This week on the GeekWire Podcast: Why is Amazon laying off 14,000 people in the midst of an AI boom? (And is it really a boom?) We analyze the current moment in Seattle tech, digging into Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s “startup” reasoning and debating the underpinnings of the AI frenzy. Then, we take on the concept of Cascadia high-speed rail: a necessary connector or a misguided project?
Related headlines from the week
Amazon layoffs
- Amazon confirms 14,000 job cuts, says push for ‘efficiency gains’ will continue into 2026
- A tale of two Seattles in the age of AI: Harsh realities and new hope for the tech community
- Filing: Amazon cuts more than 2,300 jobs in Washington state as part of broader layoffs
- Amazon layoffs hit software engineers hardest in Washington
- Amazon layoffs reaction: ‘Thought I was a top performer but guess I’m expendable’
- Amazon CEO says massive corporate layoffs were about agility — not AI or cost-cutting
Amazon earnings
- Amazon stock soars 11% after topping Q3 estimates with $180B in revenue, $21B in profits
- Amazon’s Anthropic investment boosts its quarterly profits by $9.5B
- ‘Big Beautiful’ tax benefit: Amazon and other tech giants reap the rewards of new law, for now
Microsoft Azure, earnings and OpenAI
- Microsoft’s Azure reports cloud outage, disrupting global customers including Alaska Airlines
- Microsoft beats expectations, reports nearly $35B in Q1 capital spending amid Azure outage
- Microsoft gets 27% stake in OpenAI, and a $250B Azure commitment
Seattle-Portland-Vancouver
- Slowly but surely, high-speed rail backers believe Cascadia mega-project will become a reality
- Cascadia’s AI paradox: A world-leading opportunity threatened by rising costs and a talent crunch
- The ‘enormous barrier’ that threatens economic growth in the Pacific Northwest
- Beta’s unique electric airplane flies into Seattle to wow state officials and aviation experts
With GeekWire co-founders John Cook and Todd Bishop
