Get caught up on the latest technology and startup news from the past week. Here are the most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Jan. 16, 2022.
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Most popular stories on GeekWire
Toymaker Funko to close Washington state warehouses and move distribution jobs to Arizona
Everett, Wash.-based Funko, makers of pop culture collectibles, is closing warehouse locations in the city north of Seattle and consolidating its distribution work in Arizona. … Read More
Startups to watch: 13 venture capitalists offer their picks for the next Pacific Northwest unicorns
Unicorn startups are everywhere these days. … Read More
Stratolaunch’s huge airplane aces its third flight test, building on Paul Allen’s legacy
The mammoth airplane that got its start with backing from the late Seattle billionaire Paul Allen took to the air today for its third test flight — marking a new chapter in Stratolaunch’s decade-long effort to create a flying launch pad. … Read More
Job openings surge in Spokane as remote work attracts more techies to Eastern Washington
Smaller cities such as Boise and Spokane are seeing a surge in job postings and an influx of remote workers amid the pandemic, based on observations from business leaders and data from job websites. … Read More
Pacific Northwest forests provide the perfect breeding ground for a sci-fi tale about alien invasion
If you’re going to write a novel about an alien fungus threatening the planet, there are few places more suited for the setting than the damp, dark forests surrounding Seattle. … Read More
Microsoft vets reveal first game from new blockchain startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz
The news: Irreverent Labs, a new Seattle startup led by Microsoft veterans that recently raised a $5 million seed round, just revealed its first game. … Read More
AI2 releases demo of question-answering model it claims outperforms GPT-3
From the beginning of the digital age, we’ve looked to our computers for answers. … Read More
Amazon to try another tech-infused retail concept with ‘Amazon Style,’ its first physical fashion store
Move over books and groceries, Amazon’s latest foray into physical retail is focused on fashion. … Read More
Radian Aerospace comes out of stealth and raises $27.5M for orbital space plane development
More than five years after its founding, Renton, Wash.-based Radian Aerospace is emerging from stealth mode and reporting a $27.5 million seed funding round to support its plans to build an orbital space plane. … Read More
Chart: Microsoft’s largest acquisitions, led by the blockbuster deal to buy Activision Blizzard
Microsoft’s plan to buy Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion in cash is a whopper by every stretch of the imagination — the biggest in the company’s 47-year-history and more than double the $26 billion it paid for business social networking giant LinkedIn in 2017. … Read More