Smartsheet agrees to $8.4B private equity deal | Microsoft reveals new citation feature for AI responses

Paul Allen’s foundation gives $9M to boost downtown Seattle | Top ideas at AI Tinkerers’ hackathon 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 Smartsheet going private again: The enterprise software giant announced Tuesday that it agreed to be acquired for $8.4 billion in a private equity deal. Smartsheet, founded out of a small house in Kirkland, Wash., in 2005, went public in 2018. We dug into our archives and recalled how a crucial pivot related to software design early in its journey helped Smartsheet find big success. [Read more](. Above: Smartsheet CEO Mark Mader at the GeekWire Awards in 2016, when the company won the “Next Tech Titan” award. Under the AI hood: Microsoft announced a series of artificial intelligence security, privacy and transparency capabilities, including a new feature in its Copilot AI chatbot designed to give more visibility into the components of AI responses. [Read more](. Paul Allen is still supporting Seattle arts. Nearly six years after the death of the Microsoft co-founder, his philanthropic legacy continues to impact culture in the city. The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, led by his sister Jody Allen, announced Tuesday that it’s giving $9 million to a variety of nonprofit organizations in another bid to help reenergize the city’s core. [Read more](. - Meanwhile, a newly discovered species of shark has been named for Paul Allen. The name Sphyrna alleni, for a hammerhead shark found in the waters off Belize, serves as a nod to Allen’s backing of the Global Finprint project and his shark conservation efforts. [Read more.]( OceanGate's former director of engineering said he quit the company, just months before the loss of the Titan sub and its crew, because financial worries were overshadowing safety concerns. Plus: The Coast Guard releases more video and a telling transcript. [Read more](. The winning ideas at AI Tinkerers’ hackathon in Seattle include a personalized nutrition insights tool and AI that grades inbound sales leads. [Read more](. Seattle-based freight fintech startup Outgo said it raised $15 million in a previously undisclosed investment round that included Jeff Bezos’ venture capital firm. [Read more](. Amazon aiding Amazon: The Seattle tech giant is buying carbon removal credits that will protect a portion of the Brazilian rainforest. [Read more](. Hot Links: - Amazon’s Rohit Prasad, one of the chief architects of Alexa, is leading the company’s efforts to catch up in the AI race. ([The Wall Street Journal]( - What makes Costco so successful? Maveron co-founder Dan Levitan shares lessons learned from a day with the retail giant. ([LinkedIn]( - Li-Chen Miller was at Microsoft when she purchased a pair of Meta's smart glasses in 2021. She sent a critique to the company about the device — and now she oversees products for Meta's wearables unit. ([Bloomberg]( - AI promise or hype? OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pitches all the ways artificial intelligence will improve humanity. ([TechCrunch]( Thanks for subscribing to the GeekWire newsletter, and have a great day. — GeekWire Editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com; and GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com. SPONSOR MESSAGE [Even the best tech companies can have a change in the guard, go downhill, or see AI disrupt business plans.]( Get cash flow, diversification and stability through completely hands-off real estate investments. 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LATEST HEADLINES [Paul Allen Foundation giving $9M to boost arts and culture initiatives in downtown Seattle]( [Amazon aiding Amazon: Tech giant buys carbon credits to help save the rainforest]( [Microsoft Copilot will show the underlying web search terms that contribute to AI chat responses]( [Smartsheet to go private in $8.4 billion deal with Vista Equity Partners and Blackstone]( [Freight fintech startup Outgo raises $15M to help trucking carriers access cash quickly]( [This new Seattle marketplace startup wants to change how B2B companies scale sales]( [OceanGate’s former top engineer says cost concerns shortchanged Titan sub’s safety]( [The winning ideas from AI Tinkerers’ human-in-the-loop AI agent hackathon in Seattle]( [Washington state launches site to find climate friendly grants, rebates and tax incentives]( [New species of hammerhead shark named after Paul Allen, who funded critical research]( GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [Gable.ai: Staff Software Engineer – Data]( [FIND MORE JOBS ON GEEKWORK]( [HIRING? 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