This week, we take the GeekWire Podcast to Front Burner Studios in Seattle, where we’re hosted by studio co-owner Seth Paul, who’s co-founder and CEO of security startup Qinsay.
We discuss the White House crackdown on Microsoft’s green-card sponsorships, which Vice President JD Vance announced just hours before President Trump awarded Satya Nadella the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. We talk about the contrast, and about how Nadella himself traveled that same path from H-1B visa to U.S. citizenship.
We also look at how Seattle-area startups raised a record $3.5 billion, driven largely by companies building physical things like rockets and satellites.
That leads us to Shield AI’s plans to build AI-piloted fighter jets in Des Moines, Wash., where a city FAQ assures residents the facility is not a data center.
After we catch up on the news, Seth joins us to tells us about the studio, including the vintage console he drove from Detroit, and how he brings a musician’s approach to the startup world.
And in the final segment, it’s the return of the GeekWire Trivia Challenge.
Related links:
- Microsoft responds to White House immigration crackdown as Trump honors Nadella
- From H-1B to CEO: How Satya Nadella traveled the path the U.S. just cut off for Microsoft workers
- Seattle-area startups raise a record $3.5B as national VC funding cools
- Shield AI selects Seattle area to build X-BAT autonomous fighter jet
- Shield AI lands $150M Navy contract for AI-piloted fighter jet
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