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Spectator 2026-05-28

Spectator 2026-06-04

The big AI labs are eating the startup playbook — here’s where founders can still compete

Startup founders used to worry that tech giants would make their product obsolete. Now it’s even trickier: AI labs are not only encroaching on startup turf, they’re also offering tools for customers to attempt DIY solutions of their own. But there are approaches that work, and niches to be found, according to speakers and panelists at the Tech Alliance Seattle Investor Summit+Showcase this week. Read More

Tech Moves: Salesforce names president; Microsoft execs coming and going; Amazon departures

A pair of Microsoft security executives are on the move — one headed to Salesforce, one returning to fill the vacancy. Meanwhile, two Amazon veterans are calling it quits at the company. Read More

Ballard FC, Salmon Bay FC host Portland in Music Night doubleheader

Ballard FC and Salmon Bay FC will host a Seattle-versus-Portland doubleheader at Interbay Stadium (3027 17th Ave W) on Saturday, June 6, with both clubs facing new and returning rivals ... Read more

Mike’s Chili Parlor Music Festival returns for its second year

Mike’s Chili Parlor (1447 NW Ballard Way) will host its second annual Mike’s Chili Parlor Music Festival this summer, bringing together local musicians and bands with ties to Ballard. The ... Read more

Zuckerberg’s superyacht moves north out of Seattle, dwarfing ferries along the way

Launchpad was spotted this week making the move from Elliott Bay in Seattle. According to MarineTraffic, the vessel anchored in Port Gardner Bay near Naval Station Everett around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Read More

Northbound I-5 closure this weekend expected to affect travel through Seattle

Ballard-area residents traveling through Seattle this weekend should plan for significant traffic impacts as northbound Interstate 5 will fully close between Interstate 90 and Northeast 45th Street from late Friday, ... Read more

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman to leave Microsoft board after nearly a decade

Reid Hoffman, the LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock investor, will not stand for re-election to Microsoft's board, ending a tenure that began in 2017. He told Satya Nadella he's returning to "founder mode" to focus on his cancer drug-discovery startup, Manas AI. Read More

Etzioni on AI: Ten Commandments for AI Startups

AI researcher, entrepreneur, and investor Oren Etzioni lays out 10 commandments for AI startups — covering business models, distribution, inference costs, and avoiding dependence on any single frontier model — preceded by 10 classics that apply to startups in general. Read More

Innovega’s smart glasses aim to improve sight for people with visual impairments

Innovega, a company known for its augmented-reality contact lens technology, has turned its focus to a different product for now: smart glasses for people who are visually impaired. Read More

Docusign moving downtown Seattle offices, leaving its namesake tower

Electronic signature powerhouse Docusign is reportedly moving its offices in downtown Seattle a few blocks north, leaving the tower that bears its name.  Read More