It’s not easy to assess the current state of the tech hiring market amid recent corporate layoffs and the generative AI boom. But some trends emerged in our conversations with company leaders at a GeekWire event Tuesday on our office deck in Seattle — including a potential tailwind for early stage startups. Read more.

• Related: An AWS-commissioned study found that 50–55% of entry-level work is now being augmented by AI, requiring early-career professionals to master more complex skills. (AWS Blog)

Seattle-based
AI2 Incubator
has raised about $80 million for its third investment fund, according to new SEC filings — a big jump from its $30 million fund raised in 2023. Read more. 

AI and climate: Speaking in Seattle on Tuesday, billionaire investor

Vinod Khosla

(above, right) said the biggest threat to America’s competitiveness in AI or climate tech isn’t federal funding cuts or electricity shortages for data centers — it’s immigration policy. Read more. 

• Amazon’s latest annual sustainability report reveals the challenge for tech giants as they deploy data centers while trying to meet carbon emissions targets. Read more.
• Bill Gates sees AI-driven energy demand as a key catalyst for advancing nuclear and geothermal technology. (Cipher)

We went inside Seattle’s new Real Time Crime Center, where analysts monitor video feeds and other data to help support investigations. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell called it a “game changer,” but not everyone is voicing support for the high-tech system. Read more.

Global fintech giant
FIS
is laying off 133 workers from its Bellevue office. Read more. 

Hot Links:

• AI is showing promise for detecting breast cancer, according to a new study from Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab, the UW and Fred Hutch Cancer Center. (Microsoft on the Issues)
• AWS unveiled a new service called Amazon Bedrock AgentCore, its latest move to provide the foundation for companies to deploy AI agents. (About Amazon)
• Jewish Voice for Peace protested outside Palantir’s Seattle office this week, urging Washington state to divest over the company’s alleged involvement in the use of AI in Gaza and U.S. deportations. (Reddit, The Stranger)
• Washington state’s floating bridges are the focus of a new episode of the popular series Practical Engineering. (YouTube) 
• DreamPark Immersive
  has launched a 25,000-square-foot mixed-reality theme park in Seattle, turning the Ballard waterfront into a multiplayer XR experience. (BusinessWire)

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SPONSOR MESSAGE: Tech Vets, an ongoing GeekWire series presented by Northern Trust, showcases United States military veterans leading the Pacific Northwest tech industry. Read more.

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