Seattle’s newest billionaire says tax talk will drive business away, claims Seattle freeze is ‘garbage’
February 8, 2021 at 10:40 am
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GeekWire’s civic coverage examines tech policy, urban development, transportation, housing, the environment, regulation, and other issues impacting the innovation economy.
Tanium CEO Orion Hindawi recently moved the company’s headquarters to Kirkland. (Tanium Photo)
Tanium co-founder and CEO Orion Hindawi may not be as well known as Jeff Bezos, Steve Ballmer, Bill Gates or other Seattle area billionaires.
After all, it was just a few months ago that Hindawi and his family left the San Francisco Bay Area for Seattle’s Laurelhurst neighborhood, bringing his $9 billion cybersecurity company to the region along with him.
From book club to bootcamp: How these Seattle tech veterans took bold action on racial inclusion
February 5, 2021 at 2:18 pm
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This special series focuses on important community issues, innovative solutions to societal challenges, and people and non-profit groups making an impact through technology.
The Reskill Americans co-founders, from left to right: Femi Akinde, Chief Technology Officer Mike Koss and Tim Mallalieu. (Reskill Americans Photos)
Femi Akinde and Mike Koss met a decade ago at StartPad, a former Seattle co-working space where Koss was director and Akinde was a startup founder. They both eventually moved on, but stayed in close contact. They had monthly lunches and started a social justice book club to discuss the Black experience.
Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy speaks at re:Invent 2018. (GeekWire Photo)
Andy Jassy will have big shoes to fill when he takes over from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos later this year. The chicken wing lovin’ 53-year-old tech executive also will face a host of challenges from labor force issues to a sprawling empire of disconnected businesses to intense government scrutiny.
But one longtime partner thinks there’s an even bigger challenge staring Jassy right in the face. And it connects directly to Jassy’s current day job of leading Amazon Web Services, the cloud juggernaut that earlier this week disclosed a mind-blowing $13.5 billion in operating profit last year. (As GeekWire’s Todd Bishop noted, that figure accounted for more than 63% of Amazon’s entire operating profits for the year),
A Tech-Enabled Future: Tanium CEO Orion Hindawi & Madrona MD Matt McIlwain
February 4 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Join us on February 4th for a fireside chat you won’t want to miss!
About this Event
Join WTIA as we host Tanium CEO Orion Hindawi for a fireside chat and conversation with Madrona Venture Group Managing Director Matt McIlwain, as they discuss trends in the technology sector, leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic, and Tanium’s recent relocation from Silicon Valley to Kirkland, Washington. WTIA Board Chair Heather Redman will kick-off the event and set the stage for this important conversation.
About the Speakers
Washington state lawmakers target Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and other billionaires with wealth tax
January 27, 2021 at 8:01 pm
Bill Gates, left, and Jeff Bezos. (GeekWire, Economic Club Photos)
A new proposed wealth tax in Washington state would impose a 1% tax on billionaires, affecting Seattle-area tech and business leaders such as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and about 100 other ultra-wealthy residents.
House Bill 1406 would produce an estimated $2.25 billion in 2023 and $2.5 billion in 2024, according to Rep. Noel Frame (D-Seattle), chair of the state’s House Finance Committee who introduced the bill Wednesday with House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan (D-Covington).
In an interview with GeekWire, Frame said the intent of the wealth tax is part of a larger effort to help to restructure the tax code in Washington state, which she described as the most regressive in the nation. Washington is also among nine states that do not have income taxes.