Amazon tests humanoid warehouse robots | Convoy hit with class action lawsuit

Are you ready for a robot co-worker? Amazon warehouse employees are getting a glimpse of their possible future colleague in the form of “Digit,” a bipedal humanoid robot from Agility Robotics. Amazon, an existing investor in the Corvalis, Ore.-based company, is testing Digit’s ability to consolidate empty totes under an expanded partnership. We saw Digit in action and sat down with Agility’s CEO to better understand what this means for the future of work. Read more and watch a video of two Digit robots at work.

After 32 years at Microsoft, Chris Capossela, the company’s chief marketing officer, is headed for the exit. He’ll be replaced in the role by another longtime marketing leader, Takeshi Numoto, according to a memo to employees from CEO Satya Nadella. Read more.

• More Tech Moves: Xbox exec shuffle; Outreach hires president; UW grad students win Google fellowships. 

Convoy hit with class action lawsuit: The Seattle-based trucking marketplace startup is already facing legal trouble, less than a week after its sudden shutdown. Read more. 

Amazon reports earnings this afternoon: Cloud business growth, AI strategy, and more are in the spotlight for the company’s quarterly results. Check back on GeekWire later Thursday for coverage.

Adventures in AI and startups: Earlier this year on the GeekWire Podcast, we spoke with Kirill Zubovsky, a serial entrepreneur with ties to the Seattle region, about his efforts to use AI to make a mark in domain names. It didn’t turn out as he planned. 

Startup funding news: Neon, a blockchain gaming startup that spun out of HBO, announced a $20 million round. Direqt, which makes AI chatbots for online publishers, raised $4.5 million. 

Fusion fever: We do a reality check on the fervor over the nuclear fusion sector, which is attracting massive investment and interest but has huge hurdles to overcome. Read our report. 

Hot Links:

• Microsoft shut down Project Airsim, an AI-based drone simulation software that was part of the company’s vision for the “industrial metaverse.” (Insider)

• Newspaper owner Jeff Bezos sent an email to The Washington Post newsroom letting staffers know he is impressed by their reporting, is committed to the future of the Post, and that it’s important to return to profitability. (X)