GeekWire Mid-Week Update, Presented by Wells Fargo

Read the top tech stories so far this week from GeekWire

Top stories so far this week Gates Foundation gives millions to help persuade ultra-wealthy donors to give more of their billions In a time of global pandemic, economic crisis and rising unemployment, the Gates Foundation's most surprising philanthropic target is a group often overlooked by donors: billionaires themselves. Microsoft profits jump 33% as CEO Satya Nadella cites a ‘second wave of digital transformation’ Microsoft’s revenue climbed 17% to more than $43 billion for the December quarter, and profits rose 33% to $15.5 billion, eclipsing Wall Street’s expectations amid growing demand for the company’s cloud services as the pandemic continues to accelerate technology adoption. Photos: Inside Amazon’s pop-up COVID-19 vaccination site at its Seattle headquarters During normal times, the Amazon Meeting Center is bustling with Amazon workers and others attending various tech-related events. Starbucks COO and Amazon board member Roz Brewer will be new Walgreens CEO Starbucks COO Roz Brewer will be the new CEO of drugstore giant Walgreens, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. SpaceX puts record 143 satellites in orbit, with Spaceflight playing a supporting role SpaceX set a record for the number of satellites sent into orbit by a single rocket, and that's not the only milestone reached during today's mission. Amazon invests in startup producing ‘net-zero carbon fuels’ for transportation Amazon announced on Tuesday that it was investing in Infinium, a Sacramento, Calif.-based startup that is developing what it describes as “net-zero carbon fuels” that can be used in transportation. More-transmissible COVID-19 variant confirmed in Washington state as vaccinations ramp up The new, more-transmissible variant of COVID-19 is now confirmed in Washington state. SpaceX’s Elon Musk and Amazon’s Project Kuiper stir up a war of words over satellites SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Amazon's Project Kuiper escalated a different kind of Star Wars today, over the orbital parameters for their satellite constellations. Xbox Series X/S launch and Game Pass push Microsoft’s quarterly gaming revenue past $5 billion The latest Xbox console release helped Microsoft hit a new mark for gaming revenue, topping $5 billion during the December quarter, up 51% year-over-year. Dustup over Microsoft PAC’s contributions brings calls for company to lead political reform Advocates urged Microsoft to take bolder action on U.S. political reform, and to permanently stop giving money to legislators who sought to overturn the presidential election, after the leak of a partial transcript of internal comments in which Microsoft President Brad Smith spoke candidly about the company's use of campaign contributions to build beneficial relationships with politicians.

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