Seattle startup rebound: Possible Finance has been through a lot in its startup journey: a meteoric launch followed by a survival test, and now a comeback story combined with a reunion. The Seattle-based fintech startup, which provides small-dollar loans as an alternative to payday lending, hit a $125 million revenue run rate last year and posted its first annual profit. Now, one of its co-founders has returned to help lead the company into a new era.
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Above: Possible co-founders Prasad Mahendra, Tyler Conant, and Tony Huang in an early photo, left, and at the 2026 GeekWire Awards.
Seattle’s new CTO: Mayor Katie Wilson has chosen Shannon Smith, a longtime public-sector tech executive with experience in regional government agencies, as the city’s next chief technology officer. She starts June 8 and replaces Rob Lloyd, who left in March. Read more.
“It’s a beautiful boat.” … “It’s ugly.” Gawkers on the shores of Seattle’s Lake Union shared their varied opinions about Launchpad, the superyacht owned by Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Moored along Westlake Avenue North — just blocks from Meta’s engineering offices — the vessel attracted a steady stream of people by land and water who needed to size up the billionaire’s 387-foot extravagance. Read more.
And he brought a Wingman: Across town on another Seattle dock, Zuck’s $100 million support vessel (above) drew far less attention — it’s only 262 feet. That ship has been called a “floating garage for billionaires” and is designed to carry all the various toys one might need at sea and in port. Read more.
Five weeks after experiencing its first launch failure, Blue Origin has received FAA clearance to return to flight and will use its heavy-lift New Glenn rocket to deploy 48 satellites for the Amazon Leo broadband network as early as next week. Read more.
A new definition of profit: "Lean Startup" author Eric Ries joins the GeekWire Podcast to discuss his new book "Incorruptible," recorded at Seattle Flow Startup Day. Read more and listen here, and subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
Snowflake has committed to spending $6 billion on Amazon Web Services over the next five years, expanding its long-term cloud partnership to secure custom processors and infrastructure necessary for powering its AI and agentic applications. Read more.
Tech Moves: Neil Lindsay, SVP of Amazon Health Services, is leaving his post after five years — capping a 15-year tenure at the tech giant as Dr. Roy Schoenberg steps into the role. Scott McFarlane, who co-founded Avalara 22 years ago on Bainbridge Island, Wash., is resigning as CEO and moving to an advisory role, and more personnel changes.
Robots with soul? An 85-year-old woman living alone on Washington’s coast has found an unlikely companion: an AI-powered robot that chats with her, reminds her to take medication, suggests activities — gradually becoming something more emotionally significant than a gadget. The Daily podcast explores the rise of “companion robots” designed to combat loneliness among older adults. (The New York Times)
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AI adoption in the U.S. has topped 30%, but Microsoft’s new county‑level data shows a widening urban–rural gap, with metro areas using AI at nearly double the rate of rural America. (Microsoft on the Issues)
Thanks for subscribing, and have a great day. Feedback and news tips: [email protected]. — GeekWire editor Todd Bishop, [email protected]; reporter Kurt Schlosser, [email protected]; and reporter Lisa Stiffler, [email protected].
