Is the regulatory crusade against Big Tech over? Probably not entirely, but the antitrust inquiries into Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple could enter what one expert calls “a quiet phase,” especially in the early days of the Biden administration. While ongoing lawsuits will likely continue, antitrust experts don’t expect the issue to be a priority in the new White House. Seattle’s tech giants, Microsoft and Amazon, appear better-positioned to weather potential scrutiny than their counterparts in Silicon Valley. Read the story.
Seattle startup news:
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Bill Gates gets COVID-19 vaccine: The Microsoft co-founder tweeted a photo of himself getting a shot in the arm this week, adding that he feels great. It’s been an eventful year for Gates, who has been an outspoken advocate for the science, coordination and common sense needed to battle the global pandemic. Along the way, Gates has been the target of vaccine disinformation spread by conspiracy theorists on social media. Read more.
Amazon hosts pop-up vaccine site: The company is partnering with Virginia Mason for a one-day pop-up clinic on Sunday that aims to vaccinate 2,000 people at the Amazon Meeting Center near downtown Seattle. The announcement comes one day after Amazon sent a letter to President Joe Biden, offering to help with the country’s vaccination efforts by turning its facilities into COVID-19 vaccination sites.
Not Berned out yet? Those Bernie Sanders inauguration memes are still a thing, and Seattle-area personalities and organizations have gotten in on the online act, inserting the senator and his mittens everywhere from Mount Rainier to MoPOP.
Tech Moves: Brad Anderson, a longtime Microsoft corporate vice president, has joined Qualtrics as president of products and services; Databricks appointed former Axiom and Concur exec Elena Donio to its board; and Seattle startups Hiya and Esper added new leaders. Read about those and other key personnel changes across the Pacific Northwest tech industry.
Thanks for reading, have a great weekend, and see all our latest headlines below. — GeekWire editor Todd Bishop, editor@geekwire.com, GeekWire managing editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com, and reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com.
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