Microsoft lays off 1,900 gaming employees | Latest startup fundings

Microsoft makes cuts to gaming unit: The tech giant laid off 1,900 employees, or about 9% of gaming-related staff, three months after completing its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Employees were impacted across Activision Blizzard as well as the ZeniMax and Xbox teams. Read more.

• More cuts at Amperity: The Seattle-based customer intelligence startup laid off roughly 20 employees in what CEO Barry Padgett called a “minor restructuring.”

• Layoff tracker: GeekWire’s regularly updated list of job cuts in the Pacific Northwest.

FTC to scrutinize Big Tech investments in AI startups: The agency announced Thursday that it wants to better understand the relationship between Microsoft and OpenAI, and Amazon and Anthropic. “Our study will shed light on whether investments and partnerships pursued by dominant companies risk distorting innovation and undermining fair competition," FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a statement. Read more. 

New startup fundings:

• Digs lands $7 million: The Vancouver, Wash.-based startup sells AI-powered collaboration software for builders and homeowners.

• Nomad Go raises $1.5 million: The Bellevue, Wash.-based startup has pivoted from counting people to counting inventory with computer vision software that easily scans shelves and products for food service companies. 

• Fundings list: GeekWire’s regularly updated look at the latest deals.

Half of U.S. car buyers are looking at EVs: But price matters, according to a new survey looking at consumer preferences when it comes to electric and hybrid vehicles. The auto market is navigating a tricky route as car makers including Ford and GM are pulling back on ambitious EV manufacturing plans and Tesla is warning of a slowdown. Read more.

What’s the future of “DataFam” at Salesforce? GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop sat down with Tableau CEO Ryan Aytay to learn more about how the Seattle-based company is catering to its intensely loyal community of data professionals and analysts, while also serving Salesforce’s broader base of business customers. Read more.

Hot Links:

• Two insect-like robots developed at Washington State University are said to be the smallest, lightest and fastest micro-robots ever known to be created. (WSU Insider)

• In the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s annual letter, CEO Mark Suzman writes about the “full potential of philanthropy” and where the organization will focus its $8.6 billion budget in 2024. (Gates Foundation)

• Amazon Web Services is committing an additional $20 million to its Health Equity Initiative, which uses the cloud to make a difference in the health and lives of underserved populations. (AWS Blog)