GeekWire Mid-Week Update

Read the top tech stories so far this week from GeekWire [GeekWire Mid-Week Update] Top stories so far this week [Amazon ‘will return to being in the office the way we were’ before the pandemic, CEO tells employees]( Amazon's new policy, starting next year, means that employees will no longer be able to work from home for two days a week by default. [A ‘home run’ or a ‘cowardly’ decision? Amazon’s new in-person work policy elicits cheers and jeers]( Some Amazon employees may not be happy, but January can’t come soon enough for many of the Seattle organizations and businesses that have been lobbying the company to return to five days a week of in-person work. [‘All good here’: Hearing on OceanGate sub tragedy reveals the crew’s final messages]( The last words transmitted by the crew on OceanGate's Titan submersible came to light during public hearings held by the Coast Guard. [Microsoft will make 50 grants of $50k each in Washington state for its 50th anniversary]( Microsoft is rolling out a “50 for 50” program to mark its own 50th anniversary. [Amazon’s new back-to-office mandate fuels debate over remote work and productivity]( In his memo sent Monday notifying corporate workers about returning to the office five days per week, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy touted advantages of working in-person, citing the ability to learn, collaborate, brainstorm, and connect with colleagues more effectively. [‘The way we were’: Amazon tries to rekindle its future by rediscovering a spark from the past]( Amazon went through a one-way door against its will. Now it wants to go back. And the future of the company is at stake. [Why the former Tableau CEO just joined the board of a Zurich-based AI data analytics startup]( Seattle-based technology investor and business leader Mark Nelson, the former Tableau CEO, has joined the board of Veezoo, a company headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, that specializes in self-serve, AI-powered data analytics. [Tech Moves: Fortive SVP joins Microsoft; Pictory hires CMO; Starbucks exec retires]( Kirsten Paust, a longtime leader at publicly traded manufacturing giant Fortive, took a new job at Microsoft as a corporate vice president focusing on continuous improvement. [Microsoft unveils ‘multiplayer AI collaboration’ tool for work, trying to overcome Copilot qualms]( Microsoft is aiming to address skepticism about the value of AI in its flagship productivity applications — and justify the premium price for business users — with a new wave of features for Microsoft 365 Copilot. [Ex-Zulily employees say they didn’t receive required layoff notice or pay in new class action lawsuit]( Former employees at Seattle-based e-commerce company Zulily filed a class action lawsuit this week alleging that they did not receive adequate advance notice or pay related to widespread layoffs last year. GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [Gable.ai: Staff Software Engineer – Data]( [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](