Tech vet plants an immersive light show in the desert at Burning Man

“It was honestly one of the most creative things I’ve ever done.”

James Gwertzman has built plenty over his long tech career, which included stints at his own video game studios, working in leadership at Microsoft, and now investing as a venture capitalist. But creating an immersive and interactive light show flipped a switch. Gwertzman and his team brought their “Prairie of Possibilities” to Burning Man last month and got their hands dirty in the Nevada desert, planting hundreds of fiber-optic “grasses” that swayed to a specially designed soundscape. The experience was the realization of a goal to build something physical at the intersection of art and technology. See the photos and read the story.

Hybrid work is here to stay, but some big changes are needed to make it work. That was the message from Microsoft this week as it presented a new study showing a disconnect in the perceptions of productivity between workers and leaders at companies around the world. 

That’s our first topic on a new episode of the GeekWire Podcast, as we digest the study and preview the upcoming GeekWire Summit, where the future of work will be a recurring theme. 

Also on the show: kids and smartphones. GeekWire co-founder John Cook shares lessons learned so far from his efforts to ensure that his 12-year-old son adopts his first smartphone in a healthy and sustainable way. Read more and listen here.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend. — GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop, todd@geekwire.com; and reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com.