Latest on turmoil at Zulily | Amazon reveals secret about Project Kuiper satellites

Slalom moving Seattle HQ | Spendy and slow Tesla repairs frustrate drivers ADVERTISEMENT [GeekWire]( SPONSOR MESSAGE: Calgary's thriving tech ecosystem offers more than just opportunity: [See why Calgary is your next tech destination.]( TODAY'S TOP STORIES Latest on Zulily turmoil: The online retailer surprised some employees on Wednesday, notifying them that it was their last day at the company. Zulily submitted filings last week with state employment officials and said it planned to lay off workers starting Feb. 7 of next year. One affected employee described Wednesday’s move as “infuriating.” [Read more](. Amazon reveals secret about Project Kuiper satellites: Ending years of speculation, Amazon acknowledged that the satellites are equipped with lasers for optical inter-satellite links, designed to create a high-speed mesh network in space — and says the system has been successfully tested in orbit. SpaceX's Starlink satellites are already using lasers for similar purposes. [Read more](. Spendy and slow repairs frustrate Tesla drivers: Some consumers are wondering if they should tap the brakes on electric vehicle purchases, or if crash repair worries are overblown. [Read more](. Slalom moving Seattle HQ to new nest: The business and technology firm is taking over multiple floors and putting its name on “Slalom Hawk Tower” near Lumen Field. The building was previously “Avalara Hawk Tower,” after the sales tax automation company. [Read more.]( Seattle startup LevelTen Energy, Microsoft, Google, and two clean energy companies are partnering to create a marketplace to help groups with climate pledges reach their ambitious goals. [Read more](. Microsoft secured a court order to seize and take down websites used by a group that it describes as the “number one seller and creator of fraudulent Microsoft accounts,” which deployed bots capable of tricking the CAPTCHA systems normally used to confirm that humans are creating accounts. [Read more](. Tech Moves: PNNL leader Joseph Williams is returning to the Washington state Department of Commerce; longtime Seattle-area communications exec and startup founder Bill Hankes is leaving Forbes; [and more key personnel changes](. Startup fundings: - [Lessen Peak lands $6M:]( Bellevue, Wash.-based startup is developing a handheld device for detecting concealed weapons, for use by law enforcement. - [Parse Biosciences raises $50M:]( The Seattle biotech startup is developing single cell sequencing products used by more than 1,000 labs worldwide. - See all recent Pacific Northwest startup investments [at our recent fundings list](. Hot Links: - Jeff Bezos talks space exploration, Blue Origin, the early days of Amazon and much more in a 2-hour podcast discussion with Lex Fridman. ([YouTube]( - Generative AI predictions for 2024: Madrona Venture Group’s Matt McIlwain says there will be a maturing of the market and moving beyond experimentation. ([Madrona]( - “If you’re not pairing up with ChatGPT and Bard for your programming, you’re already falling behind,” says heyLibby.ai co-founder and CTO Anna Rodriguez. ([LinkedIn]( - To demystify artificial intelligence, experts at Microsoft offer up nine tips on how to maximize its use in our everyday lives. ([Teen Vogue]( - University of Washington researchers found that Seattle metro residents near Amazon delivery stations are exposed to more delivery truck pollution but they order fewer packages. ([UW News]( Thanks for [subscribing]( to the GeekWire newsletter, and have a great day. — GeekWire managing editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com; and GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com. SPONSOR MESSAGE [Build what’s next in Canada’s most adventurous tech city.]( Calgary is gaining global recognition as the place where visionaries have a global impact. Here you’ll find a community that works together to tackle global challenges. With Calgary ranking among the Top 60 emerging startup ecosystems globally in 2023, there’s no wonder Calgary stands tall as a city of boundless opportunity. [Discover the limitless possibilities.]( LATEST HEADLINES [Slalom moving its HQ and name to ‘Hawk Tower’ near Seattle sports stadiums]( [High-tech pat-downs: Startup lands $6M to develop handheld device for detecting concealed weapons]( [Amazon reveals a secret about its Project Kuiper satellites: They’re using laser links]( [Microsoft, Google, others partner with LevelTen to create first marketplace for 24/7 clean energy]( [Parse Biosciences raises $50M for single cell sequencing tech]( [‘Just infuriating’: Online retailer Zulily flip-flops, now plans to lay off employees amid holidays]( [Microsoft targets CAPTCHA-cracking bot ring allegedly responsible for 750M fake accounts]( [Amazon brings back ability to use Alexa to thank and tip delivery drivers during holiday rush]( [Spendy and slow Tesla repairs frustrate drivers as automotive tech drives up cost of collisions]( [Tech Moves: PNNL director returns to Wash. 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