Crash course in startup life: Inside UW’s entrepreneurship class

Steve Ballmer’s reflections on Microsoft are not just an exercise in nostalgia. The former Microsoft CEO is still the company’s largest individual shareholder, and he empathizes with the tradeoffs facing his successor, Satya Nadella. “What Satya did with OpenAI, I think, was brilliant — and I think it’s fraught with peril, but I know they know that,” Ballmer said. Read more, and join us March 20 to hear directly from Ballmer and others at GeekWire’s Microsoft@50 event.

Is AI-powered surveillance on school-issued computers a good thing? GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser discusses what it means to monitor students’ online activity. Also, hot takes on burning Cybertrucks and the Elon Musk / Tesla backlash. Listen to KUOW’s “Casual Friday” podcast.

Tech Moves: Seattle e-bike marker Rad Power Bikes names former Bartell Drugs leader as new CEO; and more personnel changes.

Vote for Deal of the Year: Three major acquisitions and two significant funding rounds make up the transactions featured in this 2025 GeekWire Awards category. Read more.

• See the complete list of finalists across nine categories as we honor the top innovators and companies in Seattle and Pacific Northwest tech.

• Join us for the annual event, April 30 in Seattle. Get tickets.

Hot Links:

• Docusign, which has a large engineering presence in Seattle, reported strong earnings fueled in part by its AI technology for optimizing the processes for agreements. (CNBC)

• OpenAI described DeepSeek as “state-controlled” in a policy proposal to the Trump administration that also called for a ban on Chinese-made AI chips. (TechCrunch)

• Did you have a good view of last night’s lunar eclipse? Some images on social media captured the celestial event with a Seattle twist. (Jen Grand via Bluesky)