From
Ai2
to
Microsoft
: At least 10 former Allen Institute for AI researchers and staffers have joined Microsoft’s Superintelligence team, more than previously known. The departures include the core of Ai2’s OLMo open-source model effort. They come as Microsoft works to build its own advanced AI models and reduce its dependence on OpenAI. Read more. 

UW earbud cameras:
University of Washington
researchers have built a prototype called VueBuds that embeds tiny cameras into wireless earbuds, creating a hands-free visual AI assistant. The system can read food labels, identify objects, and translate text, with potential applications for workers who can’t stop to pull out a phone and people with visual impairments. The researchers see earbuds’ ubiquity as an advantage over smart glasses. Read more.

More layoffs at
Starbucks
: The Seattle coffee giant announced Friday that it’s cutting 300 additional corporate employees and closing several regional offices. Read more.

Momentum and durability are not the same thing. While Seattle sees continued population growth, the city is also near the top nationally in tech layoffs. And the city’s psyche — especially in the innovation community we closely follow — is ruptured. GeekWire co-founder John Cook offers his take on the uncertainty gripping Seattle’s economic future.

A whiff of another Super Bowl title? The
Seattle Seahawks
and the rest of the NFL dropped schedule-release videos for the upcoming season in what has become an annual social media blitz. The Hawks’ play on perfume ads is a spritz in the face of 2026 opponents. Read more. 

Seven years after her death, the final novel from sci-fi pioneer Vonda N. McIntyre has been published, telling a Bronze Age odyssey that bridges ancient Minoan culture with the history of the Pacific Northwest. Read more.

Reporters Brad Stone and Matt Day have a deep dive on

Andy Jassy

’s efforts to recast
Amazon
for the AI era — pouring tens of billions into data centers, chips, and model partnerships to catch up with rivals and build on the strength of AWS. (Bloomberg)
Billionaire investor Bill Ackman says he’s built a new stake in Microsoft, arguing its enterprise productivity and cloud businesses are “deeply embedded” and that Wall Street is overstating risks around AI adoption and cloud growth. (Bloomberg)
Seattle venture capitalist

Nick Hanauer

is taking on economic inequality with a new video series called “Class Traitor” that examines how the system is rigged in favor of the rich, how AI could make things worse, and what solutions might look like. (LinkedIn)

Apple
is in talks to lease a building in Seattle’s South Lake Union tech hub that was previously occupied by Meta. (PSBJ)
Researchers at
UW Medicine
have developed AI models that analyze electronic health records and EKG data to identify high-risk patients for sudden cardiac arrest. (UW Medicine)

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