Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez create $100M fund for Maui | Microsoft tool shows impact from wildfire

Microsoft, Amazon, and other tech companies are responding to the devastating wildfires in Maui, providing tech support and donations of goods and cash.

• Microsoft is partnering with the American Red Cross and other emergency organizations with maps analyzed by AI (above) to help guide their response.

• Amazon donated items such as tarps and coolers and says it will help deliver additional resources as needed.

• Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez announced Friday they are creating a $100 million recovery fund for the island.

How can baseball embrace technology and new traditions while honoring its legacy and listening to its fans? 

• Those were the questions at the heart of our conversation with Seattle Mariners CEO John Stanton at the GeekWire Rooftop BBQ and Mariners Day in Seattle this week. 

• Stanton brings his experience as a longtime business and tech leader to his role with the Mariners. He also chairs Major League Baseball’s competition committee, the group leading some of the biggest changes in the history of the sport, including the pitch clock that has dramatically shortened game duration this year. 

• Listen for highlights from Stanton’s remarks in the second segment of the latest GeekWire Podcast episode, starting around 10:50, and read an extended writeup with more of his comments on GeekWire.

Hot Links

• Seattle-based crypto exchange startup Bittrex reached a $24 million settlement with the SEC. (Reuters)
• Microsoft is shutting down the Cortana app on Windows 11. (The Verge)
• Seattle police arrested a suspect in a homicide investigation involving a rideshare driver. Representatives from the Seattle Rideshare Drivers Association say they’re concerned about driver safety. (SPD Blotter; FOX 13)
• Zillow Group CEO Rich Barton talks about branding, navigating major layoffs, iBuying, and more. (This Week in Startups)