GeekWire Mid-Week Update

Read the top tech stories so far this week from GeekWire [GeekWire Mid-Week Update][GeekWire Mid-Week Update]( Top stories so far this week [Destination Spokane: How remote work and new arrivals are changing one tech community]( A population influx has bolstered the tech community in Spokane, Wash., and also brought new challenges to the region. [How ‘Myst’ maker Cyan Worlds ended up building its own world in Spokane]( Cyan realized it would be hard to beat Spokane's affordability, distinct seasons, proximity to the outdoors and airport, and minimal traffic. [Tech Moves: OpenAI hires former Amazon Web Services leader to lead new Tokyo office]( Tadao Nagasaki, a longtime tech exec who led Japan-related operations for Amazon Web Services and F5, is joining OpenAI to head up the company’s new hub in Tokyo, its first office in Asia. SPONSOR MESSAGE [Local Bank Offering A Frictionless Loan Application Process For Small Businesses in Washington State]( 40-50% of small businesses rank access to capital as their main obstacle. Unlike traditional banks that tend to be encumbered by legacy tech, community banks can bring agility and innovation to small business lending. Learn how a Seattle-based financial institution leveraged open banking to offer a frictionless loan process for small business borrowers in Washington State. [Learn More.]( [Former Facebook engineers lead Seattle-based investment firm backing data-focused startups]( Back when Ravi Grover and his colleagues at Data Tech Fund were getting off the ground a few years ago, not everyone was excited about their focus on data. [Cybersecurity startup that helps companies secure industrial systems opens Seattle office]( Josh Steinman spent four years working as a senior director inside the National Security Council at the White House. [Google and Amazon workers protest tech giants’ contract with Israel as war in Gaza continues]( Google and Amazon workers held protests on Tuesday in Seattle and other tech hubs, demonstrating in opposition to the tech giants’ role in a cloud services contract with the Israeli government. [Amazon exec explains grocery tech changes, debunks media reports about human reviewers]( Dilip Kumar, VP of AWS applications, sought to clarify the company's grocery technology strategy and approach on multiple fronts. [Longtime Microsoft exec Gurdeep Singh Pall joins Qualtrics as president of AI strategy]( Technology leader Gurdeep Singh Pall, a longtime Microsoft executive, is joining experience management technology company Qualtrics as its first president of artificial intelligence strategy. [Portland startup goes national with service that finds residential properties for team meetings]( Radious, the Portland startup that runs a marketplace where residential properties can be used as collaborative workspaces, expanded its reach across the U.S. [Tech Moves: Avalara names president; Microsoft vet launches AI forum; Common Room adds product leader]( — Seattle-based tax software company Avalara named Ross Tennenbaum as its new president. GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [GeekWork: Head of Engineering]( - [GeekWork: ML Engineer]( - [INRIX: Finance Pricing Manager]( - [City of Newport: Systems Administrator II]( - [AdaptX: Vice President of Engineering]( [FIND MORE JOBS ON GEEKWORK]( [HIRING? BUY A FEATURED LISTING TO APPEAR HERE]( [About GeekWire]( [Contact Us]( [Advertise]( Copyright © 2024 GeekWire LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted to receive emails from GeekWire LLC.  Our mailing address is: GeekWire LLC 123 NW 36th St, Suite 203 Seattle, WA 98107  [change email frequency or address]( | [unsubscribe](