Articles by Tony Lystra

‘Radical experiment’: HBO spinout led by industry veteran uses blockchain for new combat game

by Tony Lystra on August 9, 2022August 9, 2022 at 8:22 am

Imagine you’re playing Shrapnel, a first-person shooter due in late 2024 from Seattle game studio Neon. You’ve carefully plucked from your armory the right gear to carry into battle: A… Read More

In an era of hybrid work, co-working spaces that survived the pandemic are booming

by Tony Lystra on May 26, 2022May 27, 2022 at 7:40 am

At the height of the pandemic, as his competitors disappeared around him, Peter Chee wondered if his Seattle co-working business, Thinkspace, would survive. “It was brutal,” said Chee, who counted… Read More

Acquired podcast hosts show at Climate Pledge Arena on fast-moving founders and an epic business recovery

by Tony Lystra on May 5, 2022May 5, 2022 at 3:09 pm

From the stage at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Acquired podcast hosts Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal discussed with a series of guests the gears of culture and commerce most… Read More

Seattle startup Swiftly lands $100M to help grocers fend off Amazon and other e-commerce players

by Tony Lystra on March 8, 2022March 8, 2022 at 8:03 am

Swiftly, a Seattle startup that provides software to brick-and-mortar grocery retailers such as Family Dollar and The Save Mart Companies, raised $100 million in a Series B funding round. Swiflty’s… Read More

How global supply chain woes may be an opportunity for Seattle shipping-tech companies

by Tony Lystra on January 19, 2022January 19, 2022 at 7:49 am

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the global supply chain has choked and sputtered, causing shortages of everything from computer chips to certain foods. Ports are so overrun that scores of… Read More

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Microsoft CEO lays out post-pandemic vision for work — including a new metaverse concept

by Tony Lystra on November 2, 2021November 2, 2021 at 6:00 pm

Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella described his company’s role in a new economy and society transformed by the pandemic in a keynote address on Tuesday kicking off Microsoft’s virtual… Read More

Video

Microsoft offers its own take on the metaverse with the introduction of Mesh for Teams

by Tony Lystra on November 2, 2021November 2, 2021 at 11:34 am

Microsoft laid out its latest vision for a post-COVID work world Tuesday, touching on a buzzword that’s become increasingly prominent in recent weeks: the metaverse. At its virtual Ignite 2021… Read More

Can’t find that file? Microsoft’s new Loop app puts workplace collaboration in a different light

by Tony Lystra on November 2, 2021November 2, 2021 at 11:05 am

Microsoft is aiming to solve a long-irritating problem that seemed to become more irksome as people began working remotely during the pandemic: Hunting through hard drives and cloud drives for… Read More

Interview: Expedia’s new leaders from Apple and Verizon hope to help travel giant bounce back

by Tony Lystra on June 4, 2021June 4, 2021 at 9:26 am

In 2001, Expedia Group embarked on a shopping spree. Over the course of nearly two decades, the Seattle travel platform snatched up more than 40 companies with a combined worth… Read More

Final tally: Amazon shareholders vote down all proposals on pay equity, privacy tech, more

by Tony Lystra on June 1, 2021June 1, 2021 at 8:47 am

At Amazon’s annual shareholders meeting last week, the company’s shareholders overwhelmingly shot down more than a dozen proposals aimed, proponents said, at making the company a more transparent and responsible… Read More

Amazon shareholders tackle tech giant’s prickliest problems after a turbulent year amid the pandemic

by Tony Lystra on May 25, 2021May 27, 2021 at 6:12 pm

Amazon has been on a wild ride over the last year. The Seattle retail and tech giant’s profits and stock price have soared to record highs during the pandemic as… Read More

Expedia Group hires top execs from Apple and Verizon as part of leadership structure overhaul

by Tony Lystra on May 24, 2021May 25, 2021 at 7:00 am

Expedia Group has hired top executives from Apple and Verizon Media as the company overhauls its leadership structure and brand after a long period of organizational disarray and declining revenues.… Read More

Amazon goes after alleged fraudulent text message advertising schemes in new lawsuit

by Tony Lystra on May 17, 2021May 17, 2021 at 7:57 am

Amazon doesn’t know exactly who is using its name in an allegedly fraudulent text message advertising scheme, but the company is suing them anyway. The Seattle retail giant filed a… Read More

Amazon to add another 75,000 workers and offers $100 bonus for proof of vaccination

by Tony Lystra on May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 at 10:18 am

Amazon is hiring an additional 75,000 workers for its warehouse and logistics operations across the U.S. and Canada as the Seattle giant continues to grow at a whirlwind pace amid… Read More

California legal rulings may have big impact on Amazon’s liability for third-party products it sells

by Tony Lystra on May 9, 2021May 9, 2021 at 10:23 am

In November 2015, Kisha Loomis signed on to Amazon and ordered her son a hoverboard, a two-wheeled vehicle popular with kids and balanced with gyroscopic gears. Just more than four… Read More

Infusing marijuana with data: Cannabis industry vets aim to clear the haze in a booming industry

by Tony Lystra on August 3, 2019August 3, 2019 at 7:32 am

Cy Scott, Brian Wansolich, and Scott Vickers had just sold their popular cannabis directory Leafly to Privateer Holdings. As they plotted their next endeavor, one word kept coming up in… Read More

