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]( SPONSOR MESSAGE: Get the Ultimate Guide to CLM: [Transform your contracts with an end-to-end solution. Download the guide!]( THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES [Study of Microsoft employees shows how remote work puts productivity and innovation at risk]( A new study finds that Microsoft’s companywide shift to remote work has hurt communication and collaboration among different business groups inside the company, threatening employee productivity and long-term innovation. [Washington state tracks down another Asian giant hornet nest, with plans to eradicate it soon]( The Washington State Department of Agriculture said Friday that it has located a new Asian giant hornet nest — the second of 2021 — just a couple weeks after removing a sizable colony of the invasive species from a tree east of Blaine, Wash. [Microsoft President Brad Smith warns that U.S. is repeating a key Sept. 11 mistake in digital era]( Microsoft President Brad Smith says the U.S. SPONSOR MESSAGE [Conga is here for your automation transformation.]( We all know the trends that are bound to come back around — feathered haircuts, vinyl records, even in-person meetings. You know what we don’t want to see again? Manual revenue processes — from sales to proposals to signatures. We’ve outlined 7 steps to get you started. [Get the free infographic today!]( [Opendoor acquires Seattle startup Pro.com and Skylight, will shut both platforms down]( Opendoor, the online real estate giant that lets people directly buy and sell homes online, has acquired Seattle-based startup Pro.com and San Francisco-based Skylight. [Seattle startup City Pods aims to address homelessness with standalone indoor mini homes]( When COVID-19 served up a global crisis that threatened to sink his startup, Keenan O’Leary shifted his plans to help address another emergency: widespread homelessness. [Microsoft hires Google and Facebook product vet, building out ‘Teams for Life’ consumer group]( Microsoft made another key hire for a new consumer technology group on Wedneday, adding former Facebook and Google product leader Amit Fulay as vice president of product. SPONSORED: GEEK REAL ESTATE [Peaceful One Level Living in Snohomish]( [University of Washington awarded $16M for ‘third phase’ of human genome research]( University of Washington scientists will help decode how variations in DNA influence health and disease with $16 million in new funding. [Seattle-area psychedelics startup CaaMTech raises $22M to advance to human testing]( CaaMTech, a Seattle-area startup developing new psychedelic agents, has raised $22 million in funding, the company announced this week. [Bill Gates’ Cascade Investment firm buying controlling stake in Four Seasons Hotels]( Bill Gates’ Cascade Investment LLC is acquiring a controlling stake in Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the company announced Wednesday. [Robotics pioneer Yoky Matsuoka’s Panasonic venture debuts personal assistant service in Seattle]( Yoky Matsuoka is known for her pioneering work in neurorobotics, assisting humans by connecting the central nervous system to the central processing unit. [Nabisco and Nintendo team up to release limited-edition ‘Pokémon’ Oreo cookies]( The Pokémon Company, which manages the international brand operations behind the Pokémon series, announced Wednesday that it’s teamed up with Nabisco to offer a limited-edition set of Pokémon-themed Oreo cookies. [Interview: Rep. Pramila Jayapal on why her new legislation might make Amazon an illegal monopoly]( Few lawmakers have gotten Amazon’s attention like the one who hails from the company’s hometown, Rep. [BlackSky satellite data venture glides into first day of public trading after SPAC deal]( BlackSky eased into its first day of public trading on the New York Stock Exchange, clinching a blank-check merger deal that unlocked $283 million in capital. [Amazon is now selling its own branded TV sets embedded with Alexa]( Amazon unveiled its first smart TVs on Thursday. [Former Microsoft corporate vice president Phil Sorgen joins Tola Capital as venture partner]( Phil Sorgen, a former Microsoft corporate vice president who was most recently chief revenue officer at RingCentral, is joining Seattle-area investment firm Tola Capital as a venture partner. GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [HIGHSPOT: DACH Senior Implementation Consultant]( - [HIGHSPOT: Solutions Alliance Manager]( - [HIGHSPOT: Account Development Representative, DACH]( - [INRIX: Software Developer – Data Management]( - [HIGHSPOT: Director of Pricing and Packaging Strategy]( - [HIGHSPOT: Senior Backend Software Engineer, Infrastructure Platform]( - [INRIX: Director, Enterprise Sales]( - [HIGHSPOT: Services Executive]( - [HIGHSPOT: Software Development Engineer II]( - [HIGHSPOT: Support 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](