Isilon founder lifts hood on weed-zapping startup | Microsoft unveils Surface Laptop 4

Seattle tunnel machine named after band | Vote for Workplace of the Year ADVERTISEMENT [GeekWire]( SPONSOR MESSAGE: The GeekWire Awards return May 20, 2021: [Celebrate the Pacific Northwest's leading innovators, entrepreneurs and technologists at one of the most-anticipated tech events. Register today!]( TODAY'S TOP STORIES Weed-zapping startup: Carbon Robotics, a Seattle company led by Isilon Systems co-founder Paul Mikesell, [just unveiled its self-driving robot]( that uses artificial intelligence to identify weeds growing in fields of vegetables, then zaps them with precision thermal bursts from lasers. The startup, previously known as Maka Autonomous Robots, holds the promise of reducing the cost of growing organic vegetables. New Microsoft devices: The Surface Laptop 4 and Surface Headphones 2+ — with a dedicated button for Microsoft Teams — are part of the company’s new products “built to enable inclusive hybrid work environments.” [Read more](. “M&A warpath”: Microsoft is staying busy on the acquisition front, highlighted by [its announcement Monday]( to acquire Nuance Communications for nearly $20 billion. It follows the purchase of ZeniMax Media last month for $7.5 billion and analysts say more deals will likely follow. The shopping spree strategy seems to have gained the attention of the entire tech universe with one notable exception: federal regulators. [Read more](. Seattle tunnel machine ready to rock: Talk about an underground music scene. The giant tunnel boring machine that will cut a path beneath Seattle for the city’s Ship Canal Water Quality Project [has been named “Mudhoney” after the longtime grunge band](. Vote for Workplace of the Year: The nominees in this new GeekWire Awards category display attributes which go beyond ping-pong tables, kegs of kombucha and other staples of tech startup life. [Learn more about their culture, cast your vote and register for the event.]( Latest bright idea from Wyze: The Seattle smart home startup is releasing a new floor lamp and shining a bit of light on the busy past 12 months. [Read more](. Meet Mike Lewis: Our newest GeekWire reporter owns a dive bar and earned the moniker of Seattle’s Storyteller as a columnist at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. [Learn more about Mike](. Thanks for reading, and see all our latest headlines below. — GeekWire Managing Editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com, and GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com. SPONSOR MESSAGE [The GeekWire Awards return May 20, 2021!]( GeekWire’s annual celebration of the Pacific Northwest technology community is coming up on Thursday, May 20th via live stream. [Register today!]( LATEST HEADLINES [Seattle smart home startup Wyze releases new floor lamp and shines light on busy year]( [GeekWire Awards 2021: Check out the 5 finalists for Workplace of the Year]( [Microsoft unveils Surface Laptop 4 and Surface Headphones 2+ with a Microsoft Teams button]( [Why Microsoft’s shopping spree and lack of regulatory attention isn’t entirely a coincidence]( [Isilon founder lifts the hood on farming startup Carbon Robotics and its weed zapping machine]( SPONSORED: GEEK REAL ESTATE [Edwin Ivey Classic Colonial in Washington Park]( [Amazon expanding ‘upskill’ training for software developer roles to workers outside of company]( [‘Rivals of Aether’ creator unveils ‘genre-defining’ Aether Studios in Seattle]( [Rock fans dig deep for Mudhoney and vote to name Seattle tunnel machine after longtime band]( [Meet Mike Lewis, a longtime Seattle journalist and GeekWire’s newest reporter]( GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [Icertis: Director, Integrated Marketing]( - [TrueBlue, Inc.: Director, Oracle Cloud Applicaations]( - [INRIX: Chief Accounting Officer]( - [GeekWire: GeekWire Technology and Business Reporter]( - [INRIX: HR Generalist]( - [Amazon: Principal Program Manager, Finance Operations – Physical Stores Procure-to-Pay Technology]( - [Horry-Georgetown Technical College: Banner Developer]( - [Symetra: Software Developer]( - [INRIX: Legal Contracts Manager]( - [Symetra: Sr. Security Engineer]( [FIND MORE JOBS ON GEEKWORK]( [HIRING? BUY A FEATURED LISTING TO APPEAR HERE]( [About GeekWire]( [Contact Us]( [Advertise]( Copyright © 2021 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](