GeekWire

During a night of celebration for innovators, entrepreneurs, educators (and even soccer stars and circus acts), the overriding message at the annual event was that Seattle is the place to build and grow.

2026 GeekWire Awards revealed: Big winners — and big love for Seattle — at annual tech celebration More than 300 members of the Pacific Northwest tech scene packed the Showbox S**o to honor the year's top startups, founders, leaders and deal makers across a dozen awards categories.

How is AWS Marketplace evolving for the AI era? Product Leader Chris Spandikow shares how the platform is making it easier than ever for enterprises to discover, buy, and deploy AI solutions at scale. Watch now: https://youtu.be/7jHc0nP7Me0

Join engineers from Google, Meta, Microsoft, and more to explore how modern systems scale and stay reliable. Real-world lessons, practical takeaways on June 25.

Register today: https://bit.ly/4f0b1hN

Microsoft employees eligible for the company's first-ever voluntary retirement program learned the details Thursday morning. The package includes cash payments of up to 9 months of base pay, up to 5 years of healthcare coverage — fully subsidized in the first year, standard COBRA rates after that — and stock vesting for 6-12 months. An estimated 8,750 employees are eligible, with 30 days to decide.

Microsoft employees learn details of voluntary retirement package: Here’s what the company is offering Microsoft employees eligible for the company's first-ever voluntary retirement program learned the details Thursday, including cash payments of up to nine months of base pay, up to five years of healthcare coverage, and continued stock vesting.

We had the opportunity to chat with Diego Ardila from Shopify and Olga Megorskaya from Toloka at NVIDIA GTC 2026 this year to discuss the future of retail AI and the full-stack platform Nebius is building for data and model training. Watch the interview now at https://youtu.be/Qh3UZUc94P0

Zillow Group says its engineers are shipping 40% more code each, on average, thanks to internal use of AI tools, allowing them to move features faster from concept to launch. That’s one of the AI claims the company made in its first-quarter shareholder letter, which read at times less like a financial recap and more like a tech strategy blueprint.

Zillow Group leans into AI as revenue climbs 18% in flat housing market Zillow Group's first-quarter shareholder letter made the company's strongest case yet for its transformation into an AI-powered real estate platform, citing AI-driven productivity gains, a new consumer search mode, and AI tools for agents and property managers. Revenue rose 18% to $708 million.

Lime is rolling out 500 of the new LimeBike e-bikes in Seattle, adding to a scooter and bike-share fleet that numbers 15,000.

GeekWire test ride: Lime’s new bike packs a zippy punch into a compact, easier-to-use device The new bikes are more compact than previous versions, easy to get on, adjust and get off, and they're quick off the line via throttle, pedal assist or a combination of both to reach speeds of 15 mph.

Every company is investing in AI. But who's actually measuring the return? Pay-i CEO David Tepper explains how his platform connects AI spend to real business outcomes — and why both Microsoft and AWS are betting on it. Watch now: https://youtu.be/4zFeNadhpqQ?si=G-swjpHrN8RdQ58q

Tomorrow is the 2026 GeekWire Awards, the 15th anniversary celebration of everything Seattle tech has built, created, and pioneered, and we couldn't do it without the support of our Presenting Sponsor, Astound Business Solutions! It's going to be an incredible night full of surprises. A handful of individual tickets are still available if you want to join us at Showbox S**o: https://luma.com/4qg6xp8p

CopilotKit, a Seattle startup with roots in Techstars Seattle, raised $27 million for technology that lets AI agents work inside existing software apps. Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Oracle have adopted the company's open AG-UI protocol.

Seattle’s CopilotKit raises $27M, as some of the biggest names in tech adopt its AI agent protocol

Just 2 days until the 2026 GeekWire Awards, and we couldn't do it without the support of our Gold Sponsor, F5! In 48 hours we'll know who Seattle's top innovators, leaders, and startups of the year are. 15 categories. 15 years. And a few surprises along the way. Individual tickets are still available if you want to be there: https://luma.com/4qg6xp8phttps://luma.com/4qg6xp8p