Tom Alberg, 1940 - 2022: Early Amazon investor was a champion of Pacific Northwest tech

The state of the tech economy | Seattle techie leads venture arm at Christie’s ADVERTISEMENT [GeekWire]( SPONSOR MESSAGE: Bring people back to the office with Deskbee: [Having the right workplace management technology at your side in this moment of uncertainty makes all the difference. Schedule a demo today!]( TODAY'S TOP STORIES Tom Alberg, 1940 - 2022: Tom Alberg, a Seattle business and civic leader who played an instrumental role in the creation of industries ranging from e-commerce to wireless communications, died peacefully at his home on Friday. He was 82. An investor, lawyer, and champion of Pacific Northwest tech, Alberg was known nationally for his early investment in Amazon and his longtime role on the company’s board. But in his beloved hometown of Seattle, his legacy extends far beyond helping to launch one of the most influential companies in the world. Alberg was a prominent lawyer for aerospace and tech companies, and executive vice president of McCaw Cellular Communications, a groundbreaking telecom company. He co-founded Madrona Venture Group, a venture capital powerhouse that has fueled the growth of some of the region's best-known tech companies. He was central in the creation of the Alliance of Angels, helping to give countless early stage startups a chance at long-term success. Through it all, Alberg developed a reputation as a visionary, a key behind-the-scenes player in regional business and civic initiatives, a humble mover-and-shaker who was optimistic by nature and animated by the promise of the future. [Read more about Alberg’s life and impact on Seattle, and the world](. The state of the tech economy: This week on the GeekWire Podcast we analyze recent earnings calls of Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft to better understand how the companies are responding to economic uncertainty. [Read our takeaways and listen to the episode here](. Seattle techie leads venture arm at Christie’s: Devang Thakkar, a tech veteran and former exec at Better.com and Artsy, recently joined the legendary auction house to head up its new venture capital business. [We spoke to Thakkar]( about the intersection of tech and art; the state of the NFT market; and more. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend. — GeekWire managing editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com. SPONSOR MESSAGE [Hybrid workplaces present many challenges]( Companies returning to the office are wondering how they will: Manage daily occupancy, ensure employees have what they need, maintain a healthy and safe work environment, book workspaces and meeting rooms while determining the optimal workspace of tomorrow. Deskbee solves these concerns and much more…. That’s why over 300 global brands use Deskbee to manage their flexible workplaces. [Schedule a demo and see how Deskbee can help.]( LATEST HEADLINES [Tom Alberg, 1940-2022: Early Amazon investor was a champion of Pacific Northwest tech]( [The state of the tech economy: Takeaways from Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta and Alphabet]( [Meet the Seattle techie picked to lead a new venture arm at iconic auction house Christie’s]( GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [THOR Industries: Director of Digital Customer Experience]( - [INRIX: Full Stack Software Engineer]( - [Resolution Bioscience, a part of Agilent: Sr. DevOps Engineer]( - [Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center: Director of Design]( - [INRIX: Senior Frontend Engineer]( - [INRIX: Technical Program Manager]( - [United Way of King County: Web Developer & UX Strategist]( - [INRIX: Senior Software Engineer]( [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](