Here are a few thoughts after listening to the Microsoft earnings conference call. The software giant announced 1,400 layoffs today, with up to 5,000 positions being eliminated over the next 18 months, mostly at its Redmond, WA headquarters. (The company’s New England operations will not be directly affected, according to a Microsoft spokesperson we contacted; … Continue reading “Largest Layoff in Microsoft History Raises Questions”
Author: Gregory T. Huang
Greg is a veteran journalist who has covered a wide range of science, technology, and business. As former editor in chief, he overaw daily news, features, and events across Xconomy's national network. Before joining Xconomy, he was a features editor at New Scientist magazine, where he edited and wrote articles on physics, technology, and neuroscience. Previously he was senior writer at Technology Review, where he reported on emerging technologies, R&D, and advances in computing, robotics, and applied physics. His writing has also appeared in Wired, Nature, and The Atlantic Monthly’s website. He was named a New York Times professional fellow in 2003.
Greg is the co-author of Guanxi (Simon & Schuster, 2006), about Microsoft in China and the global competition for talent and technology. Before becoming a journalist, he did research at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. He has published 20 papers in scientific journals and conferences and spoken on innovation at Adobe, Amazon, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft, Yahoo, and other organizations. He has a Master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Intel to Shut Down Oregon Plant
Intel announced it will stop production at its 200-mm wafer fabrication plant in Hillsboro, OR, later this year. The move is part of a plan to consolidate manufacturing and test facilities worldwide. Four other Intel plants in Santa Clara, CA, Malaysia, and the Philippines are also slated to close. The restructuring will affect between 5,000 … Continue reading “Intel to Shut Down Oregon Plant”
FriendlyFavor Rolls Out Request Tool for Social Networks
Want to ask your network of friends and colleagues for advice on where to stay when you’re traveling? Or maybe you want to offer recommendations for a local electrician, dentist, or specialty food shop. You could do it all by e-mail, or through existing social networks like Facebook. But dealing with such requests and recommendations … Continue reading “FriendlyFavor Rolls Out Request Tool for Social Networks”
Philips Closes Auburn Center, Lays Off 96
Philips Electronics North America is laying off 96 employees at its supply chain solution center in Auburn, WA, according to a notice from Washington State’s Employment Security Department. The staff cuts are effective on March 20, 2009, when the facility will shut down.
Tableau Boasts Record Sales, New Customers
Seattle data-visualization firm Tableau Software announced its 16th consecutive quarter of record sales, and a host of new customers acquired in the last three months of 2008. Tableau’s new customers include AAA Allied Group, Active Network, Mitel Networks, the University of Texas at El Paso, and U.S. Auto Parts.
Madrona Leads $1.5M Investment in PetraVM to Make Software Cheaper, More Reliable
The Seattle-based VC firm Madrona Venture Group has led a seed investment in a University of Washington startup called PetraVM. The deal is worth $1.5 million, and includes investment from Seattle-based WRF Capital. Founded by professors Mark Oskin and Luis Ceze of the UW’s computer science and engineering department, PetraVM is out to improve the … Continue reading “Madrona Leads $1.5M Investment in PetraVM to Make Software Cheaper, More Reliable”
ThePlatform Signs Aussie Deal
ThePlatform, a Seattle-based online video firm, announced it has partnered with the Australian publisher News Digital Media to manage video across 50 sites, including The Australian, news.com.au, and Vogue.com.au. ThePlatform is an independent subsidiary of Comcast.
Northwest Venture Deals Down in Fourth Quarter of 2008—But Still a Few Good Ones
OK, no big surprise here. In the fourth quarter of 2008, venture capital investment in Washington and Oregon fell to $142 million, down 45 percent from $260 million in the previous quarter and a 68 percent drop from $450 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. For the year, venture investment in Washington state dropped … Continue reading “Northwest Venture Deals Down in Fourth Quarter of 2008—But Still a Few Good Ones”
Microsoft Streams Obama Inauguration, Smartsheet Lands Cash, eBay Buys Positronic, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
After a gangbusters start to the year, the deal flow in the Northwest has slowed down. Most of the activity was in software last week. —Not the usual sort of deal, but Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) said its Silverlight software is being used to stream live video of today’s presidential inauguration on the organizers’ official website. … Continue reading “Microsoft Streams Obama Inauguration, Smartsheet Lands Cash, eBay Buys Positronic, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Microsoft Helps Stream Inauguration Video
Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) announced today that its Silverlight software will be used to stream live video of the official swearing-in ceremony on the Presidential Inaugural Committee website on Tuesday, January 20. The media-player software was developed in collaboration with Las Vegas, NV-based iStreamPlanet.
