Microsoft@50 recap: Company faithful mark first 50 years, look to the future at GeekWire event

Microsoft@50 recap: GeekWire hosted hundreds of longtime Microsoft employees, key executives, company faithful and tech community members Thursday night in Seattle at Microsoft@50, a GeekWire event to mark the company’s 50th anniversary. 

• Microsoft President Brad Smith; former CEO Steve Ballmer; and former CTO Nathan Myhrvold joined us on stage for fireside chats to offer insights, with many current and former Microsoft leaders in the audience.

• Protesters rallied outside and interrupted the program to object to the company providing technology to support Israel in its ongoing conflict in Gaza. 

• Read more and see photos from the Microsoft@50 event. 

Related: Speaking on stage, Microsoft President Brad Smith addressed new business tax proposals from Senate Democrats in Washington state — and said they would do “lasting damage” to the tech sector. Read more. 

TerraPower on track: The Bill Gates-backed nuclear power company is on schedule to be the first company to deploy next-generation nuclear technology in America, according to comments from CEO Chris Levesque at a Bellevue Chamber event on Thursday. 

Amazon launched a new exchange for selling carbon removal credits to its U.S. partners. The credits are available only to partnering companies with net-zero emissions goals. (About Amazon)

A new feature for Google’s Pixel Watch 3 can detect when someone experiences loss of pulse when their heart stops beating. Seattle research scientist and entrepreneur Jake Sunshine developed the potentially life-saving tech. Read more.

Vote for AI Innovation of the Year: The six finalists in this GeekWire Awards category are using cutting-edge tech to develop everything from self-driving vehicles to audio deepfake detection software. Cast your vote.

Hot Links:

• Frazier Healthcare Partners, a Seattle-based private equity firm focused on healthcare, secured a minority investment from Petershill at Goldman Sachs Alternatives. (Business Wire)

• Topgolf, the high-tech driving range, is coming to Everett, Wash., north of Seattle, adjacent to the Everett Mall. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

• T-Mobile reached a deal to sell its 800 MHz spectrum portfolio to Grain Management, LLC, a private investment firm focused on digital infrastructure. (T-Mobile Newsroom)

• Economic stats compiled by Levels.fyi suggest that Seattle is better than the Bay Area for big tech employees looking to build wealth. (Hakeem Shibly, LinkedIn)