Amazon adds wrinkle to cashierless shopping | Xbox leaks reveal roadmap 

A new wrinkle for Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology: Amazon is adding RFID capability to its cashierless retail experience, to enable customers to shop for unpackaged items such as clothing, hats and more soft goods. Shoppers can select items and leave a store without standing in a checkout line, as a gate reads the RFID tag and the customer’s credit card is charged. (Above: A Seahawks Pro Shop at Seattle’s Lumen Field features the new tech.)  Read more.

Major leak reveals Microsoft’s Xbox plans: A clerical error in the company’s ongoing court fight over its planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard exposed past, present, and future plans for Microsoft’s gaming division, such as details about its next-generation Xbox and a potential new model of the Xbox Series X in late 2024. Read more.

Artist is done trolling the Seattle area: Danish environmental artist and storyteller Thomas Dambo installed his final giant troll sculpture at the National Nordic Museum in Ballard and spoke to a large crowd about his lifetime of making art out of trash. See more photos and check out GeekWire’s previous coverage of Dambo’s project. 

Griptape, a new Seattle startup founded by former leaders at Amazon Web Services, raised $12.5 million to fuel growth of its software that helps companies build and secure their AI apps. 

• More funding news: PDM Automotive, a Seattle startup that provides information on aftermarket automotive parts, also raised cash. 

ProbablyMonsters layoffs: The Bellevue, Wash.-based game studio collective led by former Bungie chief Harold Ryan laid off employees. 

WTIA unveils startups in latest founder program cohort: A third of the companies in the 10th cohort are led by female CEOs. Read more. 

Hot Links:

• Amazon is considering new standalone membership programs for grocery and healthcare. (Insider)

• Smartsheet, the Seattle-area work collaboration company, rolled out a new AI-powered platform at its annual conference. (Smartsheet)

• Melinda French Gates, who just became a grandmother, urges action on “needless” maternal deaths in childbirth. (CBS News)

• Seattle startups Polly and Read.AI are part of the initial third-party integrated apps within Google Meet. (Google Workspace blog)

• Katrina Hess, a Seattle-based tech entrepreneur and fashion designer, is launching a new futuristic clothing studio line called House of Daggers. (Crosscut)

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