Loud to Delist Stock from NASDAQ
Woodinville, WA-based Loud Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LTEC]]), a pro audio and music company, has announced it is delisting its common stock from NASDAQ, effective in February. Loud cited management time and costs to maintain the listing, limited trading, and its 2008 financial results as some of the reasons for the move.
How Failure Is Viewed in the Innovation Community: Seattle Startups and VCs Weigh In
Last week, I reported that Voyager Capital managing director Erik Benson said failure is seen as a “black mark” in the Seattle innovation community—more so than in places like the San Francisco Bay Area or New England. I’ve been asking around at local startups and investment firms to see what people’s reactions are, and (if … Continue reading “How Failure Is Viewed in the Innovation Community: Seattle Startups and VCs Weigh In”
Seattle Layoff Update: Cardiac, Medio, Varolii, Vulcan, and WatchGuard Slash Jobs
Unfortunately, this is fast becoming a weekly roundup of job losses. About the only bright side is that Microsoft hasn’t announced any layoffs—yet. But the following Seattle-area companies have all confirmed significant staff cuts this week (see the updated Xconomy Seattle layoff litany here): —Cardiac Science (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CSCX]]), a maker of heart diagnostic and therapeutic … Continue reading “Seattle Layoff Update: Cardiac, Medio, Varolii, Vulcan, and WatchGuard Slash Jobs”
WTC Funds Eight Company Projects
The Seattle-based Washington Technology Center announced it has awarded $561,797 in funding to eight projects, each comprising a collaboration between a local company and a state university. The grants, which range from $30,000 to $100,000, were awarded to Applied Precision, ATS, Boeing and Heatcon Composite Systems, Enertechnix, GeoMonkey, Greenwood Technologies, Omeros, and Theo Chocolate.
VCs More Concerned About Capital than Economy, Says WTIA Report
As expected, the economic downturn is hitting venture capital hard. The top challenge for Washington state VCs for the first quarter of 2009 will be the availability of capital—ahead of the national economy and overall market growth. That’s according to the Washington Technology Industry Association’s Q1 2009 venture capital outlook survey. The quarterly survey tracks … Continue reading “VCs More Concerned About Capital than Economy, Says WTIA Report”
Smartsheet Raises $1.25M from Madrona Venture Group, Others
Bellevue, WA-based Smartsheet has raised $1.25 million in Series B funding, says co-founder and executive chairman Brent Frei, on his blog. Investors included Madrona Venture Group and Frei himself. Smartsheet makes software that companies use to manage team-based projects and track outsourced tasks, as an alternative to Excel spreadsheets, e-mail folders, and the like. Frei, … Continue reading “Smartsheet Raises $1.25M from Madrona Venture Group, Others”
SpaceShipOne Replica Arrives at Paul Allen’s Hangar
Paul Allen just got a new addition to his Flying Heritage Collection of vintage aircraft. Yesterday, the Paine Field facility in Everett, WA, held a media event in which the museum hoisted a full-scale replica of SpaceShipOne to the ceiling. Just thought Xconomy readers would be interested to see these photos (courtesy of Jennifer Bragg … Continue reading “SpaceShipOne Replica Arrives at Paul Allen’s Hangar”
Zillow, BlueKai, Smilebox Top Startup List
According to Seattle 2.0’s startup index for December, real-estate firm Zillow’s website remains tops in traffic, while online marketing startup BlueKai and creative messaging site Smilebox made strong gains to crack the top three. Other notable gains in the top 100 were made by Estately, GoGoMo, Blist, InsideTrip, ClearStay, Dashwire, and Tesly.
