What Microsoft and union leaders are discussing behind closed doors

Unions have arrived at Microsoft headquarters. A two-day AI Labor Summit between AFL-CIO leaders and Microsoft execs reflects the tech giant's revamped approach to unions. Now that they’ve made it into the building, will union leaders look to organize more Microsoft employees? That’s one of the questions GeekWire asked AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler (above) in a joint interview with Microsoft President Brad Smith (above, left). Read more.

Starbucks’ new CEO lays out his vision: In his first public comments as the new chief of the Seattle coffee giant, Brian Niccol said “there’s a shared sense that we have drifted from our core." The former Chipotle CEO said Starbucks will invest in technology and address its mobile ordering system as it aims to boost slumping sales. Read more. 

• Related: Starbucks CEO faces unique digital challenges

A new strategic partnership with Amazon Web Services represents a trade-off for Oracle, giving the venerable tech company a stronger case to retain its existing database customers, but making it tougher to persuade them to embrace its own cloud platform. Read more. 

Cyberattacks on schools: Highline Public Schools, a 17,500-student district south of Seattle, canceled classes again on Tuesday as it deals with unauthorized activity on its tech systems. We spoke with cybersecurity experts to learn more about why schools are increasingly targeted. Read more. 

Amazon is lowering prices on thousands of grocery items and rolling out a new private label food brand called Amazon Saver in a bid to give Prime members better deals than competitors such as Walmart and Target. Read more.

Amazon is bringing more tech insight to its “Thursday Night Football” broadcast with an AI-powered feature called “Defensive Alerts” aimed at showing which players are most likely to rush the quarterback. Read more.

Fundings and acquisitions news:

• Viome, a company selling microbiome products and health diagnostics, raised $25 million and hired former Amazon leader Kal Raman as its chief operating officer.

• Earth Finance, a Seattle-area company that helps businesses reduce their climate impacts, acquired Water Foundry, which helps clients manage water scarcity and quality.

• IBM plans to acquire Accelalpha, a Bellevue, Wash.-based services provider that specializes in managing Oracle Cloud applications.  

 

Visitors to Seattle’s Museum of Flight will be able to imagine what it’s like to live and work in space via a futuristic space habitat that will be on display later this month. The TESSERAE dome (above) is a self-assembling concept designed to expand living and working spaces in orbitis. Read more.

Hot Links:

• Microsoft said it hit a new milestone with its large-scale quantum computing efforts. (Microsoft Blog; LinkedIn)

• University of Washington researchers developed a wearable device that harnesses body heat to power small electronics. (UW News)

Thanks for subscribing to the GeekWire newsletter, and have a great day. — GeekWire Editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com; GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop, todd@geekwire.com; and GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com.