GeekWire's Most-Read Stories of the Week

Catch up on the top tech stories from this past week. Here are the headlines that people have been reading on GeekWire. ADVERTISEMENT [GeekWire]( THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES [Washington state’s ‘stay home’ order extended through May 31 — here’s the underlying data]( Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is extending the state’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order for another month, through May 31, pointing to progress in combating COVID-19 but warning that the disease will “jump right back up and bite us” if the state doesn’t remain vigilant in its efforts to slow its spread. [Coronavirus modelers raise projected U.S. death toll and lengthen state-by-state recovery timeline]( The timeline has slipped to the right and the projected death toll has trended upward in a new projection from the creators of a computer model for the U.S. coronavirus outbreak. [Amazon gives employees option to work from home until “at least” early October under new guidelines]( Amazon will give employees the option to do their jobs from home until at least early October — extending its remote work guidance by several months. SPONSOR MESSAGE [Become a member, support independent journalism!]( GeekWire members support independent journalism at a time when trusted storytelling and community engagement is more important than ever. [Join today!Â]( [Ready to return to the office? Seattle employers offer advice in Madrona’s ‘Back to Work Toolkit’]( More than 600 people signed up to hear guidance on reopening their workplaces during a Madrona Venture Group virtual event Monday afternoon, a sign of the growing interest in returning to work safely when the state starts to lift restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. [Top Seattle-area health official worries COVID-19 could spread across country as states reopen]( COVID-19 knows no borders, and as several US states start to reopen their economies following extended shutdowns, officials in Seattle and Washington state are concerned that the disease could spread further within the country. [U.S. Navy officially releases UFO videos, years after they were unofficially leaked]( The Defense Department has authorized the release of three unclassified Navy UFO videos that were leaked to the public three years ago. SPONSORED: GEEK HOME OF THE DAY [Seattle’s Premier Condominiums]( [Amazon sales rise 26% to $75B; profits plunge 30%; Bezos calls crisis ‘hardest time we’ve ever faced’]( Amazon’s net sales rose 26% to $75.5 billion in the first quarter, exceeding Wall Street’s expectations as people around the world relied on the company’s massive e-commerce infrastructure during the COVID-19 crisis. [Bill Gates says the world will need 7 billion vaccine doses to end COVID-19 pandemic]( Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says the only way to end the coronavirus pandemic for good is to offer a vaccine to almost all of the planet's 7 billion inhabitants. [Amazon tests using live video calls to vet aspiring third-party sellers, seeking to weed out fraudsters]( Amazon has been quietly piloting an “enhanced vetting” process for prospective third-party sellers on Amazon.com, supplementing the normal online submission process with video calls to verify the identities of applicants in an effort to cut down on potential fraud. [Microsoft signs Coca-Cola to 5-year cloud technology and business software deal]( Coca-Cola Co. will standardize its business operations on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, Dynamics 365 customer service software and Microsoft 365 apps such as Microsoft Teams under a five-year deal announced by the companies Monday morning. [UW researchers working on ‘flashlight-like’ device to destroy viruses and bacteria on surfaces]( University of Washington researchers are developing a “flashlight-like” gadget that would use multiple electromagnetic sources, including ultraviolet and infrared light, to destroy viruses and bacteria on surfaces more effectively than one radiation source could on its own. [Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo makes its first gliding test flight over New Mexico]( For the first time, Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane flew free in the skies over New Mexico's Spaceport America, its new base of operations. [Caution ahead: Startup report predicts venture capital drought, layoffs as COVID-19 crisis mounts]( Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. [NASA takes high-school student’s suggestion and gives Mars Helicopter a new name: Ingenuity]( Picking up on a suggestion from an Alabama high-school junior, NASA has given an ingenious name to the first helicopter destined to take flight on Mars. [NASA and SpaceX get set to make history with landmark spaceflight during pandemic]( Everything is in readiness for the first mission to send humans into orbit from U.S. soil since 2011 – including the masks that will be worn in Mission Control. GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [Compete To Create: Technical Lead / Principal Software Engineer]( - [ALLEN INSTITUTE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI2): CTO-in-Residence // Co-Founder]( - [ALLEN INSTITUTE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI2): Deep Learning Engineer // Co-Founder]( - [ALLEN INSTITUTE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI2): Technical Co-Founder // CTO (Stealth Startup)]( [FIND MORE JOBS ON GEEKWORK]( [HIRING? BUY A FEATURED LISTING TO APPEAR HERE]( [About GeekWire]( [Contact Us]( [Advertise]( Copyright © 2020 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](