Microsoft disputes reports of D&I team disbanding | Amazon sets Prime Day record

Celebrating the life of investor Tom Huseby, 1947-2024 ADVERTISEMENT [GeekWire]( SPONSOR MESSAGE: Washington state’s second-largest city is the hub of an ambitious regional tech community seeking to leverage new realities to achieve its longstanding goals: [Read more.]( TODAY'S TOP STORIES SeaPoint Ventures founder Tom Huseby, a Seattle investor and startup advisor who died from complications of pancreatic cancer in June, had a deep impact on the people and companies he worked with. “Tom is remembered as a larger-than-life personality, a charismatic and deeply loving father, son, husband, friend, and colleague, and a natural storyteller,” his family writes. Read [our collection of remembrances]( from his longtime friends and colleagues. Reports of D&I’s demise at Microsoft are greatly exaggerated. That’s the gist of the company’s response to media reports that misinterpreted the elimination of two diversity and inclusion roles on its events team — yes, two positions — as the axing of its entire diversity and inclusion team. But it’s still a different world for diversity initiatives overall. [Read more](. Amazon and BBB team up against bogus reviews: After nearly a decade of fighting fake reviews in court, the tech giant has found a new partner in the Better Business Bureau, [filing its first joint lawsuit]( over the issue this week. - Related: [Amazon sets Prime Day record as U.S. e-commerce sales top $14 billion]( While skeptics of fusion power question the viability of such an uncertain technology, funding is heating up and proponents argue that the massive potential payoff is worth the risk. In Washington state, two of the leading contenders in the fusion race — Helion Energy and Zap Energy — drew visits from Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray. (Above: Helion CEO David Kirtley, left, with Gov. Jay Inslee at Helion’s Everett, Wash., facility.) [Read more.]( In the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, University of Washington researchers with the Center for an Informed Public took to the internet like many Americans, to gauge the reaction and rumors and analyze “collective sensemaking.” [Read more.]( Momento, a Seattle startup led by former AWS engineers that offers infrastructure tools to help companies speed up software development processes, [raised a $15 million Series A round](. - [See all recent fundings]( across the PNW startup ecosystem. Tech Moves: Syndio hires former LinkedIn product leader; Microsoft’s chief scientist joins Shutterstock board; [and more key personnel changes](. - Wizards of the Coast, the Renton, Wash.-based company behind Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, [named a new president](. Hot Links: - Microsoft released its Designer app to all users on iOS and Android. ([TechCrunch]( - T-Mobile ranked first among mobile providers in a new speed test connectivity report. ([Ookla]( - Mill, a startup making a kitchen device for dehydrating food waste that's turned into chicken feed, completed a pilot study showing that its product helped people put much less food into their trash, reducing the climate impacts of the scraps. ([Mill]( - Fred Hutch launched a new summer research program to train middle and high school teachers. ([Fred Hutch]( Thanks for subscribing to the GeekWire newsletter, and have a great day. — GeekWire editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com; GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop, todd@geekwire.com; and GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com. SPONSOR MESSAGE [GeekWire on the Road: Spokane]( Washington state’s second-largest city is the hub of an ambitious regional tech community seeking to leverage new realities to achieve its longstanding goals, as GeekWire reports in this special series. [Read more.]( LATEST HEADLINES [Microsoft D&I cuts impact two positions — company says main team and larger goals remain intact]( [Amazon partners with Better Business Bureau in its first joint lawsuit against fake review brokers]( [Longtime World of Warcraft leader John Hight named president at Wizards of the Coast]( [Amazon sets Prime Day record as U.S. e-commerce sales top $14 billion]( [Tom Huseby, 1947-2024: Longtime startup investor and advisor remembered for his wisdom and wit]( [Seattle startup Momento, led by ex-AWS engineers, lands $15M to help companies ship faster]( [Washington state Department of Commerce gives $52M to tribes for climate resiliency projects]( [Tech Moves: Syndio hires LinkedIn product vet; Microsoft chief scientist joins Shutterstock board]( [After Trump shooting, UW researchers try to make quick sense of online reaction, rumors and more]( [Gov. Inslee, Sen. Murray visit Washington fusion startups as funding heats up despite tech hurdles]( [Starbucks and Mercedes-Benz help electrify I-5 corridor with fast chargers for EVs]( GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [INRIX: Corporate Controller]( - [Pioneer Square Labs: Principal]( - [Echodyne: Sr. Electrical Engineer – Analog & Mixed Signal]( - [BRINC: Content Writer]( - [BRINC: Senior/Principal Backend & Platform Software Engineer]( - [INRIX: Senior Technical Program Manager]( - [INRIX: Senior Accountant]( - [INRIX: Software Development Engineer]( - [INRIX: Chief Marketing Officer]( - [BRINC: Senior/Principal Full-Stack Software Engineer]( [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. 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