Should Amazon be ‘pumped’ to land Microsoft exec Panos Panay?

Panos Panay (above) and his Microsoft team built the company's Surface business from scratch. Now he's reportedly headed to Amazon to help revitalize the Alexa and Echo business. Here's our look at his Microsoft tenure and his potential prospects at Amazon.

Amazon shows off Alexa feature driven by generative AI: Dubbed “Let’s Chat,” the experience is designed to make the voice assistant more conversational on Echo devices. At its Devices & Services event from HQ2 in Virginia, Amazon also previewed a more natural-sounding Alexa voice, a wall-mounted “Echo Hub,” a new Echo Show 8, and more. Read the highlights.

MotherDuck raises $52.5M: The Seattle data analytics startup, built on the open-source platform DuckDB, is fueling up to flap its wings. Read more.

Could Microsoft buy Valve? The Microsoft board of directors showed interest in potentially acquiring the Seattle-area gaming company, according to the recent Xbox leaks.

Puget Sound Venture Club, the oldest angel investment group in the Seattle region founded nearly four decades ago by Gary Ritner, is merging with Alliance of Angels. Here’s why.

AI gets real at the GeekWire Summit: We’re less than a month away from our signature business and technology conference, Oct. 19 at the former Cinerama in Seattle. We’ve assembled a stellar lineup of leading technologists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and even an award-winning Hollywood screenwriter for a deep dive into the ways artificial intelligence is changing business, technology and the world. Read more and register for tickets.

Another Seattle startup tries crowdfunding: Coffee subscription company Bean Box launched a campaign on StartEngine, which allows non-accredited investors to buy equity in early-stage startups. Read more.

Hot Links:

• Take notes: Amazon’s CTO offers up tips on note-taking — use pen and paper, and use your own words. (Amazon blog)

• Wirecutter, the product recommendation service from The New York Times, is removing Seattle-based camera maker Wyze from its guides due to the company's response to a security incident. (Wirecutter)  

• This week in Seattle history: Voters in 1995 rejected a property-tax levy that would have funded a 61-acre city park supported by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. (HistoryLink)

• Starbucks is testing digital menu boards, increasing accuracy of wait time estimates on its app, and upgrading various barista tools in a bid to speed up service. (Bloomberg)