Acumatica acquired by global private equity firm in bid to take on Oracle, Microsoft and other business software giants

by Tony Lystra on June 19, 2019June 19, 2019 at 10:48 am

In what it calls an attempt to take on global enterprise software giants including Microsoft, Oracle and Sage, Bellevue, Wash.-based Acumatica announced this morning that it has been acquired by… Read More

How can new technology reach the people who need it most? Experts discuss social impact ideas

by Tony Lystra on June 3, 2019June 4, 2019 at 11:34 pm

Technologies such as artificial intelligence, IoT and blockchain should benefit not just wealthy countries, but the poorest and most vulnerable as well — particularly when it comes to solving the… Read More

‘All Tech is Human’ event sparks discussion about avoiding unintended consequences of innovation

by Tony Lystra on May 20, 2019May 20, 2019 at 11:19 pm

Technology is pretty great, but it can come at a cost. Attention spans addled by screen time and that unreachable star known as multitasking; privacy invaded by web trackers and… Read More

Sea change: Maritime and tech leaders join forces to find innovative uses for ocean data

by Tony Lystra on May 15, 2019February 19, 2021 at 4:58 pm

The world’s seas are increasingly awash with data. There are sensors attached to buoys, autonomous sail drones, ships and satellites, each churning out a constant stream of information about water… Read More

Growing like weed: Pot tech startups bloom as Pacific NW becomes hub for cannabis innovation

by Tony Lystra on April 20, 2019April 23, 2019 at 7:22 am

If you happen to be searching for pot sales analytics today, on the annual 4/20 holiday celebrated by marijuana aficionados, look no further than the Pacific Northwest. Seattle startup Headset,… Read More

Pastors and programmers at BibleTech conference explore deeper theology through code

by Tony Lystra on April 13, 2019April 13, 2019 at 9:10 am

There’s a lot of stuff in the Bible — accounts of geography and warfare long past, layers of meaning translated from Greek and Hebrew, conflicting ideas, important historical figures. At… Read More

Women in tech work to debug the industry’s diversity problem at HopperX1 Seattle conference

by Tony Lystra on March 23, 2019March 25, 2019 at 2:47 pm

The annual Hopperx1 Seattle conference kicked off Friday with a stirring call to boost the number of women working in the tech industry, and the agenda revealed one of the… Read More

Two Seattle cannabis software companies merging to build bigger stake in a growing market

by Tony Lystra on March 11, 2019March 11, 2019 at 10:43 am

Dauntless, Inc., a Seattle-area software developer providing point-of-sale and tracking software to the cannabis industry, has acquired pot sales software company Soro. The combined companies aim to create an all-encompassing… Read More

Nintex acquires business bot company EnableSoft, filling a key gap in its workflow automation platform

by Tony Lystra on March 4, 2019March 4, 2019 at 3:31 pm

Bellevue, Wash.-based workflow automation company Nintex has acquired EnableSoft, a Robotic Process Automation company that offers bots for handling a business’s basic, repetitive tasks. It’s Nintex’s second acquisition in seven months… Read More

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Articles by Tony Lystra

Top Stories from Tony Lystra

‘Radical experiment’: HBO spinout led by industry veteran uses blockchain for new combat game

Latest from Tony Lystra

‘Radical experiment’: HBO spinout led by industry veteran uses blockchain for new combat game

In an era of hybrid work, co-working spaces that survived the pandemic are booming

Acquired podcast hosts show at Climate Pledge Arena on fast-moving founders and an epic business recovery

Seattle startup Swiftly lands $100M to help grocers fend off Amazon and other e-commerce players

How global supply chain woes may be an opportunity for Seattle shipping-tech companies

Microsoft CEO lays out post-pandemic vision for work — including a new metaverse concept

Microsoft offers its own take on the metaverse with the introduction of Mesh for Teams

Can’t find that file? Microsoft’s new Loop app puts workplace collaboration in a different light

Interview: Expedia’s new leaders from Apple and Verizon hope to help travel giant bounce back

Final tally: Amazon shareholders vote down all proposals on pay equity, privacy tech, more

Amazon shareholders tackle tech giant’s prickliest problems after a turbulent year amid the pandemic

Expedia Group hires top execs from Apple and Verizon as part of leadership structure overhaul

Amazon goes after alleged fraudulent text message advertising schemes in new lawsuit

Amazon to add another 75,000 workers and offers $100 bonus for proof of vaccination

California legal rulings may have big impact on Amazon’s liability for third-party products it sells

Infusing marijuana with data: Cannabis industry vets aim to clear the haze in a booming industry

Acumatica acquired by global private equity firm in bid to take on Oracle, Microsoft and other business software giants

‘All Tech is Human’ event sparks discussion about avoiding unintended consequences of innovation

Sea change: Maritime and tech leaders join forces to find innovative uses for ocean data

Growing like weed: Pot tech startups bloom as Pacific NW becomes hub for cannabis innovation

Pastors and programmers at BibleTech conference explore deeper theology through code

Women in tech work to debug the industry’s diversity problem at HopperX1 Seattle conference

Two Seattle cannabis software companies merging to build bigger stake in a growing market

The secret to Seattle’s success in tech, and what needs to happen to spark the next wave of growth

What that meditation app you downloaded (and don’t use) can really do for you — and what it can’t

Automation company Nintex partners with Adobe to challenge DocuSign in electronic signatures

High time for a better marijuana resource online? Startup finds a niche with legal pot retailers