Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of April 13, 2025
See the technology stories that people were reading on GeekWire for the week of April 13, 2025.… Read More

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 April 13, 2025.
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Most popular stories on GeekWire

Column: Bezos lost in PR space as Blue Origin’s all-female launch backfires
Editor’s note: This guest post is written by Aaron Cohen, a longtime PR and brand executive. … Read More

Blue Origin’s all-female space mission sends celebrities and scientists on a suborbital trip
Six women rode Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket ship today on a short suborbital space trip that was notable because of a crew that included pop superstar Katy Perry, morning TV host Gayle King — and Lauren Sanchez, the fiancée of the space venture’s billionaire founder, Jeff Bezos. … Read More

Seattle crosswalk buttons hacked to sound like Jeff Bezos; SDOT exploring ‘stronger security measures’
Editor’s note: This story was updated with comment from the Seattle Department of Transportation. … Read More

Washington state lawmakers propose capital gains tax increase
A new bill proposal would increase Washington’s capital gains tax by adding a 2.9% surtax on annual investment profits over $1 million, increasing the effective rate for high earners. … Read More

Seattle startup Potato lands $4.5M to automate science experiments using AI assistants and robots
With $4.5 million in fresh funding, Seattle-area startup Potato is sprouting big plans to disrupt scientific research with a fully automated experimental process. … Read More

Suffering from ‘Tesla Regret Syndrome’? Spoof ad from Seattle group is latest dig at Elon Musk
A Seattle-based activist group that has been taking part in protests aimed at Elon Musk and Tesla showrooms in the city has produced a new spoof commercial to drive home how it thinks owners of the electric vehicles might be feeling these days. … Read More

This Seattle startup uses AI to help mortgage lenders compete with industry giants
Mortgage giants such as Rocket and United Wholesale Mortgage have thousands of employees and technical staff. … Read More

Tech Moves: Smartsheet names chief product officer; Meta vet joins Tech Alliance; and more
— Pratima Arora has been named chief product officer at Smartsheet, a new senior executive role at the Bellevue, Wash.-based enterprise software giant. … Read More

Analysis: Seattle crosswalk hack more mischievous than malicious — but not entirely harmless
The audio enhancement feature at public crosswalks is normally meant to assist the visually impaired by providing notifications to alert pedestrians when the walk light is activated. … Read More

Climate-focused venture firm Stepchange raises $7M to back startups with ‘immediate’ impact
Seattle-based venture firm Stepchange announced that it closed its first fund, raising $7 million to invest in climate-focused startups. … Read More