AWS unveils ‘Amazon Q’ AI assistant, jabs at Microsoft and OpenAI

“Amazon Q,” a new AI assistant for businesses, was the big headline this morning at Amazon Web Services re:Invent in Las Vegas. AWS CEO Adam Selipsky, above, touted Amazon Q as a game-changer for work, with initial applications for AWS developers in preview.

• Amazon Q can leverage business data from a variety of applications, including Microsoft 365, Slack, Salesforce, Dropbox, and Amazon S3, while respecting privacy and security controls to prevent unauthorized access, according to a presentation on stage.

Selipsky peppered his keynote with thinly veiled but repeated criticism of Microsoft and OpenAI, without mentioning the companies by name, alluding to the recent turmoil at the AI powerhouse involving the ouster and return of its CEO Sam Altman. 

Celebrity CEO guests on stage at the event included Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, both key AWS partners. Read more from GeekWire’s Todd Bishop, reporting from the event in Las Vegas.

Brilliant marketing move or big waste of money? That’s the debate after Google Cloud bought advertising space on the Las Vegas Sphere to send a message to attendees of Amazon’s re:Invent conference on the next block over. Check out our video here.

MagniX CTO Riona Armesmith isn't afraid of geeking out over the technical details of electric aviation. "You don't become a CTO without being a bit of a nerd," she says. Armesmith (above) is one of six "Uncommon Thinkers" who'll be recognized at the GeekWire Gala as part of a program presented in partnership with Greater Seattle Partners. Read more about her story. 

• Get your GeekWire Gala tickets: As part of a Giving Tuesday promotion, we’ll donate $5 from each sale to Junior Achievement of Washington, a nonprofit that prepares young people for success. Read more.

Run to the hills! Microsoft’s latest ugly holiday sweater (above) is a throwback to the days of Windows XP and the iconic desktop image “Bliss,” featuring a rolling green hillside, blue sky and white clouds. Read more. 

Francois Ajenstat, who spent 13 years with Seattle-based Tableau Software as it grew from a startup into a publicly traded company that was later acquired by Salesforce, is joining Amplitude as chief product officer. 

• Tech Moves: Ex-Convoy comms exec joins one-time rival; Leafly board member departs; and more personnel changes.  

Digital news left out of tax exemption: Last week, the Seattle City Council passed a measure to align with recently created state rules that eliminate B&O taxes for traditional print newspapers and their websites. Most local, digital-only news sources were left out — here’s why.

Hot Links:

• Jeff Bezos is moving to Miami. Now Amazon is looking for office space in the city. (Bloomberg) 

• Jesper Møller Sørensen, ambassador of Denmark to the U.S., is in Seattle this week meeting with tech execs at Microsoft and SpaceX. (LinkedIn)