Redmond's other tech giant: Elon Musk’s SpaceX disclosed that its Redmond satellite factory produces about 70 Starlink satellites per week, revealing production numbers for the first time. The filing also shows Starlink generated $11.4 billion in revenue in 2025 and names Amazon, Blue Origin, and Microsoft as competitors across its three business segments.
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You’re doing AI wrong: Brian Evergreen, a former Microsoft AI leader and author of Autonomous Transformation, makes the case that most companies are approaching AI backward. In a live GeekWire Podcast recording as part of our Agents of Transformation series, presented by Accenture, he explains why vision — not technology — should come first. Read more and listen here, and subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
Data center resistance comes home: The Seattle City Council is considering a one-year moratorium on new data center construction following fierce pushback from residents over rising energy costs, water consumption, and environmental impacts driven by the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure. Read more.
Tackling the data center energy crunch: Seattle EV charging startup Electric Era has launched CoPower, a battery platform designed to help power-hungry data centers bypass utility grid delays and handle intense AI workloads, available through contracts where it builds and operates the system. Read more.
“One of a kind”: The tributes for S. “Soma” Somasegar came from seemingly everywhere and everyone he touched across the technology and business community. And they painted a consistent picture: He was kind, generous with his time, humble, and a steadying presence. Read more.
A win-win in GeekWire’s World Cup auction: UiPath, the business orchestration and AI automation giant, submitted the winning $100,000 bid for a 2026 World Cup suite experience in Seattle, donated by Microsoft. The funds benefit Seattle Children’s Hospital. Read more.
(Above from left: Michael Atalla, chief marketing officer at UiPath, Katie Fath, director of community giving at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and John Cook, GeekWire co-founder and publisher.)
Another honor for Ed Lazowska: The longtime University of Washington computer science educator, researcher and fixture in Seattle’s tech community received the Distinguished Teaching Legacy Award. Read more.
Washington state’s tax debate fixates on regressivity rankings, but overlooks how taxes shape economic behavior — and whether progressive-looking systems actually produce better outcomes for working families. Alex Murray, CEO of Seattle-based VOGLIO Digital Marketing, writes about the missing half of the equation in the state’s tax debate. Read the opinion.
Hot Links:
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T-Mobile released a “Live Translation” beta that brings real-time AI language translation directly into its network without the need for apps or downloads. (T-Mobile)
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Kirkland, Wash.-based Adaptiva’s “State of Patch Management” report reveals that while companies are updating software faster, over half still worry they are vulnerable to hackers due to incomplete automation tools. (Adaptiva)
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Shareholders are asking tech giants how they aim to meet their climate commitments while racing to build more power-hungry data centers. (Bloomberg)
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].
