Top UW researcher departing | Favorite AI tools | Startups aren’t for everyone

Startups are hard. And they’re not for everyone. A group of longtime Seattle startup operators and investors, speaking at the Seattle Venture Day event on Thursday as part of Seattle Tech Week, were asked to give “brutally honest advice” that might make people think twice about launching a startup. They also talked about the people who helped them on their own entrepreneurial journeys. Read more. Above, from left: Kirby Winfield, Kristen Hamilton, Maria Colacurcio, Jonathan Sposato, and Julie Sandler.

Yejin Choi, a top AI researcher and 2022 MacArthur Fellow, is leaving the University of Washington and the Allen Institute for AI in Seattle. Read more.

Amazon will further reduce its costs and offer more low-priced products through automation, robotics, and improved inventory placement in its regional fulfillment networks, CEO Andy Jassy told analysts. The company is aiming to offer more low-priced products and faster delivery, in the face of new competition and cost-conscious consumers. Read more.

• Those trends were clear in the company’s second quarter results Thursday, with sales coming up short of expectations even as profits nearly doubled. Read more.

What's your favorite AI-related app, service, or feature right now? That’s the question we posed to founders, investors, and innovators at the annual AI2 Incubator party on Thursday. Here’s what they said.

Seattle’s newest co-working space opened this week in a former WeWork location in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Portland-based Centrl Office took over all five floors of the historic Kelly-Springfield Building. GeekWire got a tour.

Bill Gates’ climate-focused Breakthrough Energy Ventures is raising its third fund targeted at innovations in such areas as electricity, transportation, food and agriculture. Read more.

Hot Links:

• Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 11 is “fast as hell,” with much better battery life, marking a solid debut for the first Arm-based version of the device. (The Verge)

• Zillow is rolling out new non-exclusive touring agreements in 24 states ahead of changes mandated by the National Association of Realtors. (Real Estate News)

• Adaptive Biotechnologies beat estimates for its second quarter earnings, with revenue of $43.2 million, down 12% year-over-year. (Adaptive)