Apple inks big new lease in Seattle | Getty Images to acquire Shutterstock

This just in: Apple is taking a big bite out of the commercial real estate market in Seattle with a new 193,000 square-foot lease in a building previously occupied by Meta in the South Lake Union neighborhood, above. Read more.

TrueMedia, a nonprofit that offered AI tools to identify and combat deepfakes in the lead-up to the 2024 elections, is shutting down its online service after Jan. 13 and will open-source its technology. Founder Oren Etzioni hinted at new AI startup plans. Read more.

Seattle-based Getty Images is acquiring Shutterstock, its rival in stock and licensed images, in a deal that will create a $3.7 billion company. Read more.

Drivers who park along the side of the road at Sea-Tac Airport while waiting for arriving travelers could be targeted by new technology being developed by the Port of Seattle. The Port, which prefers that drivers use a cell phone waiting lot, says it plans to implement license-plate-reader tech to help enforce no-parking laws along airport roadways. Read more.

Variant Bio, a Seattle biotech startup, inked a new disease research and development  partnership with Novo Nordisk that could total $50 million. Read more.

REC Silicon is ceasing operations in Moses Lake, Wash., and laying off 224 workers. The company is the sole U.S. producer of silane gas used in silicon battery anodes that significantly improve battery performance. Read more.

Blue Origin says the first-ever launch of its orbital-class New Glenn rocket will take place later this week. Jeff Bezos’ space venture has been working on the development of the rocket for more than a decade. Read more.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit against T-Mobile, asserting that a data breach in 2021 affecting more than 2 million state residents was a violation of the state’s Consumer Protection Act. Read more.

Calling it a “new low” at Microsoft, Google was irked by some search-related trickery by its rival and what happens when Microsoft Bing users look up “Google.” Read more.  

Tech Moves: Microsoft chip VP goes to Google; WTIA gets exec chair; Era Software founder departs; and more personnel changes.

The return to five days in office at Amazon is generating backlash among some parents at the company who valued the flexibility and cost savings that came with remote work. Read more.  

Hot Links:

• AI engineer topped a list of the 25 fastest-growing jobs in the U.S. (LinkedIn)

• Amazon recruited former NBA stars as analysts for its NBA coverage. (AP)

• Real life playhouse: The family behind a popular YouTube channel Genevieve’s Playhouse bought an $8.4 million mansion in Spokane Valley. (Spokesman Review)

• Seattle startup Yoodli ran Demi Moore’s Golden Globes speech through its AI assessment tool. (LinkedIn)