Zillow, Redfin and the real estate market: 5 trends to watch in 2023

The once high-flying real estate market sputtered in 2022, dragging real estate tech companies down with it. 

• Seattle giants Zillow Group and Redfin may face similar headwinds this year amid sluggish transaction and mortgage volumes. But smaller losses and increased revenue from new services could provide a boost. Here are five trends to watch in 2023. Above, Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman (left) and Zillow CEO Rich Barton.

Maren Costa was a founder of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, an organization formed in 2019 that pressured the tech and retail giant to take action on climate change. 

• She was fired a year later for violating internal policies. Now, Costa is at Microsoft and diving back into corporate activism. Read more. 

Pink Gorilla dealt with burglaries and break-ins last year, but the oldest retro/import games store in the Pacific Northwest is actually expanding its footprint in the Seattle area.

• The company rang in 2023 with the opening of a new shop in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, its third location in the city. Read more.

Football fans who use the Rec Room social gaming app can now grab team gear for their in-app avatars, just in time for the NFL playoffs.

• Rec Room, the Seattle startup behind the eponymous app, partnered with the National Football League for a new “digital fan experience.” Read more. 

Catch up on news you may have missed this week:

• Why Microsoft’s new unlimited vacation policy could be problematic for employees

• Amazon closing Fresh Pickup location in Seattle which ushered in new era of grocery shopping

• Tech gets religion on AI: Inside the Vatican summit with Islamic and Jewish leaders, Microsoft and IBM

• After moving to Austin, longtime Seattle business leader says new city is the ‘complete opposite’