Smoothing Out Jittery Internet Video, Elemental Technologies Looks to Reinvent How You Watch
If you’re like most people, you’re viewing a lot more videos on your computer or mobile device these days. But say you want to watch CNN’s live coverage of the U.S. presidential inauguration next week on your BlackBerry, iPhone, or laptop. You might not be able to—or you might get a jittery, unclear picture—because of … Continue reading “Smoothing Out Jittery Internet Video, Elemental Technologies Looks to Reinvent How You Watch”
Jott Moves to Paid Model, Rolls Out New Service
Seattle-based Jott, which provides free voice-to-text services for e-mail and text messaging, announced today it is moving to a paid model effective February 2. Jott Founder and CEO John Pollard cited the economy and ad market as reasons for the move. The startup, which was founded in 2006, is also rolling out a voicemail-to-text tool … Continue reading “Jott Moves to Paid Model, Rolls Out New Service”
Positronic Purchased by eBay, Ex-Microsoft Execs Moving to Silicon Valley
The Seattle search startup Positronic has been acquired by eBay for an undisclosed sum. The news was first reported on Mary Jo Foley’s Microsoft blog last week, and was later confirmed on eBay’s company blog. It’s an interesting and somewhat sad story, as it means the departure of prominent Seattle-area tech executives, as well as … Continue reading “Positronic Purchased by eBay, Ex-Microsoft Execs Moving to Silicon Valley”
Mobui Gets Teletouch Investment
Redmond, WA-based Mobui, a mobile applications startup, has received an equity investment from Teletouch Communications, a Fort Worth, TX-based cellular services provider and retailer. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Mobui will use the funds to expand its software development and customer operations, while Teletouch gets access to Mobui’s applications being built to run … Continue reading “Mobui Gets Teletouch Investment”
Microsoft Wins Over Verizon, DTS Buys Neural Audio, ZymoGenetics Scores with Bristol-Myers, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
The first full week of 2009 was a busy one for deals in the Northwest. There were some big ones in biotech, software, mobile, and cleantech. —Luke reported Seattle-based ZymoGenetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]) has hit a “home run” with a global partnership with the drug giant Bristol-Myers Squibb, worth up to $1.1 billion, to co-develop an … Continue reading “Microsoft Wins Over Verizon, DTS Buys Neural Audio, ZymoGenetics Scores with Bristol-Myers, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Microsoft Leads $24M Investment in N-trig’s Pen and Touch Interface
N-trig, a computing-interface company based in Kfar Saba, Israel, announced today it has received $24 million in new funding from Microsoft and other investors, including Aurum Ventures, Challenger, Canaan Partners, and Evergreen Venture Partners. The money will help the company perfect its “DuoSense” digitizer, a hardware layer for touch screens that translates both pen- and … Continue reading “Microsoft Leads $24M Investment in N-trig’s Pen and Touch Interface”
MIT MBA Student: Amazon and Microsoft Are Hiring, Google and Yahoo Aren’t Yet
Want to know who’s hiring the top young business talent around town? Just ask Saleem Hussain, an MBA student from Boston. In a brutal market for tech industry jobs, he gave me a fresh perspective on the next-generation talent pool and where it’s headed, in terms of both big companies and startups. Hussain is a … Continue reading “MIT MBA Student: Amazon and Microsoft Are Hiring, Google and Yahoo Aren’t Yet”
Northwest Layoff Update: Agilent, Attachmate, Intermec, and ON Semiconductor Slash Jobs
2009 is barely a week old, and already the Washington and Oregon tech industries have seen massive new layoffs in the struggling economy. A quick recap of the latest bloodletting (see the updated Xconomy Seattle layoff litany here): —Agilent Technologies (NYSE: [[ticker:A]]) cut 120 jobs at its plant in Liberty Lake, WA. The Santa Clara, … Continue reading “Northwest Layoff Update: Agilent, Attachmate, Intermec, and ON Semiconductor Slash Jobs”
ON Semi to Close Oregon Factory
Phoenix, AZ-based ON Semiconductor, which operates a chip manufacturing plant in Gresham, OR, announced cost-reduction measures for 2009, including chip factory closures and layoffs of 10 percent of its worldwide staff, or about 1,500 jobs. The Portland Business Journal reports the Gresham plant will close for at least four weeks in the first half of … Continue reading “ON Semi to Close Oregon Factory”
AboutUs Raises $2.5M from Voyager Capital to Create Collaborative Guide to the Web
The Internet software firm AboutUs, based in Portland, OR, announced today it has raised $2.5 million in Series A funding from Seattle-based Voyager Capital. Voyager managing director Erik Benson has joined the company’s board. The deal closed the day before Thanksgiving. But the real story here is what AboutUs is trying to do, and why … Continue reading “AboutUs Raises $2.5M from Voyager Capital to Create Collaborative Guide to the Web”
