New UW-China Institution in Bellevue Boosts Region’s Tech Standing, Diplomatic Relations

The Seattle Times | Seattle Times Editorial Board | June 18

http://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/uw-china-institution-makes-region-a-magnet-for-tech-talent-could-grow-diplomatic-relations/

“The new tech institution announced Thursday by the University of Washington, Microsoft and China’s Tsinghua University is a tremendous development for the region and its future as a global hub of entrepreneurial activity. Called the Global Innovation Exchange — or GIX — it’s a research and education facility that will eventually host more than 3,000 students from China, the United States and other countries.”

 

4 Microsoft Executives to Leave in Top-Level Shake-Up
The New York Times | Nick Wingfield | June 17
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/18/technology/4-microsoft-executives-to-leave-in-top-level-shake-up.html
“Four senior Microsoft executives, including Stephen Elop and Mark Penn, will leave the technology company in the biggest organizational shake-up yet under its chief executive, Satya Nadella. In an email sent to Microsoft employees Wednesday morning, Mr. Nadella said three of the departures were related to his decision to organize the company’s engineering efforts into three groups.

 

Amazon’s New Delivery Model: Your Neighbor?
USA Today | Elizabeth Weise | June 16
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/06/16/amazon-crowd-sourcing-delivery-uber/28830787/
“Amazon is considering a new way to solve the problem of broadening its delivery base while cutting costs, developing an Uber-like courier service using crowd-sourced drivers, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. If the service materializes, it will join both big tech companies and start-ups looking beyond established delivery services such as FedEx to cut costs and delivery times.”

 

Andreessen Horowitz Makes Case Against Tech Bubble Talk
Silicon Valley Business Journal | Cromwell Schubarth | June 16
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/blog/techflash/2015/06/andreessen-horowitz-makes-case-against-tech-bubble.html
“There has been a lot of debate about whether a new tech bubble has formed in the past couple of years, but the investors at Andreessen Horowitz aren’t buying it. In a presentation to its big investors, the Menlo Park firm co-founded by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz argued that this time it really is different. We aren’t watching a replay of previous booms and busts in the sector, they said, particularly not another dotcom meltdown.”

 

Gigabit Internet Access for $45 a Month: How Seattle Could Make it Happen
Geekwire | Todd Bishop & Taylor Soper | June 15
http://www.geekwire.com/2015/gigabit-internet-service-for-45month-how-seattle-could-make-it-happen/
“There is a way for Seattle’s residents to give themselves gigabit Internet service for $45/month. But as with most things in the world of telecom, there’s also a catch. The approach would require voters to approve a major new property tax.”

 

This Tech Giant Taught 3,000 Kids to Build Robots in a Year

Wired | Issie Lapowsky | June 15

http://www.wired.com/2015/06/qualcomm-thinkabit/

“There are plenty of ways to promote diversity in tech, and over the last year, tech companies, now acutely aware of the lack of women and minorities in their ranks, have started exploring many of them. For some, like Intel, it involves creating a $125 million fund to invest in startups with diverse founders. For others, like Google, it involves partnering with organizations like the Anita Borg Institute to attract more women to its annual developer conference. For Qualcomm, the wireless technology company based in San Diego, it involves approximately a dozen beanbag chairs, a few whiteboards, a handful of IKEA tables, and lots and lots of props. These are the makings of Thinkabit Labs, a mini-school within Qualcomm’s headquarters that launched last year.”