Gates, Ballmer, and other Microsoft alums remember Mike Maples Sr.

Mike Maples Sr. (above) was the guiding force behind Microsoft’s applications business in the late 1980s and early 1990s, positioning Word, Excel, and other Office programs for long-term success in the industry. Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and other former Microsoft leaders paid tribute to Maples after he died this week at the age of 82. Read more.

Redfin laid off 46 employees in another round of job cuts at the Seattle-based real estate company that primarily affected managers in headquarters, program, and field leadership roles. Read more.

Artificial intelligence and its supporting data centers are growing rapidly, and tech giants are under increasing pressure to find climate-friendly ways to power the computing boom. Here are five strategies being employed by data center hyperscalers Microsoft and Amazon. 

Seattle startup ​​Pipe17 raised $15.5 million and hired its first chief operations officer as it continues to take on aspects of e-commerce logistics. Read more.

Can your dog keep up with Tyler Lockett? The Seattle Seahawks wide receiver has run plenty of routes in his career. Now he’s game to walk one with a lucky fan and their pup thanks to a new contest with Seattle pet-sitting company Rover. Read more.

Seattle VC firms are backing Kamiwaza, an enterprise software startup that helps companies take advantage of new AI tools within their existing infrastructure. Read more.

It’s been a long, strange year for video games. We’ve seen some great releases, but the industry is riding a global downturn, multiple studio closures, two years of escalating layoffs, and several smaller controversies. What’s ahead for Microsoft, Amazon, Valve and smaller startups?

Hot Links:

• An internal Microsoft document details efforts to use bonuses to retain employees making big contributions to its AI strategy. (Business Insider) 

• Stratolaunch, the air-launch venture created by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, was awarded $24.7 million by the Missile Defense Agency to test against the threat of hypersonic weapons. (Stratolaunch)

• Absci Corp., the Vancouver, Wash.-based company that uses AI to develop drugs, announced a new partnership and $20 million investment from AMD. (Absci)