Intermec Lays Off 150
Everett, WA-based Intermec (NYSE: [[ticker:IN]]), a maker of radio frequency identification and mobile computing technologies, announced today it is reducing its global workforce by 7 percent, or about 150 full-time positions. The layoffs will be mostly in sales, general, and administrative areas, and are expected to save the company $14 million to $16 million a … Continue reading “Intermec Lays Off 150”
MOD Signs Movie Deals, Demos Downloads
Seattle-based MOD Systems, a digital-media delivery company, announced it has made deals to distribute videos from Warner Bros. and Paramount Digital Entertainment via downloads to SD (secure digital) cards in retail stores. MOD is demoing its video downloading technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, together with Toshiba, which was one of the … Continue reading “MOD Signs Movie Deals, Demos Downloads”
Microsoft Lands Verizon Deal, Loses Office Space, Battles Layoff Rumors—A Seattle Primer
For those of you suffering from Microsoft overload these past few days, I’ve put together a quick roundup of the most locally relevant news from the software giant. Most of it happened away from CEO Steve Ballmer’s keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last night. —Microsoft beat out Google and Yahoo to … Continue reading “Microsoft Lands Verizon Deal, Loses Office Space, Battles Layoff Rumors—A Seattle Primer”
Microsoft Gives Up New Seattle Lease
Microsoft has dropped out of negotiations to lease 300,000 square feet of Seattle office space at 2201 Westlake in South Lake Union, according to a report in the Seattle P-I. The report says a Microsoft spokesman cited the economy and market conditions as reasons for the move. In 2007, Microsoft leased a total of 166,000 … Continue reading “Microsoft Gives Up New Seattle Lease”
Neural Audio Acquired by DTS for $7.5M
Kirkland, WA-based Neural Audio, a digital sound company, has been acquired by DTS (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DTSI]]), a technology and entertainment firm in Agoura Hills, CA. The purchase price was $7.5 million in cash, with DTS also agreeing to pay up to $7.5 million more over the next five years if certain conditions are met. No other … Continue reading “Neural Audio Acquired by DTS for $7.5M”
Planar Sells Sign Business to CS Software
Beaverton, OR-based Planar Systems (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PLNR]]), a maker of monitors and displays, announced it has sold its remaining interest in its CoolSign Digital Signage business to CS Software Holdings. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. In November, Planar sold part of CoolSign to Bally Technologies, for gambling applications.
Is Failure a Black Mark for Seattle Innovators? Insights from Erik Benson of Voyager Capital
Erik Benson is a quantum particle. OK, that’s the only metaphor I can think of to explain how he can be in so many places at once. The managing director of Voyager Capital is based in Seattle, but his orbit also includes Portland, OR, Silicon Valley, and San Diego. From what I can tell, he’s … Continue reading “Is Failure a Black Mark for Seattle Innovators? Insights from Erik Benson of Voyager Capital”
How Blist Got Involved with Obama—the Inside Story
A Seattle startup is playing an important role in helping President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team get organized. As of yesterday, the Obama-Biden Transition Project has been using technology from Blist (pronounced as one syllable, and spelled with a lowercase “b” by its employees) to power its Change.gov website. The company’s software lets people create, manage, … Continue reading “How Blist Got Involved with Obama—the Inside Story”
WiMax Launches in Portland
Intel and Clearwire are announcing the launch of WiMax, a next-generation wireless broadband service, today in Portland, OR. It will provide high-speed Internet access to laptops and mobile devices across Portland, which is the second U.S. city to deploy the service (after Baltimore, MD). Last month, Clearwire received a $3.2 billion investment from Comcast, Intel, … Continue reading “WiMax Launches in Portland”
EMC Buys SourceLabs, Qwell Raises $7M, Microsoft Layoff Rumors Rebuffed (For Now), & More Seattle-Area Deals News
It’s been a pretty slow couple of weeks for deals in the Northwest, what with the holidays. But there were still some big ones in software and biotech—starting with an Xconomy exclusive below. —Xconomy broke the news this morning that Seattle-based Qwell Pharmaceuticals has raised a $7 million Series A round led by Arch Venture … Continue reading “EMC Buys SourceLabs, Qwell Raises $7M, Microsoft Layoff Rumors Rebuffed (For Now), & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
FEI Buys Intellection for $2.8M
Hillsboro, OR-based FEI (NASDAQ: [[ticker:FEIC]]), a maker of nanotech imaging tools, announced today it has acquired the assets of Intellection Holdings, a Brisbane, Australia-based firm that makes automated mineralogy equipment. The deal was worth $2.8 million, and seems to strengthen FEI’s position in global mining applications.
