting its name on the front of an English Premier League soccer team CEO of Paul Allen’s $3.1B science and tech fund steps down less than a year after launch Award-winning Business Journal photographer Anthony Bolante dies at 58 'Soma' Somasegar, 1966-2026: Microsoft and Madrona leader was a champion of developers and startups See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian Evergreen worked in AI at Microsoft from 2016 to 2023, including a role helping Fortune 500 executives develop their AI strategies. He kept seeing the same pattern: most of those projects were failing. He set out to figure out why, and the answer became his book, Autonomous Transformation. In this live recording for GeekWire's Agents of Transformation series, presented by Accenture, Evergreen explains what companies keep getting wrong, and why vision matters more than technology. With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop. Edited by Curt Milton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week: As the Musk v. OpenAI trial heads to the jury, we dig into what Microsoft's internal board memos and executive testimony revealed about the origins of the company's massive bet on AI, and why this case matters beyond the billionaire drama. Plus, Howard Schultz, a former Washington governor, and the tech community weigh in on whether Seattle is squandering its edge as an innovation capital. And Todd owes John and the United Kingdom an apology. RELATED STORIES AND LINKS Microsoft's CTO testifies about email at the heart of Elon Musk's allegations against the tech giant OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's stake in Helion Energy draws scrutiny in Musk trial and on Capitol Hill 'Strong, strong no': New filing reveals who Microsoft favored — and opposed — for OpenAI's board Musk v. Altman: Satya Nadella was worried about Microsoft being 'the next IBM' in OpenAI deal Are we on a Road to Nowhere? Seattle's growth masks deeper anxieties about its future Microsoft's multi-agent AI system tops Anthropic's Mythos on cybersecurity benchmark Seattle Turns Hostile to the Great Businesses It Made (Wall Street Journal, by Howard Schultz) Association of Washington Business 2026 Spring Summit (TVW, featuring former Gov. Chris Gregoire and former AG Rob McKenna) With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John CookSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the show: Conversations with finalists and special guests at the annual GeekWire Awards about AI, innovation, startups, and the forces reshaping their industries, plus a special trivia challenge marking GeekWire's 15th year hosting the event. Guests include: Luis Poggi, CEO of HouseWhisper AI, winner of CEO of the Year Tracy Drinkwater, founder of the Seattle Universal Math Museum, STEM Educator of the Year honoree Ryan James, CEO of Dopl Technologies, finalist for Startup of the Year Laura Ruderman, CEO of the Technology Alliance Ross Finman, CEO of Augmodo, finalist for Hardware/Robotics/Physical AI of the Year Mohammad Rastegari, CEO of ElastixAI, finalist for Startup of the Year Related stories 2026 GeekWire Awards revealed: Big winners — and big love for Seattle — at annual tech celebration Photos: Inside the 2026 GeekWire Awards With GeekWire co-founders John Cook and Todd BishopSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the show: Todd reports from inside the Oakland federal courthouse where Elon Musk is suing OpenAI, Sam Altman, and Microsoft, with jury selection revealing just how hard it is to find anyone neutral about Musk these days. Meanwhile, Microsoft and OpenAI restructured their partnership the same morning the trial began — and less than 24 hours later, OpenAI's models landed on Amazon's cloud. Then, Microsoft and Amazon both dropped blockbuster earnings, with Azure up 40%, AWS posting its fastest growth in 15 quarters, and the two companies combining for nearly $400 billion in capital spending this year alone. We also discuss a wild Semafor story about a serial entrepreneur who handed his entire life over to an AI agent that now emails people as him, sets up meetings without his knowledge, and even ordered him a computer. Plus, John tells the story of how Seattle's Flying Fish Partners — a VC firm with less than $250 million under management — hustled its way into a $1.1 billion seed round alongside Sequoia, Google, and Nvidia. And we tackle the quickly debunked rumor that Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook might buy the Seahawks. And finally, the return of the GeekWire Trivia Challenge.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bill Hilf has spent decades enterprise tech, open-source technologies, and AI, from IBM and Microsoft to running Paul Allen's portfolio as the CEO of Vulcan. He now chairs the Allen Institute for AI and American Prairie. His debut sci-fi novel, "The Disruption," imagines AI gone very wrong, and implicitly challenges the industry to think differently about how it's building our real future today. With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop. Edited by Curt Milton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Microsoft is offering a voluntary retirement program for the first time in its history, with thousands of U.S. employees eligible. GeekWire's Todd Bishop joins KIRO Newsradio hosts Angela Poe Russell and Mike Lewis to break down the details, what makes this so unusual in the tech industry, and what it says about the company's approach to managing costs in the AI era. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.