Haunted by breaches, Microsoft says it’s ‘putting security above all else’

• Meanwhile, on Wall Street, the big focus after Microsoft’s earnings report was the AI demand fueling the company’s growth, and the capital expenditures needed to keep up.

• Related: What’s the real story of Xbox in 2024? Latest financials from Microsoft offer mixed signals

Seattle-based bill payment company Doxo is disputing the FTC’s allegations that it has deceived consumers into thinking it’s an official channel for the companies they’re seeking to pay, adding unwanted fees and using web design tricks to get them to sign up for unnecessary subscriptions. The lawsuit was filed Thursday in federal court in Seattle. Read more.

Clean aviation company ZeroAvia celebrated the opening of a new 136,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Everett, Wash., and announced it will be selling components of its hydrogen-electric airplane engines to other commercial companies. Read more.

Artificial intelligence is helping to fuel a hot streak at the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design. New studies, companies and spinouts are emerging at a rapid clip from the research hub as AI-powered protein design is used to create new therapeutics, vaccines, biosensors, materials and more. (Above: IPD head David Baker, left, and assistant professor Neil King, with molecular models of proteins.) Read more.

Seattle startup Dropzone AI raised $16.8 million for its autonomous security agents which work alongside human analysts, handling repetitive tasks and investigating cybersecurity alerts. Read more. 

Tech Moves: Seattle tech vet Dave Parker named CEO of Entrepreneurs’ Organization; Karat adds new CRO; and more personnel changes in PNW tech.

Portland Seed Fund launched a new “Intrepid Oregon Fund,” which has $4 million to invest in early-stage startups working on climate tech as well as healthcare, medical devices, advanced manufacturing and natural resource innovation. Read more. 

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Hot Links:

• University of Washington researchers developed a new material for printed circuit boards that can be recycled repeatedly to cut down on landfill waste. (UW News)

• Health informatics startup Truveta announced an expansive new electronic health record dataset for research on mothers and their children. (Truveta)

• Downtown Seattle is among the majority of American cities seeing a rise in visitor activity, according to a new study. See which cities lead the way, and which are still struggling. (Axios)

• T-Mobile reported net income of $2.4 billion in the first quarter, a 22% year-over-year increase. (T-Mobile)