How to Integrate an Acquired Company: Lessons from IBM
These days, mergers and acquisitions are an increasingly important part of corporate strategy. But when one company acquires another, a lot of things have to happen to make the deal right. In fact, most mergers fail—and most of the time, it’s not because of the strategy behind the deal or the negotiation process. Instead, the … Continue reading “How to Integrate an Acquired Company: Lessons from IBM”
Seattle’s Top 10 Innovation Stories of the Half-Year (and Others We Just Plain Liked)
OK, I’m not usually a big fan of end-of-the-year lists. But given that Xconomy Seattle has been up and running for almost exactly six months (since June 16), Luke and I thought it would be fun and informative to share our site’s top 10 most-read stories so far—and why we think they were important or … Continue reading “Seattle’s Top 10 Innovation Stories of the Half-Year (and Others We Just Plain Liked)”
Gates, Ballmer Head List of Obama Donors
The list of donors to Barack Obama’s presidential inaugural committee includes some Seattle-area luminaries. The families of Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer each contributed $100,000, while several other Microsofties, including Craig Mundie, also made donations. Rob Glaser of RealNetworks and John Vechey of PopCap Games contributed $50,000 each, and Nick Hanauer of Second Avenue Partners … Continue reading “Gates, Ballmer Head List of Obama Donors”
Atigeo Adds Heavyweights to Board, R&D
Bellevue, WA-based Atigeo, a data-intelligence firm, announced today that Joe Abrams has joined its board of directors. Abrams was the co-founder of Intermix, the company that developed MySpace. The move comes on the heels of Atigeo’s hiring of Oliver Downs, formerly of Mindset Media and Inrix, as chief scientist earlier this month. The company’s board … Continue reading “Atigeo Adds Heavyweights to Board, R&D”
Amazon Releases Holiday Stats, Lists
Seattle-based Amazon announced its sales for the 2008 holiday season were its best ever, peaking with 6.3 million items ordered worldwide on December 15. Best-selling items included the “Wall-E” DVD, Nintendo Wii video-game platform, Microsoft Office software, and, of course, the Amazon Kindle e-book reader.
Amazon’s Top 10 Best-Selling Gadgets, and a Kindle Update
In the shopping spirit of the season, I thought it might be useful to give a quick update on what the year’s best-selling tech gadgets have been on Amazon.com, and how Amazon’s own foray into gadgets is going. Probably too late to help with your own shopping list, but nevertheless here are a couple notable … Continue reading “Amazon’s Top 10 Best-Selling Gadgets, and a Kindle Update”
Jive Scores Another Customer
Portland, OR-based Jive Software, which makes social-networking and communication tools for businesses, announced it has signed up Bewag, the Austrian electric utility, as a customer. Since laying off a third of its staff in October, Jive has signed a number of new customers and partners, including United Business Media, Portland Energy Conservation, and Premiere Global … Continue reading “Jive Scores Another Customer”
Google to Host Startup Weekend in Seattle
Want 54 hours to start a tech company? You got it. In a few weeks, Google will be hosting a talented group of entrepreneurs from the startup community, giving them time and space over a weekend, and adding stimulating discussions, activities, and, yes, food. With that potent mix at work, local organizers want to see … Continue reading “Google to Host Startup Weekend in Seattle”
3Tier Group Gets $10M, Socialmedian Sold for $7.5M, Gates Gives $7M to IDRI, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
Heading into the holidays, the deals have slowed down a bit. But there was still a trickle of activity over the past week in biotech, renewable energy, and software. —Seattle-based Jobster’s co-founder and ex-CEO, Jason Goldberg, sold his New York startup, Socialmedian, to Hamburg, Germany-based Xing for $7.5 million. Socialmedian’s news-filtering service fits well with … Continue reading “3Tier Group Gets $10M, Socialmedian Sold for $7.5M, Gates Gives $7M to IDRI, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Pelago Partners With Maponics
Seattle-based Pelago, maker of the Whrrl mobile-networking application, announced it has partnered with Norwich, VT-based Maponics to provide the location-aware service to customers in more than 50,000 neighborhoods in 2,000 cities across the U.S. and Canada. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Ardea Raises $30.6M in Stock Sale
San Diego-based Ardea Biosciences announced today it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with institutional investors to raise about $30.6 million from the private placement of newly issued shares of its common stock. Ardea (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RDEA]]) is focused on the discovery and development of small-molecule drugs to treat HIV, gout, cancer, and inflammatory diseases.