Zulily is back: Reality TV star leads revival of former Seattle tech giant

Zulily is back: After a sudden shutdown last year, the one-time Seattle tech giant is getting a revival thanks to a former reality TV show star. 

• Beyond, formerly known as Overstock.com, announced Thursday it paid $4.5 million to acquire Zulily’s brand and intellectual property. 

• Marcus Lemonis (above), who helped failing small businesses on the CNBC show “The Profit,” recently became executive chairman at Beyond. 

• In an interview with GeekWire this morning, Lemonis said the way Zulily collapsed last year was “horrific,” and he wants to bring back the company’s flash sales model as it begins a new chapter under Beyond’s ownership. Read more. 

Amazon-backed Anthropic expanding its presence in Seattle area: The San Francisco-based company going head-to-head in the generative AI race with OpenAI has hired several Seattle-based engineers in recent months and has more than 20 open positions with Seattle listed as a potential location for new hires. Read more.

Redfin using AI to answer homebuyer questions: The Seattle real estate company has a new virtual assistant called “Ask Redfin” that offers quick replies to listing queries. Read more.

AI2 Incubator secures $200 million for computation power: The Seattle organization’s portfolio companies will benefit from the juice needed to build AI models into their software products. Read more. 

Hot Links:

• Microsoft has scheduled a virtual event focused on Copilot, Windows, and Surface on March 21, with new AI announcements expected. (The Verge)

• Melinda French Gates is the newest guest on Conan O’Brien’s podcast, discussing her introduction to computer science and the importance of education for personal autonomy. (TeamCoco)

• Amazon’s plans for “global domination” have slowed as it has failed to launch online storefronts in some new countries. (The Information)

• A bill to ban TikTok in the U.S. over security fears, backed by Washington state Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, has White House support. (Punchbowl News)

• Seattle’s Access to Advanced Health Institute received $12.7 million to develop a way to improve the human immune response to vaccines. (AAHI)