Benefits and drawbacks of Amazon’s return to office | Microsoft revives nuclear reactor to power data centers

Group14 lands $200M to build battery materials factory | OfferUp expands to home services ADVERTISEMENT [GeekWire]( SPONSOR MESSAGE: Get your ticket for AWS re:Invent, happening Dec. 2–6 in Las Vegas: [Register now for AWS re:Invent.]( TODAY'S TOP STORIES Will working five days a week in person help Amazon operate more like a startup? “I believe it has definitely helped us in terms of moving fast, removing friction, making faster decisions, and actually removing a bunch of overhead,” says Statsig CEO Vijaye Raji, above, a former Facebook VP whose startup has been fully in the office since it was founded in 2021. But there are also some trade-offs, especially when it comes to recruiting. [Read more](. Related coverage: - [Amazon’s full return to the office will further slow Seattle’s already tough commute]( - [Amazon ‘will return to being in the office the way we were’ before the pandemic, CEO tells employees]( - [A ‘home run’ or a ‘cowardly’ decision? Amazon’s new in-person work policy elicits cheers and jeers]( - [Amazon’s new back-to-office mandate fuels debate over remote work and productivity]( Microsoft announced a 20-year deal to restart a nuclear reactor at Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island — a facility made infamous by a partial meltdown in 1979. Power demand is rising as Microsoft ramps up construction of new data centers to support increased use of artificial intelligence. [Read more](. Group14 Technologies is getting a $200 million grant from the Department of Energy to build a plant in Moses Lake, Wash., that will produce an essential ingredient for its next-generation battery materials. [Read more](. An OceanGate mission specialist who served as a volunteer on the Titan submersible's last mission is asking the investigators of last year's tragedy to safeguard citizen science. Plus: Details emerge about an earlier Titan dive that had a topsy-turvy ending. [Read more](. OfferUp is expanding beyond used goods, partnering with Thumbtack to host a home services marketplace. [Read more](. Jeff Bezos reviews fiancée Lauren Sanchez’s new children’s book: Nothing like a 5-star Amazon review on your new book from the guy who created the company. [Read more](. AI and education: A University of Washington program landed a $10 million grant to support the launch of a new center that will focus on developing teaching tools that use generative AI. [Read more](. Bellevue College is using funds from the National Science Foundation to support educators using immersive video technologies to teach students. [Read more](. Hot Links: - Nike hired a new CEO as it aims to pivot its direct-to-consumer strategy. ([Retail Dive]( - ‘We’re all adults here’: Starbucks’ new CEO told employees that they should be together as much as possible, but didn’t set a new return-to-office mandate. ([Bloomberg]( Thanks for subscribing to the GeekWire newsletter, and have a great weekend. — GeekWire Editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com; and GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop, todd@geekwire.com. SPONSOR MESSAGE [Does Compute: Available now.]( Does Compute, presented by Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science and GeekWire Studios, is a podcast exploring the ways that computer science is reshaping our world through building useful stuff that works. Check out Episode 4 of Does Compute to hear from Carnegie Mellon University alum Priya Donti as she discusses how artificial intelligence and machine learning impact efforts to address climate change. [Watch now.]( LATEST HEADLINES [Jeff Bezos is starry eyed on Amazon with glowing review of fiancée’s children’s book about space]( [OceanGate client recalls how Titan sub got tangled up in Titanic wreckage during dive]( [Twelve lands $645M to finish building sustainable aviation fuel facility in Washington state]( [Microsoft signs deal to revive Three Mile Island nuclear reactor to help power data centers]( [Educators use extended reality tech to immerse students in new learning experiences]( [Thoughts on Amazon’s full return to the office from a CEO who knows the value — and the trade-offs]( [Group14 lands $200M grant to build factory to make key ingredient for battery materials]( [Univ. of Washington lands $10M grant to launch a new center developing gen AI teaching tools]( [Titanic traveler delivers a tearful plea for citizen science at OceanGate sub hearing]( 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](