Amazon earnings preview: AWS and advertising in spotlight

Amazon earnings preview: Analysts will be watching for continued growth in the company’s key profit drivers: advertising and cloud computing. Read more.

• Amazon is setting new records for Prime delivery speed, announcing Monday that it delivered more than two billion items to customers on the same or next day in the first quarter of 2024. 
• GeekWire Podcast: Our latest episode features Dana Mattioli, Wall Street Journal reporter and author of the new book, "The Everything War: Amazon’s Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power."
  Read more and listen here.

Generative AI is a dual concern for the cybersecurity industry, from the increase in new types of attacks to the way it can be leveraged for better security solutions. Both aspects are leading to an increased demand for labor in the cybersecurity industry. Read more.

Tech Moves: Matt Hulett steps down as PetMed Express CEO; Seattle startup Avante adds execs; and more personnel changes in PNW tech.

The GeekWire Awards are approaching, May 9 in Seattle. Don’t miss the chance to help us celebrate the leading innovators, entrepreneurs, scientists and business leaders in the Pacific Northwest. Limited individual tickets are still available. Read all about the awards finalists.

Hot Links:

• AI’s price tag: The substantial costs of building AI systems is a big challenge for tech giants and startups alike. (New York Times) 

• How to run a startup accelerator: Chris DeVore of Founders’ Co-op — and a former Techstars Seattle managing director — offers his take on how accelerators can best serve founders. (Founders’ Co-op) 

• Bill Gates has been mostly out of the public picture at Microsoft since 2021, but behind the scenes he’s been quietly orchestrating much of the company’s AI revolution. (Business Insider)

• Microsoft President Brad Smith touted an “accessible and sustainable future for everyone” with the opening of the Sound Transit Link Light Rail Line 2, which connects to Microsoft’s campus. (LinkedIn)

• Meet the real Rick Steves, whose impact on world travel and his native town of Edmonds, Wash., is more complex than who you see on TV. (The Washington Post)