Amazon Alexa chief departs | Whole Foods deal could face Congressional challenge | Love letter to Windows Phone | Testing Microsoft’s AI for iPhone

Read the latest tech headlines from GeekWire [View this email in your browser](. [83c70c80-cefc-43e4-9cc7-74e048a5ee95.png]( July 14, 2017 [Top Stories]( [Find a Job]( [GeekWire Events]( [GeekWire 200]( [Become a Member]( T-Mobile Hiring Event – 7/27 [Meet your next career move. Sign up at uncarriercareers.com/GW]( Today's top stories [Alitheon’s ID system and Sleepbox’s nap pods make a splash in Airport Shark Tank]( By Alan Boyle This year's Airport Shark Tank cast a spotlight on Alitheon's tamper-proof identification system and Sleepbox's pay-by-the-hour sleeping pods. [A love letter to my Windows Phone, which I still miss 5 years later]( By Nat Levy This week, Microsoft ended support for Windows 8.1, or the final operating system tied to the glorious failure that was the Windows Phone. Sponsored Post [Hughes Marino Corporate Real Estate Advisors Now in Seattle]( We are thrilled to now be in Seattle. As national award-winning corporate real estate advisors, we do business differently, working only with tenants and buyers, never landlords. With no conflicts, you can be sure that the only interests we have in mind are yours. If your business is ready to renegotiate a lease, find a new space, buy or build, we’re here to help. [Read More]( [Amazon Web Services rolls out new instances for customers that need high-performance graphics]( By Tom Krazit Graphic artists and industrial designers have some new tools to play with from Amazon Web Services, with the upgrade of its G3 instances to Nvidia’s Tesla M60 chips. [Prime shape: Buff Bezos flexes his muscles at elite Sun Valley getaway]( By Monica Nickelsburg Embed from Getty Images Maybe Amazon’s signature catchphrase is helping CEO Jeff Bezos stay motivated at the gym. Home of the Week - Sponsored Post [Hamptons Luxury on Lake Washington]( Chic Hamptons style meets Pacific Northwest grandeur in this superbly appointed home situated in the most desirable waterfront location on Mercer Island. Upon entering the foyer be prepared to be awestruck by the soaring 24’ ceiling, endless views, and elegant staircase. With exquisite custom finishes,… [Self-driving car arrives in Seattle after 2,500-mile autonomous cross-country trip]( By Taylor Soper Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is already seeing results of his new executive order that encourages self-driving technology testing. [Congressman calls for hearing on Amazon’s $13.7B bid for Whole Foods, says deal could impact neighborhood grocery stores]( By John Cook A U.S. Congressman who serves as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee is calling for a hearing on Amazon.com’s proposed $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods, saying that the deal could negatively impact neighborhood grocery stores, decrease wages for Americans and drive food prices up. [Talking tech with Sue Bird, who will play in her record-tying 10th WNBA All Star Game]( By Taylor Soper Sue Bird will set yet another record next weekend in Seattle. [Seemingly strange radio signals from a red dwarf star spark interest at Arecibo]( By Alan Boyle The Arecibo Observatory will take a closer look at a red dwarf star known as Ross 128 after picking up what one astronomer called "very peculiar signals." [Planetary Resources’ asteroid miners cheer Luxembourg law on space property]( By Alan Boyle Lawmakers in the tiny European country of Luxembourg have approved a measure affirming that space resources can be privately owned. [Amazon Alexa and Echo chief Mike George is leaving after nearly two decades with the company]( By Todd Bishop Mike George, the Amazon vice president who oversaw two of the company’s most successful products — the Alexa virtual assistant and Echo smart devices — is leaving after nearly two decades with the Seattle-based tech giant. [Startup Spotlight: Online retailer Fuchsia helps cottage industry artisans get in front of consumers]( By Monica Nickelsburg Unlike most online retailers, Seattle-based Fuchsia describes itself as “anti-mass production.” The one-year-old company uses technology to help artisans in the developing world reach a broader global audience. [Testing Microsoft’s new AI for iPhone: Can this app really detect our ages and sense our moods?]( By Todd Bishop Microsoft released a new app called Seeing AI for the iPhone this week. [Amazon Web Services drops controversial patent clause from standard user agreement]( By Tom Krazit Amazon Web Services has quietly dropped a controversial provision from its user agreement that essentially forced customers to agree that they could never file a patent infringement lawsuit against the public cloud vendor. [Microsoft and Puget Sound Energy get OK for clean-energy deal to help power software giant’s campus]( By Kurt Schlosser A deal allowing Microsoft to directly purchase clean energy to power its Redmond, Wash., headquarters campus has been approved by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC). [Alder BioPharmaceuticals aims to raise $150M to continue developing migraine prevention drug]( By Nat Levy Alder BioPharmaceuticals is looking to raise approximately $150 million by selling off stock in order to continue work on a migraine prevention treatment called eptinezumab, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing today. [Nordstrom website issues frustrate shoppers looking for early access to anniversary sale]( By Kurt Schlosser Nordstrom promised online shoppers early access to its annual anniversary sale on Thursday, but many folks found a frustrating experience rather than deals as the Seattle-based retailer’s website suffered technical difficulties for hours. [Tech Moves: Boeing makes leadership changes to focus on quality; Smartsheet adds founding Salesforce investor to board; and more]( By Clare McGrane Boeing announced a structural reorganization this week to combine its safety, quality and manufacturing processes into one division, bringing several leadership changes along for the ride. [GeekWire Calendar Picks: Women’s Startup Hackathon, Great American Eclipses, and more]( By Clare McGrane Diversity — or lack thereof — in the tech and startup worlds is a persistent problem. [Moz founder Rand Fishkin to step away from day-to-day operations, will remain chairman]( By Taylor Soper More than 16 years after launching Moz, Rand Fishkin is ready for his next adventure. 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