Layoffs hit Amazon’s entertainment businesses | Textio CEO steps down

Microsoft boosts Walmart shopping tech | Adtech startup raises $9M ADVERTISEMENT [GeekWire]( SPONSOR MESSAGE: BOT or NOT? This special series explores the evolving relationship between humans and machines, examining the ways that robots, AI and automation are impacting our work and lives: [Read more.]( TODAY'S TOP STORIES Layoffs are hitting Amazon’s entertainment businesses. Twitch is cutting more than 500 positions, around 35% of its workforce, while Prime Video and MGM Studios are laying off several hundred workers. “As with many other companies in the tech space, we are now sizing our organization based upon the current scale of our business and conservative predictions of how we expect to grow in the future,” Twitch CEO Dan Clancy wrote in a memo to employees. [Read more](. - Related: Gaming giant Unity Technologies is also laying off staff, and 50 workers in Washington state were impacted. The company has an office in Bellevue, Wash. [Read more](. - See all recent layoffs impacting the Pacific Northwest tech ecosystem [with our layoff tracker](. Leadership change at Textio: CEO Kieran Snyder is handing the reins to Jensen Harris, her husband, co-founder and former chief experience officer of the Seattle augmented writing platform as she says she needs “time to recharge.” [Read more](. Can a 42-member AI task force get anything done? That was a focus of a committee hearing Wednesday morning discussing a proposed Artificial Intelligence Task Force in Washington state. [Read more.]( - Related: [AI task force to assess and report on risks]( Adtech startup raises $9M: Symbiosis, led by a former Google and Microsoft advertising exec, wants to rethink how retailers and product brands work together. Seattle-area firm Fuse led the Series A round. [Read more](. - Check out the latest startup investments [at our funding list](. Bill’s back: Famed venture capitalist and early Zillow Group investor Bill Gurley is returning to the company’s board as it navigates a slow real estate market. “There are few smarter tech product and marketplace strategists,” said Zillow CEO Rich Barton. [Read more](. - Related: A Bank of America analyst [downgraded Zillow’s stock]( citing real estate industry trends and ongoing agent commission lawsuits. Tell your story with GeekWire Studios: Looking to highlight a key customer, showcase your presence at an industry conference or spread the word about an important product launch? GeekWire Studios, the sponsored content arm of GeekWire, helps brands tell their stories. Learn how AWS, Smartsheet, BECU and other top brands tap into the power of GeekWire Studios [here]( or contact us at advertising@geekwire.com to learn more. Hot Links: - Walmart is using technology from Microsoft for new generative AI tools aimed at enhancing how customers find products on its online store. ([Microsoft blog]( - Alaska Airlines is canceling all flights on Boeing’s 737-9 MAX aircraft through Saturday, impacting 110-to-150 flights per day. ([Alaska Airlines]( - Seattle-area startup Sensoria debuted new socks designed to help golfers improve their swing. ([Sensoria]( 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 [Your Future in Cybersecurity Starts at WGU]( You can help safeguard the digital world with WGU! Our online, accredited cybersecurity degrees include key industry certs at no extra cost. You’ll have the ability to accelerate through coursework, with no set log-in times. [Learn More.]( LATEST HEADLINES [Textio CEO Kieran Snyder steps down; co-founder Jensen Harris takes over Seattle startup]( [Can a 42-member AI task force get anything done? Hearing raises questions about Wash. state plan]( [Amazon’s Twitch, Prime Video, MGM Studios units lay off hundreds]( [Astrobotic rules out soft landing on moon after propellant leak dooms its spacecraft]( [Symbiosys, an adtech startup led by former Google and Microsoft exec, raises $9M]( [Venture capitalist Bill Gurley returns to Zillow Group board]( [Latest round of Unity layoffs impacts 50 Seattle-area employees]( GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [City of Newport: Systems Administrator I or II]( - [INRIX: Lead Software Engineer, Big Data]( - [INRIX: Finance Pricing Manager]( - [City of Redlands: Network Engineer]( - [INRIX: Lead Software Engineer]( - [Dexis Professional Services: PRISM Integration SME/Engineer (Advisor-Grade 8)]( - [BRINC: Senior/Principal Backend & Platform Software Engineer]( - [City of Redlands: IT Security Analyst]( - [Submittable: Director of Engineering]( - [INRIX: Chief Revenue Office]( [FIND MORE JOBS ON GEEKWORK]( [HIRING? 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