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 [Prudential to shut down Assurance, the insurance tech startup it acquired for $2.35B in 2019]( Insurance giant Prudential is shutting down Assurance IQ, five years after spending $2.35 billion to acquire the under-the-radar tech startup based in the Seattle region. [AI for AP: High school students create tool that acts as tech tutor for advanced placement courses]( Frustrated by inadequate resources to help students study for advanced placement courses, two Seattle-area high school teens turned to technology, and put AI to work on AP. [Amazon earnings preview: Advertising and AWS expected to continue fueling profits]( Amazon reports its first quarter earnings on Tuesday. 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.]( [Amazon stock rises as Q1 earnings top estimates with $143.3B in revenue; AWS sales up 17%]( Amazon topped estimates for its first quarter earnings, reporting $143.3 billion in revenue, up 13% year-over-year, and earnings per share of $0.98. [Amazon Q adds feature to create AI apps using natural language]( Amazon says it will give non-developers the ability to create apps using natural language as part of a new feature for Amazon Q, the AI assistant unveiled by Amazon Web Services last fall. [This startup just raised funding to turn wood pulp into sustainable, biodegradable plastics]( A Vancouver, B.C.-based startup making biodegradable plastics out of wood pulp has raised up to $5 million from Brazil’s Suzano Ventures, the investment arm of a manufacturing giant turning farmed eucalyptus trees into pulp. [Portal Space Systems comes out of stealth with satellites that’ll be fired up by the sun]( Portal Space Systems is emerging from stealth with a plan to create a satellite platform that uses the sun's heat to spark its thrusters. [Inside the Seattle courtroom where Binance’s founder received a controversial prison sentence]( Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao sat up straight in his chair inside a Seattle courtroom Tuesday morning, his hands folded on the defense table, as a federal prosecutor made the case to put him in prison for three years — twice the top end of the range for his crime under federal sentencing guidelines. [Generative AI is a dual concern for cybersecurity industry — and will drive increased labor demand]( Artificial intelligence is a double-edged sword when it comes to cybersecurity — and will be a core driver of demand for new cybersecurity professionals, according to the keynote speaker at an event organized by the Washington State Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. [Capital spending soars in the cloud as Microsoft, Google, and others bet big on AI demand]( Analysts, investors, and the media are suddenly focused intensely on capital expenditures by tech giants including Microsoft, Meta, Google, and others to size up the industry’s bet on the cloud and artificial intelligence. GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [INRIX: Finance Pricing Manager]( - [INRIX: Account Executive, Public Sector]( - [AdaptX: Vice President of Engineering]( - [GeekWork: ML Engineer]( - [GeekWork: Head 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](