Amazon’s bizarre bazaar: Strange final chapter for tech giant’s first bricks-and-mortar bookstore

Legislation targeting NDAs passes | Amazon acquires UK retail tech company ADVERTISEMENT [GeekWire]( SPONSOR MESSAGE: Nominations are open for the 2022 GeekWire Awards: [Submit nominations now for the 2022 GeekWire Awards, taking place May 12th at the Showbox Sodo in Seattle.]( TODAY'S TOP STORIES Strange final chapter for Amazon Books: The store at Seattle’s University Village shopping mall ushered in Amazon's move into bricks-and-mortar retail more than six years ago. And while you can still find books at Amazon Books, the name is a bit of a misnomer as the tech giant gets set to close up shop. GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop found a cacophony of commerce, with a random array of products that made it feel like a bookstore subsumed by a variety store. [Read the story.]( Amazon acquires retail tech company: UK-based Veeqo offers inventory and fulfillment tools for e-commerce sellers on Amazon.com and other platforms. The acquisition continues a trend of Amazon building out its e-commerce infrastructure beyond its core platform. [Read more.]( 'Silenced No More' Act passes: Landmark legislation that will drastically curtail tech companies’ ability to stop employees from talking about mistreatment [is headed to the governor’s desk in Washington state](. Tech Moves: Seattle's Burke Museum selects a new executive director; Boundless Immigration hires VP of product; more changes across PNW tech.]( Voice for football on Amazon Prime? ESPN football analyst Kirk Herbstreit is reportedly Amazon’s choice to [work the booth for “Thursday Night Football.”]( In case you missed it: We spoke with cloud computing experts and analysts about how and if U.S. tech giants will cut off access to Russian companies using their cloud computing services. [Read more](. GeekWire Podcast: Our latest episode features former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who talks about the State of the Union in Numbers report published by USAFacts, the non-profit organization he founded in 2017. We also discuss trends he’s watching in tech, the future of the in-person sports experience, and his philanthropic initiatives with his wife Connie through their Ballmer Group in areas including homelessness and education. [Listen and read highlights here](. Thanks for reading, and have a great week. — GeekWire Managing Editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com, and GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com. SPONSOR MESSAGE [How the world’s best companies onboard their customers]( Help your team focus on building a great product, not cleaning customer spreadsheets. Integrate the leading data onboarding platform and solve the most critical stage of onboarding while providing a delightful experience for your customers. [Learn more!]( LATEST HEADLINES [Amazon quietly buys another multichannel retail technology company, UK-based Veeqo]( [Tech Moves: Burke Museum appoints executive director; Boundless names product VP; and more]( [Report: Amazon picks college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit for ‘Thursday Night Football’ booth]( [‘Silenced No More’ bill targeting NDAs used by tech companies passes in Washington state]( [Amazon’s bizarre bazaar: Strange final chapter for tech giant’s first bricks-and-mortar bookstore]( SPONSORED: GEEK REAL ESTATE [Newly Priced, Must-See 30th Floor View Residence in Downtown Seattle!]( [Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Feb. 27, 2022]( GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [CIA: Data Scientist]( - [Hazel Analytics: Digital Marketing Specialist]( - [INRIX: Director of Engineering – Geospatial Platform]( - [Hazel Analytics: Product Manager]( - [Flyhomes: Director of Infrastructure]( - [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: Data Engineer III]( - [City of Gresham: Technical Support Specialist]( - [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: UI Software Engineer – III]( - [4Culture: IT Manager]( - [s2s Public Relations and Communication: Science Communications Senior Advisor]( [FIND MORE JOBS ON GEEKWORK]( [HIRING? BUY A FEATURED LISTING TO APPEAR HERE]( [About GeekWire]( [Contact Us]( [Advertise]( Copyright © 2022 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](