The hidden link between Seattle and Spokane for tech companies

F5 , Rover.com , and a number of other tech companies have significant operations on both sides of Washington state — in Seattle and Spokane. The trend illustrates the potential for deeper ties between the two regions to strengthen Washington state’s innovation economy as a whole. Read more.

Amazon is giving a $1.4 billion boost to its Housing Equity Fund to preserve and create thousands of additional affordable housing units in regions where the company has a significant office presence, including Seattle. Read more. (Above, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announces the additional funding.)

SPONSOR MESSAGE: Washington state’s second-largest city is the hub of an ambitious regional tech community seeking to leverage new realities to achieve its longstanding goals: Read more.

What’s missing from Seattle’s startup ecosystem? More operators, more sizzle, more founders investing in each other, and making the city a better place to live are some of the things listed by early stage venture capitalists ( Ken Horenstein , Heather Redman , Kirby Winfield , Leslie Feinzaig ) on a panel at the Seattle AI Investor Summit + Showcase. Read more.

• Previously: Seattle tumbles to No. 20 in global ranking of startup ecosystems

Coast Guard investigators found no evidence that the crew of OceanGate’s Titan submersible knew about their peril after a purported transcript of communications from the sub’s doomed dive to the Titanic was determined to be made up. Read more.

Washington state joined a federal antitrust lawsuit against Apple, alleging the iPhone maker is harming consumers with its monopoly in the smartphone market. Read more.

Hot Links:

• Apple passed Microsoft as the world’s most valuable company, following its AI-related announcements. (CNBC)
• LinkedIn is testing an AI product, leveraging Microsoft tech, that will prompt users to chat with an AI assistant to learn more about a particular company or topic. (Axios)
• Seattle startup Pulumi rolled out a new “Pulumi Copliot” tool that uses AI to automate cloud infrastructure management. (Pulumi)

SPONSOR MESSAGE: Where AI meets humanity in healthcare: What’s next? Join us at Seattle University’s Ethics and Tech Conference on June 27. We will delve into the pivotal role of AI in healthcare, explore the ethical considerations of AI integration, and ensure that technological advancements serve humanity. Reserve your spot to engage with experts shaping the future of healthcare. Register now.

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