Microsoft's reset, a new era for Seattle startups, and how AI is changing everything for founders
GeekWire
GeekWire
4.8 • 128 Ratings
🗓️ 11 July 2026
⏱️ 41 minutes
🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this week's show, we're out on the GeekWire deck for our annual founder open house, where we dig into Microsoft's latest round of layoffs — including a major Xbox shakeup — and the surprising rise of hardware companies on the GeekWire 200.
Then we sit down with four guests to talk about how AI is reshaping how they build:
- Jana Schuster of StackIQ, whose AI-native platform helps companies find redundancy in their software spending — like Rocket Money, but for business — with a small team.
- Blake Resnick and David Benowitz of Brinc Drones, whose mechanical engineers are now vibe coding their own prototypes;
- Boaz Ashkenazy of Shift AI, who's setting up always-on agents and rethinking how we interact with AI tools.
Finally, the GeekWire Trivia Challenge: how a longtime T-Mobile executive got his start in the wireless business, and the star-studded history of T-Mobile celebrity endorsers.
Stories mentioned:
- Microsoft cuts 4,800 jobs, about 2% globally, revamps salesforce and launches massive Xbox overhaul
- GeekWire 200 update: New unicorns and a hardware surge remake our list of top Pacific NW startups
- Former GitHub CEO's startup Entire unveils its answer to the crush of AI coding agents
- Chicago software company plants flag in Seattle area as new leadership team seeks AI talent
- T-Mobile exec Mike Katz exits after 28 years, as carrier reshuffles top ranks and taps ex-AT&T leader
With Todd Bishop and John Cook. Edited by Curt Milton.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Billy Bob Thornton. |
| 0:01.8 | Billy Bob Thornton. |
| 0:03.0 | Is he AT&T or is he T-Mobile? No, he's T-Mobile. He's definitely T-Mobile. He's out in the boonies talking to his friend and bragging about it. I know that commercial. Yeah, that's... I know that's interesting. You didn't know if it was AT&T or T-Mobile, though. Most definitely T-Mobile. Okay. I'm going to question you on that. |
| 0:20.4 | No, no, it's right. |
| 0:21.1 | I'm totally right. |
| 0:26.4 | Hi, and welcome to Geekwire. I'm Geekwire co-founder Todd Bishop. |
| 0:29.5 | And I'm Geekwire co-founder John Cook. |
| 0:31.1 | We are coming to you from Seattle, where we get to report each week about what's happening around us in business, technology, and innovation. |
| 0:37.3 | What happens here matters everywhere and every week on this show. We get to talk about some of the most interesting and important stories and trends in the news. And John, this week we're not just in Seattle. We're not just in Fremont. We are out on the deck, man. It's summer in Seattle. What a great spot. Great to see out here. Absolutely. It's good to have you back in town. I know you were out of town for the 4th of July. I'm going to do a selfie, Todd. Okay, here we go. There you go. So people can know where we're hanging out. I'll post that in the show notes. There you go. Great, great radio here. So we are having a party out here on the deck. what exactly are we doing this afternoon? Well, this is our annual |
| 1:11.0 | founder, Open House. So we're having a bunch of startup founders from across the greater |
| 1:16.0 | Pacific Northwest Tech community to come out. We've got about 100 folks planning to come out and just |
| 1:20.4 | shoot the breeze and enjoy summer in Seattle. The float planes buzzing overhead, the beautiful |
| 1:26.5 | ships going through the ship canal, the bikers on the |
| 1:29.2 | Burke Gilman Trail. It's really a celebration of Seattle summer. Usually we record inside, |
| 1:35.1 | and when we do, we tend to stop for the Kenmore airplanes as they go overhead. And this time, |
| 1:40.1 | John, in the spirit of just being in the environment and being outdoors, I think we're just going to run with this. |
| 1:46.3 | Let's just roll with it. We'll see what other oddity noises we hear here in the center of the universe of Fremont. |
| 1:52.8 | So coming up on the show, I'm actually going to take advantage of the fact that we have some of the top leaders of the Seattle tech community out here on our deck |
| 2:02.1 | to talk to them for the show, to get their opinions. |
| 2:05.0 | And you know, John, I know some people, I understand, are sick of hearing about AI. |
| 2:11.5 | But I'm going to double down on this show because that's... |
| 2:14.6 | Because you just love it. |
... |
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