Inside Expedia's annual partner conference | Microsoft won't give salary raises this year

We went inside Expedia Group's annual partner conference at its corporate headquarters in Seattle, where Chairman Barry Diller (above) and other executives talked about how the company is positioned to capitalize on a new era of artificial intelligence as storm clouds clear for travel. Read more.

Microsoft and Helion Energy announced a historic agreement that could pave the way to the world’s first fusion power plant. If the Washington state facility is successful — serious hurdles remain in the chase for carbon-free power — it could have massive benefits long term as clean energy’s “Holy Grail” is finally achieved. Read more.

More Microsoft news:

• The tech giant will not give pay raises to salaried full-time employees this year, citing “a dynamic economic environment.” Read more.

• More job cuts: The company is laying off 158 employees in Washington state, according to a new filing. The cuts are separate from the 10,000 global layoffs announced in January.

• Microsoft made a tiny dent in its annual carbon footprint in 2022, but the company’s chief sustainability officer said progress is “not happening fast enough.”

The Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence raised $30 million to invest in “AI-first” startups born from its incubator program. The second fund for the AI2 Incubator comes at a key moment for the AI sector, as more companies adopt generative AI technology and investors pour billions into nascent startups. Read more.

Swedish drugmaker Sobi plans to acquire Seattle biotech company CTI BioPharma for $1.7 billion. Founded in 1991, CTI went public in 1997 and has one FDA-approved product. Read more.

Thanks for subscribing to the GeekWire newsletter, and have a great day. —  GeekWire managing editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com, and GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com.